Drawing in the depths: spatial organization patterns related to Magdalenian cave art

The creation of rock art in the deep areas of caves was one of the most unique symbolic activities of Magdalenian societies in southwestern Europe between 13.5 and 21 thousand years ago. Previous research has suggested that these works of art were not placed in caves at random but rather their locat...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Archaeological and anthropological sciences 2024-07, Vol.16 (7), p.104, Article 104
Hauptverfasser: Intxaurbe, Iñaki, Garate, Diego, Arriolabengoa, Martin
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The creation of rock art in the deep areas of caves was one of the most unique symbolic activities of Magdalenian societies in southwestern Europe between 13.5 and 21 thousand years ago. Previous research has suggested that these works of art were not placed in caves at random but rather their location corresponds to a pre-established structure. However, despite the suggestive idea of pre-planning the decoration of the endokarst, it is challenging to demonstrate the relationship between different works and between them and their immediate spatial context due to the lack of common objective criteria. In this study, we have examined the iconographic and spatial characteristics of 500 Magdalenian graphic units in nine caves in the Cantabrian and Pyrenees mountain ranges (southwestern Europe) to identify patterns of graphic construction based on their cave location. We designed a workflow that includes geomorphological analysis for a virtual reconstruction of the state of the caves during the Magdalenian, analysis of graphic units (GU) through geographic information systems (GIS) using a Python script, and multivariate statistical study of the spatial and iconographic parameters of these figures. This has allowed us to identify different groups of figures: some were specifically created to be seen, using various techniques and selecting locations with good visibility, accessibility, or capacity to accommodate people, while others sought the opposite. There is also a correlation between the techniques used and their location in caves, perhaps aiming for resource economization. These data support the existence of different uses for the deep sectors of caves during the Magdalenian period.
ISSN:1866-9557
1866-9565
DOI:10.1007/s12520-024-02007-3