They may have carved stones by the flickering light of a campfire. And that could have been a special experience.
It is becoming increasingly clear that prehistoric man had an eye for art. For example, paintings of animals and hands have been found in various caves. Decorated stones have also been discovered, including in France. Researchers have now unraveled the conditions under which prehistoric humans made such rock art: around a cozy campfire.
stones
In the new study researchers have pondered 50 engraved stones unearthed in France. The stones are about 15,000 years old and are decorated with various lines and carvings. These stones are thought to have been made by our Magdalene ancestors; an early hunter-gatherer culture that existed between about 23,000 and 14,000 years ago. The Magdalenian era is marked by the flourishing of early art, including cave paintings, the decoration of tools and weapons, and the engraving of stones and bones.
Heat
The researchers found striking ‘damages’ around the edges of the stones excavated in France, which are believed to have been caused by heat. According to them, this proves that the stones have been near fire. But was that accidentally, or intentionally? The team resolved that question using replicas and virtual realitysoftware to answer. And that leads to a surprising discovery. “Although the damage visible on some of the rocks was initially believed to have been caused by accident, our experiments show that the rocks were likely deliberately kept close to the fire,” said study researcher Andy Needham.
The idea that prehistoric artists created their artworks close to the fire is supported by their experiments, the researchers say. They placed replicas of works of art (engraved pieces of stone) around a fire to determine how the heat of that fire affected the works of art. Image: Needham et al., 2022, PLOS ONE, CC-BY 4.0.
Campfire
The findings indicate that close to the flickering light of a campfire, the stones are decorated with artistic cuts. “Today, art is often created on a blank canvas in daylight or with a fixed light source,” said researcher Needham. “But we now know that 15,000 years ago, people made art at night around a fire.”
Shapes and faces
And the fact that the artists were active under those circumstances may well have left a big mark on what they ultimately created. “Working under such conditions may have influenced the way prehistoric humans experienced the creation of art,” the researchers write. They do not rule out the possibility that the dancing light of the campfire that fell on the rocky ‘canvas’ of these prehistoric artists caused them to see shapes or faces that were not really there. “Making art by the light of a campfire must have been a special experience, activating different parts of the human brain,” Needham suspects. “We know that flickering shadows and light enhance our evolutionary ability to see shapes and faces in inanimate objects. And that may have led to the drawing of animals or artistic shapes.”
An original prehistoric engraved flat stone believed to have been worked in close proximity to fire. Image: Dr Andy Needham, University of York.
Campfire
The study provides an insight into how the emergence of art may have come about. “During the Magdalenian, conditions were very cold,” said researcher Izzy Wisher. “While people were well adapted to the cold and wore warm clothing made from animal skins and fur, fire was still very important for keeping warm. Our findings strengthen the theory that the campfire was also a place for social gatherings, storytelling and art making.”
In addition, the results show how important art has been throughout human history. “At a time when an enormous amount of time and effort would have gone into finding food, water and shelter, it’s fascinating to think that people still found the time to make art,” Wisher continues. “It shows how making art has been part of our humanity for thousands of years. In addition, it demonstrates the cognitive complexity of prehistoric humans.”