Archaeologists in France find what could be oldest wall art
- From: NewsCore
- May 15, 2012
The world's oldest wall art is supposedly a vulva. Can you see it? Picture: Raphaelle Bourrillion
ARCHAEOLOGISTS have discovered wall art in southwestern France that could be even older than the famed Chauvet Cave paintings, often considered the earliest of their kind.
And what might the most ancient cave art known to man depict? Female genitalia, the researchers say.
During excavations at Abri Castanet in France's Vezere Valley, a team of archaeologists found engravings on the underside of a massive block. The slab fell from the ceiling of a collapsed rock shelter likely used by reindeer hunters of the Aurignacian era, which lasted from about 40,000 to 28,000 years ago.
Using advanced radiocarbon dating techniques, the researchers determined the etchings could be up to 37,000 years old - making the artwork a few thousand years older than the Chauvet paintings, which scientists believe were created between 30,000 and 32,000 years ago.
The clearest engraving on the Abri Castanet rock shows an abstract oval form very similar to other Aurignacian-era images that have traditionally been interpreted as female sex organs.
"When I saw the image my response was 'Oh my god, a vulva,'" Randall White, a professor of anthropology at NYU who led the study said.
According to White, others have suggested such images could represent animal hoof prints, a natural symbol for hunters.
But the symbolic importance in images of female sex organs is fairly easy to understand.
"One can only imagine how full of mystery the process of giving birth must have been to pre-medical science populations," he said.
The researchers' paper was published online today in theProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/archaeologists-in-france-find-what-could-be-oldest-wall-art/story-e6frfku0-1226355870263#ixzz1utpClwyD
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