Why did people paint horses and spears on European cave walls? The explosion of cave art in the Upper Palaeolithic, about 45,000 years, ago has been attributed to a “neurological revolution”, but it’s not as simple as that, says David Lewis-Williams in The Mind in the Cave (Thames and Hudson, £12.95). Modern human behaviours showed up at different times among different populations in Africa and Europe. Europe’s cave art is preceded by Africa’s geometric engraving, dated to 77,000 years ago, and by 75,000-year-old shell beads. So what changed in Europe to produce so much art so swiftly? Society is the…
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from Â鶹´«Ã½
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending Â鶹´«Ã½ articles
1
Neanderthal infants were enormous compared with modern humans
2
The biggest threat to Chernobyl is no longer radiation
3
We might finally know how to use quantum computers to boost AI
4
Are Neanderthals descendants of modern humans?
5
Parrot uses his broken beak to become a dominant male
6
Hospital-acquired pneumonia reduced by daily toothbrushing
7
The man who crawls into the perilous heart of the Chernobyl reactor
8
Exclusive report: Inside Chernobyl, 40 years after nuclear disaster
9
Can we ‘vaccinate’ ourselves against stress?
10
Particles seen emerging from empty space for first time
