|
The largest part of the cave paintings was found in Europe (from Spain up
to the Ural). Naturally,
 on the walls of neglected caves with the entrances
firmly blocked up thousands years ago, the paintings are in a good
condition. During centuries the same temperature and humidity have been kept
up in them. That is why, together with the cave paintings, other numerous
evidences of the human activity are perfectly preserved, among them -
distinct footprints of adults and, what is more impressive, of children on
the wet floor of some caves.
Provinces Dordogne, Ariege è Upper Pyrenees in France, Spanish provinces
Cantabria and Asturias, adjoining Pyrenees from south-west, are especially
remarkable for the concentration of the cave paintings. In literature this
region is generally entitled Franco-Cantabria. There are less monuments of
Palaeolithic art in French and Italian Riviera, on Sicily; two caves with
paintings are found in the southern Ural. The majority of those caves and
grottoes were discovered and became the objects of special investigation
during the last century. Palaelothic art was long considered to be a
purely European or Eurasian phenomenon and no monuments of this type exist
on the other continents. H. Breuil even tried to substantiate this
exceptional nature of proto-European culture. But later, in the 60 - 70s it
turned out to be not correct. In Australia, on Arnemland peninsula,
depictions of a kangaroo and hand stencils older than 12000 years were
found. In South Africa finds from grotto Appolo 11 are the most
interesting. In 1969 two painted stone palm-sized plaquettes were found in
the layer between Mousterian and Upper Palaeolithic. One of them was split
into two fragments. A rhino depiction made with a black pigment is on one of
the plaquettes, an ungulate - on the other. They are dated according to C -
14 to 28000 - 26000 years. In South Africa, in the Lions Cave, the most
ancient known place of ochre output, dated according to C-14 to 43200 was
found. Hypothetically, some ancient paintings in Siberia, southern Anatolia
and northern China are referred to the Upper Palaeolithic but still there
are no more or less correct dates of those depictions.
Modern data of the cave painting prevalence do not reflect any objective
regularity. Rarity of the finds of this kind on the territory between
 Franño- Cantabria and the Ural can be rather explained by the natural
conditions and unequal research of the territories with the caves than by
any other reasons. In pre-historic art study the process of the "primary
accumulation" of the data is not only far from consummation but even not
complete, the more so it is difficult to determine the level of this
"sufficiency". Even in southern France, the territory, regular studied for
a hundred of years, one can make unexpected discoveries. In the region with
concentrated cave paintings, which seems to be investigated thoroughly by
abbey H.Breuil and his first pupils in their time, 21 previously unknown
caves were discovered in the period between 1984 up to 1994. Among them
there are caves, just as ancient, abounding in finds and diverse as world
famous due to their paintings Altamira, Lascaux and others. As for the
Chauvet cave, it occupies the leading position among them. Probably a new
cave with even more ancient, perfect and diverse paintings will be found
soon.
In 1994 more than 300 caves, grottoes and roofs with paintings,
undoubtedly dated to the Upper Palaeolithic, are known in Europe. Among them
150 - in France, 125 - in Spain, 3 - in Portugal, 21 - in Italy, 1 - in
Yugoslavia, 1 - in Roumania, 2 - in Germany and 2 - in Russia. Numerous
objects of portable art are found on the sites, in caves during excavations
and accidentally. The number of the finds in Russia exceeded 150 ( the most
eastern - in Pribaikalje) New finds and discoveries are, undoubtedly, still
ahead
|
