Early Cave Paintings

Cave paintings have been a mystery to many people ever since their discovery, causing many different theories about why our ancestors went into the caves to create their art. An early theory was that it was just art for art’s sake. It was just something to pass the time and had no meaning. Others believe that the paintings were made by Shamans. The Shaman is the spiritual leader of the people and he would have went in the caves for spiritual guidance. Since our ancestors were hunters and gatherers, there is the theory that the paintings were to ensure success in their hunting. There is even convincing evidence that women also were in the caves. The handprints match female hands, not just adolescent boys. A noted author of the book The Nature
According to R. Dale Guthrie, author of The Nature of Paleolithic Art, “testosterone-fueled boys created most prehistoric cave art”. He also claims the handprints found in the caves are predominately made by young boys age nine to seventeen. The art of animals being speared and eviscerated is violent and can be compared to such things as sports, cars, and fighting that the teenage boys today like. Also, he notes that the sculpted figures such as the Venus of Willendorf, display women nude and with exaggerated sexual parts. Hence the theory of testosterone-fueled boys is a popular theory among other colleagues. Paul Martin, professor of quaternary biography at the University of Arizona, who credits Guthrie’s knowledge on human behavior as being extraordinary, states “If he finds that much cave art reflects teenage or preteen preoccupations, I am prepared to believe him”. Although this theory sounds plausible, the art in the cave seems to have more meaning than just adolescent boys letting out their aggressions by painting. The people back then were hunters and gatherers, consequently, the boys were probably learning to hunt and gather their food, which would seemingly release a lot of their aggression before the thought of going in a cave to paint. The theory of adolescent boys being the creators of the cave art is plausible, it is not as realistic as it seems