Men of the Old Stone Age: Their Environment, Life and ArtOsborn, Henry Fairfield
History
Men of the Old Stone Age: Their Environment, Life and Art
Osborn, Henry Fairfield
Art, Primitive; Prehistoric peoples; Stone age
Among the numerous specimens of typical Magdalenian industry and art which
have been found here may be mentioned a geode of quartzite, apparently
used to contain water, and stone crucibles, usually of rounded form,
adapted to the grinding up of mineral colors for tattooing or artistic
purposes; one of these crucibles, showing traces of color, still remains.
The finest among the art objects is the spirited engraving, on a section
of ivory tusk, of the woolly mammoth charging; this is one of the most
realistic pieces of Palæolithic engraving which has ever been found; there
are indications that the artist used this relatively small piece of ivory
for the representation of three mammoths; but in the reproduction (Fig.
199) all the lines are eliminated except those belonging to the single
charging mammoth; we observe especially the elevation of the head and the
tail, also the remarkably lifelike action of the limbs and body.
Very numerous industrial levels are discovered in eight or ten overlying
hearths, which are, however, divided into three main levels, as follows:
_Niveau supérieur_ (late Magdalenian culture).
Harpoons with a double row of barbs. Indications that the climate was
colder and drier, resembling that of the steppes. Bison, horses, and
reindeer abundant.
_Niveau moyen_ (middle Magdalenian culture).
Harpoons with barbs on one side only; also bâtons de commandement.
Indications that the climate was more moist, with frequent inundations
from the river. Bison, reindeer, and horses less abundant.
_Niveau inférieur_ (early Magdalenian culture).
Harpoons with a single row of barbs. Indications of animal sculpture.
Remains of bison and of reindeer, but those of horses especially
numerous.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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