By Bethany Youngblood
Now that you have been introduced to the concepts and purposes of ancient cave art (read Part 1 if you missed it!), we can begin our grand tour fully prepared to appreciate it. I’ve
arranged what I consider to be the five most stunning works of ancient man’s
artistic genius.
Cueva de las Manos ~ The Cave of Hands
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Cueva de las Manos
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Located in Argentina, this site is known for its panels of
rock art hand paintings. The stenciled impression was probably accomplished by
blowing the mineral pigment through a hollow tube around the hand. Most of the
hands are left hands and average around the size of a 13-year-old boy. Experts
speculate that, due to the hunting scenes also located at the site, that this
was part of an initiation ceremony. They are dated to be around 9,000 years old
according to a secular calendar. [1]
From a Biblical worldview we can certainly say that this site was created Post-Flood,
after mankind’s dispersion from Babel. A potential date range therefore falls
between 2,000 and 1,000 BC.
Lascaux
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Lascaux Cave
http://www.vezerevalley.info/wp-content/gallery/lascaux/lascauxmain.jpg
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This breath-taking complex of caves is located in southern
France and is known primarily for the size, quality, and excellence of the
almost 2,000 painted figures throughout it. Chamber names include; The Great
Hall of Bulls, the Lateral Passage, the Shaft of the Dead Man, the Chamber of
Engravings, the Painted Gallery, and the Chamber of Felines. Horses dominate
the scene, numbering close to 364 individuals. There are ninety stags, multiple
bison, a bear, a rhino, and a human.[2]
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The Great Black Bull
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But the stars of Lascaux are the bulls. Four huge black
bulls appear to run across the stone walls. One measures seventeen feet long,
the largest animal cave painting ever found. These painted bulls actually
represent an extinct species of wild cattle called Aurochs. Aurochs were
massive and reportedly bad-tempered. They were the basis for the Minoan legends
of the Minotaur and used in the Minoan bull-leaping games.[3][4]
Take a virtual tour of this cave!
The Cave Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc
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The Panel of Lions
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This is another artistic marvel local to southern France.
Like Lascaux, this cave is known for its’ exceptional quality. It sets itself
apart though for the rare exhibition of predators and the artistic finesse
throughout the cave.
Thirteen different animal species including horses, cattle,
reindeer, bison, wooly rhinos, and owls are represented as well as predators
like cave bears, panthers, hyenas, and a whole wall of lions painted in blue.
No human figures have been discovered in this cave.[5]
Many caves in France feature something unique in the
cave-art world and it’s found in both Chauvet and Lascaux; animation. Some
animals appear to have been painted with multiple heads or several extra legs.
But when explorers turned off their flashlights and brought a torch down into
the dark the flickering shadows made the animals appear to move! An example of
this effect can be seen in this video.
Narwala Gabarnmang
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Narwala Gabarnmang
https://2012thebigpicture.wordpress.com/tag/narwala-gabarnmang/ |
This site in Australia’s Northern Territory has come to be
known as the “Cistine Chapel of Rock Art Sites”. The carbon-dating used on
these cave-paintings date its creation at roughly 33,000 years ago, the same as
Chauvet and Lascaux.[6] Even though
this dating system is flawed, it shocked historians because it elevated
Aboriginal people, a group that has suffered harsh persecution in the past,
right up there with some of the most advanced artists of ancient Europe. Should
that surprise us? No! If you go from a Biblical perspective mankind could have
reached Australia and created this work of art anywhere from 2100 to 1600 BC.
“All people, including Australian Aborigines, are descended from Noah’s family. After God confused the languages of people at the Tower of Babel, in the years following the global Flood of about 2350 BC, groups of people dispersed through the world. Each group surely possessed knowledge of some current technology in addition to their new language. Thus, we expect to see evidence of intelligent people scattered all over the world, including these paintings in Narwala Gabarnmang…..Aborigines were not at the head of the human evolutionary pack but were, like groups of people all over the world, using their intelligence and their skills to rebuild civilizations after the Flood and migration from Babel.” – Dr. Elisabeth Mitchell[7]
Ica Stones
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Ica Stone showing dinosaurs
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v24/n2/thunderbirds
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This example of ancient art is less cave-art and more of an
amazing array of engravings. A flood in Peru in the first half of the 20th
century eroded the side of a mountain away and revealed a cave were 16,000
stones like the two shown above were hidden. Dr. Javier Cabera displayed 11,000
of them in his small museum. The stones depict an array of figures but a
significant number showcase dinosaurs.[8]
A huge controversy surrounds these stones for that very
reason. Skeptics claim they’re an elaborate hoax because it is impossible for a
human to have seen a living dinosaur according to their timeline. Hoaxes are an
unfortunate reality for both evolutionists and creationists, so the
authenticity of these stones is undecided. Still, they make an interesting
place to end our tour for today.
Conclusion
We certainly hope you enjoyed this brief perusal of ancient
art. Like any summary it hopefully showed you the highlights; ancient man was
created with a creative and intelligent spirit like me and you, quite unlike
what mainstream theories would have you believe. Men who temporarily dwelled in
caves or used their walls as a sanctuary were not primitive but in fact
demonstrated artistic genius in many areas. As a summary this tour also skimmed
over the not-so God-honoring pieces of ancient man’s workmanship. Yet isn’t
this just another reminder that ancient man was just as fallen and in need of a
Savior as we? Take a moment to consider our modern artistic expression. Do we
use our creativity to praise God, or do we instead paint worldly veneers over
something made in God’s Own Image and dishonor Him?
Are there any examples of ancient art that you find
incredible? Let us know! Share your thoughts and discoveries, we’d love to hear
them.
Be sure and read Part 1 if you missed it!
[1] Bradshaw
Foundation
[2]Ibid
[3] “The
Aurochs: Bull of Myth and Legend.” Erika. http://weirdanimalreport.com/article/aurochs-bull-myth-and-legend
[4] “Bull
Mythology.” http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Mythology/BullMythology.html
[5] Bradshaw
Foundation
[6] “News to
Note, June 30, 2012” Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2012/06/30/news-to-note-06302012#two
[7] Ibid.
[8]
“Thunderbirds.” Bill Johnson. http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/cm/v24/n2/thunderbirds
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