What can Stone Age art tell us about extinct animals?
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- Опубликовано: 29 апр 2018
- From Lascaux to Chauvet to Australia, in this video I discuss the many illustrations of now extinct prehistoric animals and how they can be significant to paleontologists. Additionally, artwork created by our long dead ancestors can actually tell us a lot about prehistory we wouldn't know otherwise from cultural norms to religious beliefs. So I've taken the time to examine what prehistoric art can tell us. We will talk about everything from Irish Elk to Marsupial Lions so I hope you enjoy!
Most Images are taken from Wikimedia Commons 
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I get chills every time I see that hand print. Someone, tens of thousands of years ago, did that to make their mark on the world.
no i just used my time machine and went back and ruined the drawing of a woolly mammoth some guy called ooga booga was making
Crazy things happen after 8:45 It’s like an eons old version of “Killroy was here.”
Dark Brotherhood didn't mess around back then.
Logan Bedenis bahaha well said!!!!!!
It's about showing you were a part of time.
A window into a world that is so long ago yet feels weirdly close.
We are a very young species.
@@cristiamjulianayalapena3190
Shut up Pee pee head.
We are also, neurologically, very similar to those people. Indeed, it is likely that many examples of rock art were produced under the influence of hallucinogens and other entopic phenomena and we can see evidence of this in contemporary descriptions of hallucinations experienced while under the influence of said substances and other conditions such as migraines.
Isn't strange to think that, in physiological traits, we today might be essentially identical to the people who made those drawings (except that we probably have much more immune complexity and much greater tolerance for carbohydrates and sugars)?
@@Aconitum_napellus no no no ehh its getting to much, the need i feel when reading this.. its plasma, read Anthony Peratt's papers or look for video here.. i love tripping every now and then but realizing its worldwide the same toroidal shaped plasma pinches is as important now.
Fun fact, the last full dodo bird was a stuffed one that was thrown out in like the 17 or 1800s because it “smelled musty”
rip to the emblem of my island lmao
@Léa I. what?
Léa I. What?
@@dougthedonkey1805 I'm from Reunion Island, one of the islands where dodos used to live
@Léa I. Ohh, I see. That’s really cool!
Something I find fascinating about this is that, humans have always been the same. With a few upgrades to technology and education. We still love telling stories and sharing our wisdom, we are naturally curious and paint or write just for the joy of doing it. Idk it's just amazing
For an alternative explanation of why these cave paintings were made, that has nothing to do with sharing wisdom, being naturally curious or just painting for the joy of doing it, but to do with cosmology, power dynamics in society and what I'd tentativily call the start of religion (okay, probably better to go with spirituality!) then I would really recommend you look up the book 'The Mind in the Cave' by David Lewis-Williams. (And I'd highly recommend the follow up by him and another author, 'The Neolithic Mind', that takes the thesis further.)
Essentially he argues that homo sapiens' consciousness allows us to experience what appears to be other 'worlds' (i.e. cosmology), whether through ingesting hallucigens, pracitising sensory deprivation (say like sitting in a dark cave by yourself for days!), dancing to exhaustion, not eating for days, or just plain dreaming... etc. And that 'shaman' profficient at obtaining these visions were the ones that went deep underground to 'fix' what they saw onto the walls with these paintings. Caves being paths into the underworld, were very different from the world of the surface, and may have been liminal places for these shaman. The 'membranes' between worlds could have been seen as being very thin there. Why did they do this? Because the visions they had and what they brought back from these other 'realms' was likely to be feared/valued by others, (valued in that shamen may have made pronouncements on prey species that our hunter-gather ancestors relied on, say). This suggests that human society was stratified, and these shamen were both helping communities but also solidifying their importance to all by practicing their vision-quests.
Of course, really, it's impossible to know why some of our ancestors went into the dark to paint these pictures, but Lewis-Williams has a very compelling thesis IMHO. He backs it up with a number of cases looking at modern hunter gather societies and does caution to be careful with his thesis.
Anyway, it might sound a bit new-age and woo-woo, but honestly it's not - I'm a theoretical physicist by training and rely on logic and rational thinking all the time - this was very neatly argued. Thoroughly recommend reading if you are interested.
@@S.L.O.P. your right for most part but humans are not the only. Most animals push their young out early. Some animals with no heirarchy or fighting just add on to the group and feed and eat together
And the vast majority have always liked porn
@@senthenerd5332 genius
Humans are also the only animals that cook food.
No humans, but tonnes of cows. Clearly the cows painted the caves.
Or cats and that explains why they are sacred .
@@cristianbanuta8467 sshhh dont blow are secret lol
Maybe cows from an ancient Chick-fil-A.
Cristian Banuta THE OWLS AND THE BASKING SHARKS DID IT
Moo
honestly cave paintings always give me this one feeling, like a mix of the feeling you get when you go hiking alone and find a still smoking campfire, and arriving to a store just after they closed? Like having an eerie trace of someone just having been there but also feeling kinda upset for being too late...? idk its cool tho
lovesick yeah it's an amazing feeling
Would you call it a liminal feeling? I know that word can describe spaces which feel surreal when they aren't full of activity. Does entering a space that feels like it had people, but that mysteriously doesn't, count?
Justin T.
Oh my god its yo-
Oh wait.
Your not ‘it’
*T H I C C*
In quetico provincial park I left my fishing group to go see the Paleolithic art on rocks around the Wilderness area by myself and it’s exactly like you say about the connected feelings you get
"the lion headed man is the first human animal hybrids in cave art, and certainly not the last"
Is this the original fursona?
Oh god no
@@adastial2104 oh God yes
Oh god what the hell were they thinking
@@CrimesForDimes Must've eaten some prehistoric shrooms.
@@ScarletStudios001 Yeah makes sense.
"is it a form of primitive pornography?"
knowing humanity: yes 100% no doubt in my mind yes
I want to like your comment but it’s at 420
The Steadfast Duelist I can't like the comment so I'll just comment instead
The Steadfast Duelist I just took a screenshot so feel free to like
Food porn?
@@michaelhodgson8272 what dude its a rock
It's kinda sad and humbling seeing the art. A tiny window to a world that once was. Thanks for sharing this with us Trey
Orlando Ford It's also sad thinking my drawings are way worse than these
No problem ;) I'm happy you enjoyed it!
Fuck Logic Practice makes perfect
Mr. Pablosek if it makes you feel better they need it to do accurate depictions
Рытвин 何なのかКрыл な働き please don't say God..
Fun fact, there are accurate descriptions of megafauna in the oral histories of the Aboriginal peoples. They have kept accurate records verbally for tens of thousands of years.
That's amazing! Do you have any links to more info on this?
the problem with verbal records is the broken telephone effect begins to alter the original message. they should have evolved some kind of communication that can go unaltered for long periods of time, resulting in the hocus pocus beliefs they have have of creatures that did not exist.
@@sashaman121 except there are many examples of indigenous cultures having accurate historical oral traditions all over the world. I also think it's ahistorical to insinuate that written stories are never changed or altered over time.
That seems like a stretch... it’s impossible to keep correct verbal records for many generation. Ever heard of the telephone game?
@@ka-boom2083 You're mistaking oral tradition for regular conversation. In cultures where there's little or no written communication, oral history is taken very seriously. Stories are passed down word for word, memorized. It's not a casual or careless practice. It's exacting, it's precise. It's sacred.
"Depictions of the lower halves of women, specifically centered on the private area, are exceptionally common, and are very *very widely spread."*
You don't say.
I have a theory that if something is smart enough to create coordinated art it will create porn
not porn. made by women to depict pregnancy.
It tells us how Manny's family died :(
I love how your pfp is Sid as well.
That was the most heartbreaking scene in the entire franchise
fuck that kid
@@Abominatrix650 :'[
:’(
The reason these people probably didn’t paint humans is because humans are really hard to draw
humans often are depicted in other caves or areas, but they are usually simplified (stick-figure like). Humans aren't any more difficult to draw then other animals. However, we are more attuned to details in human bodies, particularly the face for social necessity. My theory is cave artists probably tried, hated their results for not being accurate, and didn't do it often.
There may have also been religious reasons as well.
I agree with you. Animals stay mostly the same, people's facial features vary. Faking an animal is easier than faking a human. Who knows, maybe the artist just liked animals better in this cave.
that was Hitler's problem.
Especially the fingers!
"Rarely will they draw humans"
Because what's more fun to draw, people or animals.
Depends
Nazareth Furries: “Why not both?”
Both honestly
i can just go outside and see a person, but a mammoth? wooooh boy
13:51 Dickbutt. Dickbutt is more fun to draw
There was a cave
Then there was an adult cave "you must be over 18 too enter"
You must be over 18 also enter?
@@slappy8941 No, clearly he means "You must be over 18 too, Enter!"
The kid named Enter tried to sneak in and got caught.
@@naka8919 Did you seriously not get the joke?
@@bioemiliano you can get a joke and still spit facts.
More like 9
Its crazy that some people think they can never learn how to draw when early humans could do it and it was actually pretty well done art
Yah man, draw something like that and sell it as a abstract painting, bet people would pay for it
Certain prehistoric humans had the talent to draw, just like today only certain people have that talent.
natrone23 lol wtf ask anyone that draws; all of us have been working our asses off to do it. Sure some of us start off a little better but its 100% about the time we put into it
I imagine it is the same now, some can draw and some can not ! However, with no TV or radio etc it gives people more time to draw or perform some other arts.
spartan1010101 I never said people with artistic talent don’t work at getting better. You don’t understand because you have that talent. You don’t know what it’s like for people who don’t have that anate ability it doesn’t matter how much they practice the best they can ever be is mediocre if that, It’s all genetics.
Personally, I think the most fascinating image is that last image outlining a human hand. If that is truly thousands or tens of thousands of years old, than isn't it amazing that we still do the same thing today? Children playing or in school paint their hands and create a hand print, a way to say "this hand print is mine, I was here", and in a way it's a relate-able message from a person whose lifestyle might not have been like ours, but who thought, felt, and imagined just like any other human. There's something incredible in that, that thousands of years ago another human sat in a cave, and wanted to say "I was here". It's a message that we shouldn't ever lose. When I saw the image, I turned and put my hand up to the wall, and tried to make the same shape, and that's something just about everyone can do. It's simply amazing.
Yes, the hand touched me too.
(Oh damn, the pun wasn't intended.)
I did that too. I also tried to see if they were male or female hands.. some seem smaller like those of children.
Watch the Cave of Forgotten Dreams. Is a beautiful documentary about Chauvet Cave in France. The most beautiful thing about that HAND is that can tell us many things about the person behind it, for example the height: the hand is located very high in the caves wall So It was probably a man 1.8 meters high. Also hes got a finger broken (if i remember correctly It was the pinky) so now is not just a painting made thousands of years ago... Its the ID of a person that dreamt, thought, and draw as we do but in a far more dangerous world, shaping our culture so we can be now what we are... Isnt It hauntingly beautiful?
@@AnnaMarianne Can you show me on this doll where the hand touched you?
I like your EU4 Bhutan flag profile picture.
Those different colored areas on the mammoth and rhino could easily be "this is where you want to hit it with your spear"
Yeah, they might be prehistoric stop signs, simply symbolic representations telling people what to do
TREY the Explainer especially when you consider the lack of a depiction of human figures in these paintings. Personally I think the most likely explanation for a purpose is educational. Visual aids to help teach children about the outside world.
The very first strategy guide !
FKTHD who knew the glowing red target trope would be one of the oldest tropes known
+Evan Alexander
“Woolly Rhinos have video game weak points”
+1 Sin Counter
I have studied a small amount of pre-historic art in college, and here's what I know on why there were no humans in these paintings:
(Keep in mind that these are all SPECULATIONS from scientists, I don't think we can possibly know the reason for sure, but well these people studied a lot to say this so they might be onto something lol)
In the Palaeolithic, we were nomad hunter-gatherers. There was no such thing as an organised society with tribes and etc. Our existence was probably very in sync with nature and we probably placed a lot of value in stuff from it and felt like part of it, such as other peoples we have had contact with - natives from South America, Australia, etc. (I'm not saying they're primitive when I compare them to pre-historic humans, I'm just mentioning the better connection to nature as an example. They're not primitive, just different.)
What I learned to abandon right away when studying this was the notion that this art was a creative effort done for fun, or just for the sake of art, or to decorate the caves. Scientists consider this very unlikely since these humans didn't actually live in the caves and they were dark. They were, at most, poorly lit by fire. So there's a huge chance these paintings had a purpose, specially considering these humans were tightly connected to nature.
A hypothesis often known is that they drew the animals because they thought it would, in a magical way, attract them so they could hunt them and eat them. I learned this is no longer widely believed since research found that the animals that were depicted were not the ones humans were eating. And, for me, it's not hard to imagine that. Primitive humans were probably smart enough not to try to take down lions or giant rhinos. It is believed that they were trying to evoke the strength and abilities of those animals they probably admired. Desiring this makes a lot of sense if you're living as a hunter in the middle of the forest surrounded by dangers. There is maybe evidence of this wish to absorb the qualities of the animals in those famous hand prints in caves. Humans often placed their hands on top of paintings of animals. This could also explain why they strived for realism when painting these animals. You might think they're not that good, but remember there was no technical artistic knowledge back then and no pictures, so they had to look at these animals from afar (considering many of them were dangerous) and draw them from memory alone, so the paintings are pretty damn good if you think about it.
Later (in the Neolithic, I think) we were not nomads hunter-gatherers anymore, we lived in tribes and even began farming, so all of this stuff stopped making sense. That's when you start seeing paintings depicting human life and they didn't need the realism I mentioned anymore (that's why we get those stick figures).
If you study this stuff more deeply and I said something wrong please let me know. I love learning about this!
Very well said. But one thing is that 'stick figures' are not nessarily more recent than the realistic ones, some are even much older. For instance, those in Australlian are around 50K years old. It really comes down to the different 'ancient artists' to dertermin the style.
This is fascinating
Check out the ancient art from Paleo Mountain Vermont. Ice age portraits of people and animals were made from the local quartz. Very realistic.
How does the vast, widespread depictions of female lower parts fit into this hypothesis?🤔😅
Bossio estaria orgullosa
Maybe the cave art was used to teach the young children to recognise the animals in the wild outside. Like a school.
That's a good theory
Or maybe to share different experiences of different tribe members, like a collage
Sure, but that can't be the only reason. Think smarter, not harder. The cave paintings were probably created for the same reasons why paintings were created throughout the rest of history. Admiration, documentation and education.
@@diosmiomango People have been drawing on the walls for thousand of years before we built wall. It is instinctive.
The cave images (some of them are painted, others are charcoal drawings, still others are either bas reliefs or engraved (scratched with a stylus) into the surface of the stone, are palimpsests, emblems or logos of the mascots of prehistoric sports teams. You know, like the bears, the colts, the lions etc. They were put there to record the winners and losers of championship tournaments, by the teams official statisticians. There is no other logical explanation for them.
hey trey. i'm a bonafide aboriginal. i thought i'd give you some more info and context of the rock art you used.
first, megalania: it's not true they were never depicted. they absolutely were. megalania, and in other places quinkana, are referred to as burrunjor in most places (or a close variant of that). megalania is a huge part of the Dreaming of the nations of the Australian interior (and quinkana in the more southern parts of the region, but crocodilian interpretations of the story are rarer than megalania).
thylaceleo. while you're right, that particular image was probably thylacine and not thylaceleo, however it is known through our stories that we had extended contact with these animals. thylaceleo is also known as the kadimakara and variants. according to the stories, kadimakara were arboreal predators who ambushed from above, long ago in the time of the great forests. when the climate changed and the continental interior began to dry out, the kadimakara were forced down from their trees to live on the ground, and made watering holes more dangerous. eventually, they all died out because of this. this is exactly what happened to thylaceleo.
diprodon. this is one you might know of --- the much feared bunyip, who gave us our cultural wariness of watering holes and the cultural practices around water sources. apparently, they were quite fierce when provoked, not unlike a hippo, and more than capable of killing people. there are numerous stories and depictions, but the most commonly accepted root of these stories is that diprodon is, indeed, the bunyip.
geyornis, known here as mihirung. they were depicted many times in art as you said, and had a similar cultural significance to emus --- which is to say, a lot. we ate them, wore them, used their fat to cook with and preserve foods, and ate and collected their eggs as items of value.
one you did not depict here: yurlunggur, otherwise known as Liasis dubudingala or the bluff downs python, a close relative of the olive python that grew to 10m in length. you can find yurlunggur in almost every place you go here, although perhaps by the english name, the rainbow serpent. the appearance of yurlunggur signals the imminence of rain, which elevated him to the status of creation spirit. like many pythons, they were very comfortable in and around watering holes, which would have been frequented by my ancestors and brought them into close contact with this massive snake. while in many other parts of the world, snakes have the connotation of evil, bad omens and demons, snakes are widely revered here and treated with the utmost respect ------ and we eat them, too. it's not unlike an oilier white fish.
the unfortunate fact of getting things right with academic knowledge on our cultural artefacts is that, very rarely, are the people actually asked what is depicted in art their ancestors made 60 000 years ago, despite the fact it's widely known that our method of story preservation is the most systematically effective method of cultural preservation in the world. when we are consulted, our input is usually ignored, or at best a footnote. we aren't considered experts in our own history. i mean, it was only a few years ago that academics realised boomerangs are hunting weapons, despite the fact there be people out there still using them to hunt. that's how bad it is.
i'd be more than happy to give you any more information i have or can find on our amazing fauna, both extinct and extant. i am wiradjuri, but i'm also an evolutionary biologist, so it's my two great loves come together. there's no end to the fascinating stories past down through millennia about animals that western science has only just discovered. i have one rule though, and it's that you dont make me look at short faced kangaroos. they make me angry at god.
Rare to see such intelligent and actually productive comments on youtube!
Commander Maxil, thank you for taking the trouble to write such a rich and interesting post. I’d love to read more of what your know. Do you have any papers online?
What is the problem with short faced kangaroos? xD
Eduardo Freitas they’re just fuckin ugly
Thank you for your valuable input and passionate work!
Sometimes I think about what it would be like to go back to that time. The time of glaciers and migrations and hunter-gatherers. To see young mountains and forests. Unpoluted. Completely wild. The funny thing I've come to realize, and I think most of you will agree, is that when we think of that time... it feels less like wishful thinking and more like reminiscing. Like a distant memory we can only somewhat recall.
If you haven't read 'Atlas of a Lost World' I highly recommend it.
Lord Gimpsbury Its all fun and games until you get a minor cut and die of sepsis at age 16
right cuz reincarnation probably exists
Some human way in the future would say that.So you need to make a mark,small or big as long it is a mark.Maybe a picture of your dog,of your house,of your nature.Anything will help them see what we saw.
I do often wonder about the reminiscent feeling that such things seem to evoke...
Literally any majestic animal: exists
Humans: *So you have chosen death*
It breaks my heart to think of all the amazing creatures that are going to be extinct in the next centuries. Animals like Polar Bears and I imagine most African megafauna including all big cats, Elephants, Rihnos, Giraffes. Most Great Apes from Orangutans, Chimpanzees, Bonobos, Gorillas. I doubt any of them are going to survive our onslaught and outright slaughter. A genuine tragedy if there ever was one. We are truly the most disgusting and destructive creatures to ever live.
@@daylightbright7675 this is the sixth extinction but after this new creatures will rule the world, Maine it’s finally time for birds to rule for the first time lol
Humanity loves doing this
I have a theory that humans have established international all powerful advanced species and that future species will follow our path
@@daylightbright7675 Tigers, some snails, a lot of fish species, big sharks, penguins, morses, whales, Trees, beautiful plants, all them will be gone, we included
@@bananahitler306 I hope it happens as soon as possible, maybe the next gen won't create religion, 90% solved
You know, i've been fascinated by this animals all my life, but now when i'm older i feel just sad that these wonderful creatures have gone extinct.
"This animal" or "these animals". It's not rocket science.
Indeed. An animal thats unique and different then there cousins and yet they have been lost in time we might not know how they behave and we will truly never experience the majesty of those animals
@@slappy8941 Not everyone is an English native, so sometimes the benefit of the doubt is warranted.
Typos are also a thing.
It's not rocket science.
@@slappy8941 way to be rude for no reason
*"WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK"*
I Almost Pissed Myself!
*THE FIRST FRICKING MEME IN HISTORY!*
it's Dick Butt
+Griffin Shepherd 13:52 for Dick Butt.
Nigrum Quercu
At what point did happen
This Ancient Painting Is The Mark
*WHEN HUMAN STARTED FAILING!*
technically, all the drawing are memes, according to the real definition of "meme"
I don't know why but that image of the hand printed at the stone wall always give me chills. I feel like a anonymous human from ages ago was putting his hand on one side of the window waiting for someone to reach him.
Sounds like the plot for a sci-fi movie....
the image of someone's hand printed on the work is probably my favorite art in this video. just looks so personal, like tagging the cave walls "I was here"
Australian cave art is like a fever dream, in the best way possible, they have a lot of human portraits but they’re bizarre looking, I love it.
For me seeing all this artwork is breathtaking.
It's could sit alongside any of the Renaissance masters and I would enjoy it all the same.
Great video.
Thanks man! I feel the same way, its kind of amazing high skilled some of these stone age artists where considering their materials
Matthew Bennett I mean, in terms of detail, yeah you can’t really compare them. But cut our ancestors some slack! They didn’t have fancy paint brushes and tools like Leonardo Da Vinci or Michelangelo!
Some of it I would compare to the likes of Monet, some of it I'd compare with a 5 year old's finger paintings.
Matthew Bennett They barely had proper tools. Imagine having to carve with a (possible) makeshift chisel and hammer made of stone. Use some sort of plant for paint. It wouldn’t be as sharp and I doubt they had paintbrushes in the Neolithic era. Plus, they were hunters and gatherers, they mostly focused on surviving or doing rituals. The Renaissance era was all about art and invention, basically Europe becoming “reborn” after the Black Plague.
Matthew Bennett Well that was a pretty stupid comment. I'm guess you're just a troll. I shall not feed the troll sO-LALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALALA- Spider-Man, Gamora, and Loke "die" or disintegrate in Infinity War.
Prehistoric art is amazing.
Maggie E better than anything i can draw. X)
I literally saw everyone French on from the video in real like, it's so cool
David Brener I know right
Not as good as primitive cave pornography
Maggie E it’s not amazing it’s decent!
The drawings of the animals took my breath away, the linework, the shading....the proportions and the likeness. You don't see drawings that look like these before seeing sketches of modern artists
The fact the neolethic cavemen are able to draw better than me, even with all the modern technology and tutorials I have at my disposal, makes me want to rip my hairs out.
They really are skillfully drawn. Far from stickmen. It quite surprised me.
I visited Rouffignac Cave last year and it is truly impressive, not least coz the cave art is so far under ground and the cave system itself is a massive labyrinth of huge natural tunnels and shafts in multiple-levels. Anyway, one of the mammoth drawings shows a female and calf from the rear (ie, walking away from the artist) apparently this is totally unique in the world. The guide pointed out that the adult female has a triangular flap of skin that hangs down under her tail covering her genitals. Modern elephants dont have this. As the guide explains (in French, so I didnt get all the details) apparently the recent discovery of a frozen female mammoth in Siberian, did indeed have a triangular flap exactly as shown in the drawing. Probably an adaptation to cold weather, protecting delicate tissues etc. So now we know that that artist drew it exactly as he saw it in life. I found it pretty amazing.
0:53 Actually, anthropologists have studied cultures that are still effectively living in the stone age and asked them why they made these kinds of artpieces. The answer, or so I'm told, essentially boiled down to "because I felt like it".
Yeah, sometimes we modern humans do not realize the tremendous amount of spare time those people had in the past. Like, they hunted, then slept, and then what? They got to do something to kill time right?
martijn : maybe you've come across the recently realised information contained in the youtube video I've linked below... it's amazing !
ruclips.net/video/d8AkDdj6TEU/видео.html
@martijn van weele As an art history prof, we realized that many of the animals with horns had a twisted appearance. In other words were not spitted in profile. This twisted perspective got related to shamanism. So, the horns were twisted towards the artist, who was relating to the spirit of his magical animal. Walking menus they were not. There is an association with magic present.
@Riley Cooper LOL in you're dumb, feminist dreams. You actually need to have an imagination and sense of nature to create art. Something clearly lacking in women.
Fair enough, when I get bored, I make a lot of shit that other people find kind of interesting too.
Wow, can you imagine what that was like for those spelunkers discovering the Chauvet paintings? What an experience that must've been.
"dude, come look at this"
I would have actually erupted into tears
@@Tyrantlizardking105 same honestly. You're just in some cave and all of a sudden realize you weren't the first one in there by a long shot.
@@thehypest6118
More like "Vite!!! Venez voir!!! Incroyable! Oh mon dieu, nous avons decouver un trésor!!!!!!!!!!!!"
@@sixchiensblancs I'm not arguing with you but it's curious how these things go. In it's early usage 'retarded' was a euphemism too (50 plus yr.s ago?), it evolved over time into an insult. I imagine currently acceptable terms will be demoted to slurs too, it's all about usage, if we use it as an insult than that's what it becomes. Challenged, special, etc., they all morph.
Cavemen knowing how to draw shows that their intelligence was never lower than ours
Google, elephants drawing.
Bruhhhhh nigga average intellegince is higher now then it was 10 years ago, there are studies done on this shit
Wtf, how does that prove anything?
@@ragnarjappinen6716 you know any other creature that draws besides humans and wasn't taught by humans???
@@tylerdurden3722 the elephant was taught by humans, who taught the cavemen???
It's kind of interesting how detailed some of the animal sketches get in contrast to the stick figures used to represent humans. I wonder if we tried painting humans, discovered the uncanny valley by drawing a human that was slightly off and just decided it was too unsettling to reproduce and stuck with stick figures.
I always kinda just imagined it’s because who wants to paint something they see every day? Or fairly often at the least. (Other people not themselves I’d imagine) it was probably just more interesting to paint something they rarely ever see or to preserve for they thought they were seeing something less and less. Or as a way to teach their kids what animals are safe and which aren’t and what they look like (safe being relative).
"...and their names forgotten..." So completely forgotten that it is rarely commented upon that they undoubtedly did have names. Oog? Garag? Lug? Festofidopolus? Who knows?
My guess? Keeps-out-of-trouble- painting-in-the-cave!
: }
yeah john
The art wasn't signed?
Jimbo
Dave Greg Barbara???
My favourite one is the handprint. I want to place my hand there like a way to connect with someone so different than us but at the same time so similar
What I say: we shouldn't even be near those paintings. Even our breathing is enough to tear them apar-
What my three braincels jumping up and down hear: NEED TO RUB THE COLORFUL STONE
I actually heard an interesting theory (I can't for the life of me remember where, unfortunately) that the Venuses were actually made as self portraits of women as they were looking down at their own bodies. This would account for the disproportionate sizes of breasts, hips, and feet and the common lack of a head or at least a very small one with little attention to detail. I believe it was said that if one were to look at a Venus from the top, they became more accurate in size as the body was foreshortened.
I'll see if I can find a link to that page.
reminds me of a tumblr post how someone drew a self portrait in that perspective. it was also mistaken as a pro-body dysmorphia post, because the exaggerated proportions "triggered" some people who have eating disorders.
this information is just locked within the deepest cellers of my brain, so-
I’m an artist who has made and sold animal art for 30 years. I have often felt it’s a process of tapping in to the actual animal, possessing some of it’s spirit. I got good at drawing at a young age because I was horse crazy and drew endless pictures of horses. What I wanted most in life was a horse, and drawing them was a way to imagine myself with one. It wouldn’t surprise me if something similar was happening for ancient artists. The capturing of their spirit, admiration for their power and prowess , and needing them for food.
Its always mystified me why humans didn't draw themselves. They clearly had the talent, given how detailed the animal drawings are. Perhaps the animals were migratory and they painted them to remember what they look like or teach young humans who'd never seen them before how to recognize them, and they just didn't feel the need to draw themselves because they saw each other everyday? Still you'd think they'd make art of loved ones who passed away given how common ancestor worship seems to be.
Drawing animals and drawing humans are two vastly different skills.
They did it was a stick man lol
we did. all the time. go to any Aboriginal art site (or preferably, actually, don't, just look up pictures) and you will see thousands of depictions of people, including dancers and spiritual healers. the paintings that are often said to depict 'aliens' by, uhhh white people who dont think brown people are capable of stuff i guess, are not aliens. they're dancers painted in white clay.
If they drew animals to hunt them it's possible they didn't drew humans so they would not be considered prey.
Or possibly because animals are easy to draw.
I pull up an article about stone age animals and biodiversity and I get notified of this before I even read a word. Impeccably timed
Mage of Pisces google listening to you
Archaeologists: *Doesn't know what the object is for.
Also Archaeologists: *iT MuSt Be CerEmonial!*
We went from thicc to a deep contemplation of the power of ancient art. This is such a great channel.
It's beautiful and awe inspiring to see the art of our ancestors.
@Tesla-Effect hahahahha
When a caveman is better at drawing than you
Same
Your comment is awesome.
Cavemen didn't have RUclips or Facebook, so they did something.
@@therealzilch They had owls.
They had time on their hands to practice the arts
10:38
Furries are older than I thought
Lol
There’s also the ancient Egyptian deities
The weirdness runs deep.
Could you do a video about the oral and drawn histories of the aboriginal peoples of Australia? Apparently they've continued histories for tens of thousands of years. That's incredible to me, and I am craving a historical explanation by you. Thanks for the great videos.
Also, something worth noting is that some of these animal drawings are said to be the first instances of illustrated animation, as the repeating limbs or shifting heads could be seen as an illusion for movement.
Maybe its a failed attempt at drawing it before?
Perhaps the flickering flames inside caves helped the ilusion
can't believe humans invented art and then invented furry art directly after while they were at it
I hate this comment
tuzikopalo i love this comment
Fuck
And porn
Having an overly OP character as your profile pic? Ha! *p l e b*
"Apollo 11 Animal Figurine" 10:33
Let the conspiracies commence.
Here we go
Apollo is the name of the cave and 11 relates to a layer of the cave.
Also... where are all the rough drafts and practice drawings. Those sketches look millions times better than my best attempts to draw a horse.
They also look better than drawings of animals from even the Middle Ages.
It seems as if the artistic skills in the Middle Ages were somehow worse than they were thousands of years before.
Then again, it was the Dark Ages.
@@wset-13archive27 it was only the dark ages for Europe 🤣🤣
Trey said THICC, my life is COMPLETE.
Wow those cave paintings are actually good. I honestly, can't paint them, I can't even draw mammoths. Those cave paintings had the creases of the skin of the mammoth painted, how detailed. I wonder if there were people like me then, who tried to paint the walls but couldn't do it well so they just painted their hand prints.
Leo : Yes, they're amazing. It's interesting to note that, having visited two of the most famous and lavishly painted prehistoric caves the renowned artist, Picasso commented -
“We have invented nothing new”, after seeing the cave paintings at Lascaux France.
“After Altamira, all is decadence”, when he exited the infamous caves in his native Spain.
On both counts I personally agree with him.
They are more than "good"...
No, no...
All done In a dark cave and it was not just hands but they were an important tools.
I’ve always wondered if some of our ancient/medieval ancestors ever stumbled into Neolithic caves and found the drawings. I’d be very interested to see what they’d make of a seemingly unremarkable cave being covered in clear drawings of animals and occasionally people.
that ending was really good. It's crazy how these caves remained undiscovered for millennia. I wonder who the last person to see it was (before its discovery in the 90s).
Hmmm... As a child (and even still today) I found humans as a pretty dull subject for my drawings and art. And I still do. Maybe this mindset was a bit more common back in the stone age? A lot of their life also revolved around these animals, and their existance was incredibly vital for us humans. Idk, just theorizing.
I think it's got a lot to do with the sense of self, I reckon back then we weren't as 'aware' of ourselves as we are now but were on our way to 'awareness' so we started to draw stuff like the animals
Me too all I wanted to draw was dogs. Never really cared for humans, I think it's mostly because its inherently difficult to capture our complexity of emotions and anatomy, because I was always in awe of beautiful drawings of humans but I never wanted to try it for myself
Weird, my muses are humans. I draw realistic portraits of women, mostly dark skinned beautiful black women. But I draw men, women of all races. The differences of humans are intriguing to me.
@@thehypest6118 That's really interesting. I honestly don't know if I've heard that theory clearly expressed somewhere and I'm not saying that I belive it but maybe... Like a child with an egocentric perspective before he/she starts to realise that he/she has an objective existence like everyone else... (I only started to think of myself in truly self-reflective ways after a sort of epiphany when I was 13) If you're not reflecting on how you look yourself and only seeing everything around you as if it was a movie and the world existed "for you", then you maybe wouldn't focus too much on your own appearance as you wouldn't think of how others experienced you. But I don't know, I do think humans knew they were special already when they tamed fire... Still, a very interesting thought that you have, and it might be true
@@yasmeen7875 humans are gross to draw lol other animals excluding us are more interesting. Other animals have fur and horns or larger teeth and wings and so on all we have is different skin and hair lol not much interesting stuff going on
Yuuussss! I've been waiting for this one!
I hope one day Trey shouts out your channel!
thanks man! I hope you enjoy it ;)
I did :D Prolly cuz I've always had a thing for the Pleistocene, hence why Far Cry Primal was a bit of a let down. Not a bad game, and some of the animals looked quite good, but man there was so much missed opportunity (i.e lack of Horses, Atlatls, hyenas)
TREY the Explainer I've seen cave paintings in Disney's Brother Bear which is my favorite Cave Paintings
+TREY the Explainer
please do a video about Ostafrikasaurus
The little songs you sing at the end are so sweet. They give a unique atmosphere to your videos that I find hard to describe actually.
the ending of this video is-in an understatement-pure poetry. this was beautiful. thank you for having this channel and making this information accessible!
I can't believe that those paintings are made this well. The characteristics of tigers are so detailed that they were probably painted with a help of an animal corpse beside. We can only imagine
"the lower half of woman being painted are extremely widely spread".lolloololllol.🙃
reksub it’s for fertility, it’s likely that each family’s owned one.
Alyssa Dillon That’s what I tell my girlfriend too.
If we go with the good luck charm idea, wide hips were good for childbirth, so we can hypothesize that they existed as an attempt to increase a woman's survival through childbirth.
Reksub. Having watched every episode of the Flintstones. I think you'll agree I have a wide range of knowledge regarding pre-human history..and if you want to know why ladies naughty bits were depicted....just look at Betty and Wilma (fwoor) eh'
@@boyinblue. quite a few art historians believe they were not for fertility, but were actually self portraits of women who carved them while looking down at their own bodies. The wild proportions account for perspective and the reason they don't normally have faces is because the sculptors were looking down.
Just came back to this video for the first time since you uploaded it. That last monologue gives such Sagan energy.
The thing that's remarkable about the Chauvet paintings is the artist is top notch. Whoever drew them is better than most artists today.
Did anyone else notice at 15:52 that one of the Cave Lions is depicted with cheetah-like face stripes? In fact all the Cave Lions appear to have stripes coming down from the inner corner of the eye down to the mouth, though that one is the one with the clearest depiction.
Yeah, you see that pattern in lions today, perhaps to a lesser extent.
i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2018/02/02/14/48D03C6400000578-5344273-The_lion_stares_deeply_into_the_camera_with_his_large_amber_eyes-a-9_1517581979121.jpg
Awesome obsrvation
I'm a simple man, I see Trey upload I watch.
I'm genuinely fascinated by this. The handprints and the beautiful art are so amazing and it gives me chills everytime.
If folks have problems following the audio, try slowing it down to .75 speed. It helped me. This guy talks very fast. Loved the vid.
While the thylacine died out on the mainland Australia before European invasion, they persisted on the island state Tasmania. Europeans hunted them to extinction and the last thylacine actually died in a Hobart zoo in the 1930s -- my grandmother saw it as a child. This is why they are called Tasmanian tigers.
Oh my God, does she remember what it sounded like? That sort of informaton is invaluable to thylacine researchers and I don't think there's that much information of it around
Tyhlacine is not 100% extinct. Probably a few animals of the species remain in the wild. I dont believe they are completely extinct.
@Kudmond nope. Trail cam caught one not too long ago. It was big news to the informed
The European fauna during the Ice Age is one of my most favorite part in prehistory. And then, so incredibly lucky we are, to have actual eye-witness account of these animals by prehistoric humans! It tells us so much about the animals, the humans and the psychology of art the extent they went to to depict these animals realistically.
There was some part in the movie "Ice Age" where the mammoth looks at cave paintings and we get his past explained to us through them, and while the movie is not exactly a citizen kaine or even fairly good by kids-movie standards, that part gave me the chills just because the art style of these early humans is so poignant.
The first minute or so of Trey rambling really does such a good job of explaining what makes delving into history and the like so special
hey man i've watched like five of your videos in a row and you always end them with "sorry for the wait" "sorry for taking so long" like don't worry!!!!!!!! you're bringing us high quality educational content for free and we don't have anything to complain about, every video of yours is totally worth the wait so please just chill about it :] you're doing an amazing job so thanks for it!!! and don't worry take all the time you need ok? just chill
In the case of the Irish Elk, such huge antlers would probably weigh quite a bit, it would stand to reason that the large 'hump' on the animals shoulders would be the associated muscle that kept the animals head upright, so that is indeed very useful to a paleontologist.
With the figurines of the female form, perhaps these were religious icons since the act of reproduction is not possible without women making them sacred to early people I surmise. However here is another thought, early educational tools by women for women. Teaching them about puberty, pregnancy and what it does to your body and possibly early midwifery. We're fond of making light of how primitive these people were but they had the same capacity to learn that anyone today does. How to assist another woman in the act of giving birth in an age without doctors or hospitals has probably been crucial to the survival of humans as a species and essential to pass on down the generations.
That's a very interesting thought!!
Usually, the simplest answer is the correct one. You're grasping straws.
@@xcidgaf The simplest answer is that people were just like they are today, they just had less accumulative knowledge. It's far from unreasonable to guess that ancient humans would develop educational tools and instructions. What's simpler than people teaching other people? It's the basis of every culture... ever.
@@JowenbraMC No, what's simple is that people during those days were far more prone to superstition and ritual. If the figurines were for educational purposes, they would be far more graphic and detailed.
@@xcidgaf we don't have any proof that early humans were more superstitious than us today. Religion is still a huge part of most people's lives, and rituals are just an innate part of human life.
That statuette of the "cave lion headed person" looks more like a Short Faced Bear standing upright. They could run upright as well, and were a major enemy of Paleo people until they went extinct, probably from human interaction.
i recently read an article in an archaeology magazine that made that same proposal. apparently the statue is in several pieces and it has been found it can be reassembled in more than one way.
Please for the love of God, more artwork and prehistoric human videos!
The algorithm brought me to your channel a week ago, this is the one that made me subscribe!!
This long lost artwork is always interesting and the distant past is something that's worth studying
Using "contemporary eyewitnesses" to describe the people of 8,000+ years ago gave me a chuckle. It's accurate, but still.
It's always super weird to think about the fact these things were made by an actual real living breathing person
Like you said - it forms a connection. I always love researching about prehistoric humanity. It really sucks that it's, well, prehistoric, so there's so little we actually know about them, their lifestyles, the stories they told...
Thank you I had a horrible day & I just needed to watch something relaxing & not strewn full of drama. I just realize its been almost 5 months since I have spent time with people in any real capacity because of quarantine & the isolation is finally getting to me.
I am amazed at the accuracy of the cave art. I am in awe looking at these drawings, I can not even imagine trying to draw anything without looking crude by these standards. We modern humans look at the prehistoric ancestors as backward... yet I am left to wonder... really?
10:36 earliest furry ever
lol
Madeleine G prafurry
Stop
I hope not
Wouldn't it be funny if all these cave paintings were depicting the memes of their time.
"Oh man did you see that lion painting. Hilarious. I'm definitely gonna draw that next cave I go in!"
~I'm still drawing Confused John Travolta but that cave lion was pretty funny.~
Great video Thanks! The cave paintings are definitely one of my favorite art works.
One can only imagine how good the eyesight of these people was, able to create such wonderful images in what must have been very dim light. Not to mention the fact that would have had very little equipment with which to produce them. Our distant ancestors were truly gifted people!
The cave drawings of animals are stunning.
**Watches at 2x speed so I can be the first one to absorb all this knowledge**
All I'm picturing right now after reading this is that scene from 2001 A Space Odyssey with the guy flying through space really fast
Fast Liam Neidig absorbing knowledge at very hihg speed.
TREY the Explainer I'm sorry, Trey, I'm afraid I can't do that
You have to admit, cavemen were damn good artists and had intimate knowledge of their subjects. Their abilities never cease to amaze me.
I wouldn't be surprised if they had a knowledge that has been lost to time
Fascinating video! I had been wondering which animals early man encountered and these drawings answer my questions about that. Excellent!
Can't wait for the Megalania.
Also, nice singing!
Lol
The JurassicMan the tiger thing? Feline ?
Vladimir Lenin a Megalania is an ancestor of Komodo dragon.
Platypus Boi thanks for the clear up. I played ark a little bit and that named reminded me of a cat thing
Vladimir Lenin your welcome.
Great video. So glad you're an anthropologist and not a singer.
Enjoyed this indeed. Long interested in these paintings, and they influence me as an artist. Thank you!
I don't know why, but cave paintings make me cry.
I would love to go back in history for a day or two to see this world it would be amazing.
Day 27 Oog still doesn’t suspect that I am from the future, my phone is still working soon I will be a god.
I agree it would be very cool and interesting to live the way they did just for a day, hell if you wanted to you could stay
try far cry primal.
damn dude you are so good at telling these stories. your end about human history progressing while these caves just rested waiting for someone to find them is mesmerising.
They are so objectively well done. The shapes the details. Its simple but beautiful
I've visited Museum of Natural History in Vienna and the skeleton of an Irish Elk made me stand and stare at it for a few minutes. It was truly a giant animal with indeed ridiculously huge antlers, the true size of which one can fully comprehend only seeing it personally - and even then I could not settle my mind on the size of that animal. Literally an elk of Tranduil, but cooler.
6:27 first meme of human history?
True
Perhaps
@SA-507 the format (text above then picture below it) resembles modern meme format.
I personally love the hypothesis that some of the Venus sculptures are self portraits
OMG! This was way better than the history ch. So much more art I'd never seen b4! Thanx for the best video on cave paintings to date! LOVE THEM2!
Always felt like these were a time machine... It would blow my mind to stand at the spot where a person 30k years ago painted the shape of its hand only for me to put mine in the same place.
Also how you talk about all of the paintings surviving all those years is why I love history. Somewhere in time a thing happend nd you are there and able still to witness it.