Seán Burke

This is a very common misconception about cave art is that it's always depicting hunting scenes and you might imagine little stick figures with their spears sort of chasing after animals that might be behind what we've got on the image here. But that's actually not what a lot of cave art is. Humans are very rare in Paleolithic art.

This is a very common misconception about cave art is that it's always depicting hunting scenes and you might imagine little stick figures with their spears sort of chasing after animals that might be behind what we've got on the image here. But that's actually not what a lot of cave art is. Humans are very rare in Paleolithic art.

Yeah, so I think what they're doing is trying to capture kind of animal behaviours and something about the animals that communicates some sort of meaning or importance to their society.

Yeah, so I think what they're doing is trying to capture kind of animal behaviours and something about the animals that communicates some sort of meaning or importance to their society.

What they tend to be using is ochre and ochre comes in a few different shades. So we have red ochre is a very common one, yellow ochre, browns and sort of purple hues too. And then they're using charcoal as a black pigment and also manganese oxide as well as a black pigment. But that is kind of it.

What they tend to be using is ochre and ochre comes in a few different shades. So we have red ochre is a very common one, yellow ochre, browns and sort of purple hues too. And then they're using charcoal as a black pigment and also manganese oxide as well as a black pigment. But that is kind of it.

Yeah. What they are using is sort of water or clay to kind of mix this into a paint. Also animal fat to create a thicker sort of paint mixture that then they will mix it up and then put it on the walls. They can also just use it without that, like a crayon and just draw directly on the walls.

Yeah. What they are using is sort of water or clay to kind of mix this into a paint. Also animal fat to create a thicker sort of paint mixture that then they will mix it up and then put it on the walls. They can also just use it without that, like a crayon and just draw directly on the walls.

Yeah, stick on the cable better, but also it makes your pigment go further too. And possibly saliva is the only bodily fluid that we know that they're probably using in this. So some of the hand stencils that we mentioned earlier, the way that they're made is by spraying ochre from the mouth. Oh. onto the hand. Sometimes they might have used a tool, like a little tube, a bird bone or something.

Yeah, stick on the cable better, but also it makes your pigment go further too. And possibly saliva is the only bodily fluid that we know that they're probably using in this. So some of the hand stencils that we mentioned earlier, the way that they're made is by spraying ochre from the mouth. Oh. onto the hand. Sometimes they might have used a tool, like a little tube, a bird bone or something.

Yeah, or just directly from the mouth. So there's some ideas that maybe they're just putting the powder in their mouths, mixing it with saliva to create the paint and then spitting it on their hands.

Yeah, or just directly from the mouth. So there's some ideas that maybe they're just putting the powder in their mouths, mixing it with saliva to create the paint and then spitting it on their hands.

Absolutely. And if you'll indulge me, we can enter a cave. Imagine ourselves in a cave. Yeah, there we go. Tens of thousands of years ago. So we start to notice these unusual echoing acoustics to the space around us. We're in complete darkness and we hear this flicker of our firelight that's illuminating the space around us.

Absolutely. And if you'll indulge me, we can enter a cave. Imagine ourselves in a cave. Yeah, there we go. Tens of thousands of years ago. So we start to notice these unusual echoing acoustics to the space around us. We're in complete darkness and we hear this flicker of our firelight that's illuminating the space around us.

So the firelight's sort of dancing across the walls, lighting up these unusual stalagmites and stalactites and undulating surfaces. And we might even tactically engage with the space around us, feel the sort of smooth flowstone or the rough surfaces of the cave wall.

So the firelight's sort of dancing across the walls, lighting up these unusual stalagmites and stalactites and undulating surfaces. And we might even tactically engage with the space around us, feel the sort of smooth flowstone or the rough surfaces of the cave wall.

Wow.

Wow.

So all of these sensory experiences would have been embedded in the making and experience of this art. And recently in archaeology, we've been appreciating these sensory experiences in what's kind of a sensory turn in our interpretation.

So all of these sensory experiences would have been embedded in the making and experience of this art. And recently in archaeology, we've been appreciating these sensory experiences in what's kind of a sensory turn in our interpretation.