 |
Neanderthal man (100,000 - 50,000 B.C.) created the first graves. Strewn flowers, sprinkled ochre and ornaments accompanying the dead are undeniable signs of symbolic behaviour. The act of burial weaves a link between the living and the dead, and offers continual reassurance of a hereafter. Another symbolic activity of prehistoric man, cave art, represents animals and geometric symbols in secret and hidden places, often following the natural architecture of a cave. These decorated caves, that we presume to be sanctuaries, present an enigma to researchers. Did they have a particular social function? Were they used as religious spaces? |
|
 |
|
Bison head carved on a reindeer or horse bone Found in the Campalou shelter, Saint-Nazaire-en-Royans (Drôme) Magdalenian era (11,000 B.C.) Collection of the Musée de Valence |
|
|
 |
|
  |
