San Antonio College Library

This volume presents the rock art of primitive man as found around the world. The book presents a brief, lucid, excellently illustrated introduction to what is presently known and currently thought. Physical and cultural anthropology, related to Pleistocene geology, provide a framework for the several cultures identified by archaeologists, and their examination calls forth explanations of dating methods (Carbon 14 plus lesser-known, very recent ones)...

"This book puts the modern point of view, deriving in part from the revolution in cave art studies brought about by the French archaeologist Leroi-Gourhan during the past decade, and explains the evolution of past and present theories on the subject. As cave art takes the form mainly of naturalistic renderings of animals, executed to a very high standard, developments of style are an important factor. The author concentrates on stylistic analysis...

Over more than twenty-five years of teaching and research, Christine Desdemaines-Hugon has become an unrivaled expert in the cave art and artists of the Dordogne region. In her new book she combines her expertise in both art and archaeology to convey an intimate understanding of the "cave experience." Her keen insights communicate not only the incomparable artistic value of these works but also the near-spiritual impact of viewing them for oneself.-publisher...

Includes chapters on body art and rock and cave art as well as figurines and carvings on bone and pottery.

In December 1994, in the Ardeche Valley of southeast France, three explorers chanced upon the hidden entrance to an underground cavern. Digging away the rubble, they made their way through a narrow passage into a vast cave, and there made one of the most thrilling discoveries of modern times: The Chauvet cave, named for one of the discoverers, which had been untouched for thousands of years. It was filled with Stone Age cave bear skeletons and footprints,...