Earliest known cave art by modern humans found in Indonesia

From the article...

Pictures of human-like hunters and fleeing mammals dated to nearly 44,000 years old

Cave art depicting human-animal hybrid figures hunting warty pigs and dwarf buffaloes has been dated to nearly 44,000 years old, making it the earliest known cave art by our species.

The painting, discovered in 2017, is one of hundreds in South Sulawesi, including a red hand stencil, which was dated to at least 40,000 years ago. But the latest finding is exceptional as it is more than twice as old as any previously known narrative scenes and hints at ancient myths and an early capacity for imagination.

This is the article itself...
The Guardian UK

What I don't understand...and I admit, I am no expert...is why these early artists would depict the fleeing animals as they saw them, yet the hunters are human/animal hybrids or a case of possible therianthropy, if you wish. Thierianthropy being the mythological ability of human beings to metamorphose into other animals by means of shape shifting. Surely, if the artists were also the hunters, then they would depict the hunters as human because they are telling the story as it happened.

To me, the act of story telling itself implies abstract thought and creativity but is the need to story tell something that was inherited from a previous incarnation of civilisation and the narrators had to use whatever materials they could find as a medium?

Regardless of the answer, which we will never truly know, I love it when new discoveries push long held beliefs even further back in time.

a reply to: fromtheskydown

Nice!
Thats a long time ago.
I always wonder about cave paintings-
Do they depict a significant event?
Are they hunting markers showing what animals are in that area?
Were they seen as art,and did people travel to see such paintings?
Or were they drawn by naughty kids-like todays graffiti?
I love the idea they were drawn by old world "celebs"-gifted artists that would gain a following through word of mouth.

Whatever the answer they are pretty cool,and are the last remnants of distant civilisations-they outlived pretty much any other part of those ancient peoples lives,aside from a few carved rocks and the odd skeleton.
I've always loved cave paintings since I was a tiny kid.
They are a window into our long forgotten past.
How I would love to go back in tme and live in those ages.

originally posted by: Silcone Synapse
a reply to: fromtheskydown

Nice!
Thats a long time ago.
I always wonder about cave paintings-
Do they depict a significant event?
Are they hunting markers showing what animals are in that area?
Were they seen as art,and did people travel to see such paintings?
Or were they drawn by naughty kids-like todays graffiti?
I love the idea they were drawn by old world "celebs"-gifted artists that would gain a following through word of mouth.

Whatever the answer they are pretty cool,and are the last remnants of distant civilisations-they outlived pretty much any other part of those ancient peoples lives,aside from a few carved rocks and the odd skeleton.
I've always loved cave paintings since I was a tiny kid.
They are a window into our long forgotten past.
How I would love to go back in tme and live in those ages.

I wouldn't want to be back in those days of possibly re-building a civilisation but would like to go back in time to observe and being careful not to tread on anything! Some of the many world-wide artwork appears to show stylistic depictions of events, which to me implies knowledge of creative interpretation...abstraction, maybe.

In my head, I understand that those people were basically the same as we are now but with so many restrictions on their resources. What I cannot understand is ignorance alongside creativity.

a reply to: fromtheskydown

This reminds me of this thread posted yesterday.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Also, you should check out the book ‘Supernatural’ by Graham Hancock. He talks in depth about therianthrope on ancient cave paintings. His take on it is fascinating.

If they had taped a banana to it, I could eat it.

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Yeah, imagine what we could learn if those paintings could talk...

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: fromtheskydown

This reminds me of this thread posted yesterday.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Also, you should check out the book ‘Supernatural’ by Graham Hancock. He talks in depth about therianthrope on ancient cave paintings. His take on it is fascinating.

I saw that and was going to post in there but didn't want to take the topic off-track.

originally posted by: Blue Shift
If they had taped a banana to it, I could eat it.

You will have to explain that one to me, Blue Shift.

originally posted by: fromtheskydown

originally posted by: Blue Shift
If they had taped a banana to it, I could eat it.

You will have to explain that one to me, Blue Shift.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Back when men had not put one stone on top of another or had clothes on their backs or a language to talk of ,Some men had figured out how to tell a story and what chemicals to play with

originally posted by: stonerwilliam
a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Back when men had not put one stone on top of another or had clothes on their backs or a language to talk of ,Some men had figured out how to tell a story and what chemicals to play with

Interesting...but...in my opinion...no language, no creative or abstract thinking and definitely no story telling. I don't conceive how any cognisant or sentient being cannot have a language.

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: fromtheskydown

originally posted by: Blue Shift
If they had taped a banana to it, I could eat it.

You will have to explain that one to me, Blue Shift.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Haha, yes...now I understand.

a reply to: fromtheskydown

For long periods in human history things were communicated orally with no writing or pictographs involved Memory was better back then a lot better , just like the Mayans who could count to 29 places after the decimal point and the Egyptians struggled with 6 if my memory serves me right

originally posted by: stonerwilliam
a reply to: fromtheskydown

For long periods in human history things were communicated orally with no writing or pictographs involved Memory was better back then a lot better , just like the Mayans who could count to 29 places after the decimal point and the Egyptians struggled with 6 if my memory serves me right.

They also used to sing a lot to remember their old stories. That's why it's so easy for me to tell you in surprising detail the ancient tale of "Bad Bad Leroy Brown."

a reply to: Blue Shift




As the old saying goes a picture can say a thousand words

perhaps its not a story, but a lecture?

perhaps the hybrids are actually just people with animal skins on as camouflage and the painting is of the camo?

originally posted by: stonerwilliam
a reply to: Blue Shift

As the old saying goes a picture can say a thousand words

May I ask why you choose that page from the Codex Selden(Codex Anute)? Is there something particular about it? It's a genealogy of a Dynasty from what is now modern Oaxaca covering a period of six centuries. Probably made in 1556 it was painted over an earlier palimpsest that talks about Mixtec culture.

www.youtube.com...

a reply to: fromtheskydown

50000 was a major "out of Africa" event, which resulted in forays into the southern asian islands and Australia.

This art is likely from these people.

The interesting thing to me is that they would not have known the Cosmic Hunt myth....so we have a peek into their own hunting lore.

a reply to: fromtheskydown

Gesticulating is how many land animals communicate. Which interestingly....can make it impossible for them to lie. A dog for example cannot hide its feelings. Nor can a lizard.

Communication can also happen with scents and pheromones.

Ours arose from through natural selectiin due to it making us better at hunting and surviving, as well as inter tribal conflict. Its a specialized form if communication that only humans really would find useful as other animals have developed communication more useful to their lifecycles and general physiology. Drop braccas area to another animal and theyd likely not really make much of it. Except maybe a few apes and some meerkats.

originally posted by: fromtheskydown

originally posted by: stonerwilliam
a reply to: Silcone Synapse

Back when men had not put one stone on top of another or had clothes on their backs or a language to talk of ,Some men had figured out how to tell a story and what chemicals to play with

Interesting...but...in my opinion...no language, no creative or abstract thinking and definitely no story telling. I don't conceive how any cognisant or sentient being cannot have a language.

Interesting that you would mention this, I was just pondering the idea last night. I was wondering if it were possible for a pre linguistic, or non linguistic human being (a human who has no form of language of any kind) to ascribe meaning to or have an understanding of the world around them. I wondered what it would be like to experience things without having words form in your head or having preconceived ideas about those things.

I came to the conclusion that is was possible for a non linguistic human being to have abstract thoughts and to realize somethings by way of memories of images, emotions, sensations, etc.