Shamans of PrehistoryThis startling book reveals a new way of understanding the remarkable images painted or etched on rock walls by the people of prehistory.Noting the similarity of prehistoric rock art with that created by some contemporary traditional societies, archaeologists Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams suggest that the ancient images were created by shamans, powerful individuals who were able to contact the spirit world through trance and ritual. In many societies throughout history, shamans have been consulted to try to change the weather, foretell the future, control the movements of animals, and converse with the dead.With an abundance of full-color illustrations, Clottes and Lewis-Williams draw on neuropsychology and ethnography to follow prehistoric shamans into their trance states. The authors shed light on what these rock artists were thinking and how they may have worked. On these pages, Paleolithic art and life are seen in a new and astonishing way. |
Contents
PREFACE | 7 |
THE ART OF THE CAVES AND ROCK SHELTERS | 37 |
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SEARCHING FOR MEANING | 62 |
Copyright | |
2 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
Altamira altered André Leroi-Gourhan animals antler areas Ariège artists Aurignacian aurochs Bégouën beliefs bestiary bison Breuil Castillo cave art chambers Chapter Chauvet Cave claviforms clay Clottes complex consciousness context contour Cosquer Cougnac cultures decorated deep caves Delporte depicted eland Enlène entrance example explain Felines Foz Côa Gabillou Gallery Gargas geometric Gravettian hallucinations hand stencils head horse human nervous system hunting ibex idea images interpretation Laming-Emperaire Lascaux Le Portel Leroi-Gourhan Lewis-Williams Lorblanchet Magdalenian magic meanings Montespan neuropsychological Niaux paintings and engravings Paleolithic art panels parietal art passage Pech-Merle portable art Portel potency prehistoric probably Puente Viesgo Pyrenees realm reindeer representations ritual rock art rock shelters role Rouffignac Sanctuary shamanic cosmos shamanic societies shapes signs Solutrean sometimes Sorcerer southern African San Spain species spirit spirit-animals Stage Three structuralist suggests supernatural surfaces symbolic theories trance Tuc-d'Audoubert underground underworld Upper Paleolithic Upper Paleolithic art visions walls