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Submitted by Thorgrim on Wednesday, 12 May 2004 Page Views: 4805
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 David Lewis-Williams, Thames & Hudson, ISBN 0-500-28465-2. £12.95 320pp 94 illus.
How did man learn to draw? Why were only certain types of animals painted on cave walls? Why were some paintings located deep underground at the end of narrow labyrinthine passages where it was totally dark? These are just some of the questions that Professor David Lewis-Williams of the Rock Art Research Institute of the University of Witwatersrand considers in this well researched and detailed book. But this is not just another book on the wonders of Palaeolithic Art. It is concerned with the workings of the human nervous system and levels of consciousness and perception.
Beginning with a critical overview of the way that Palaeolithic Art has been regarded since its 19th century discovery, the author shows that interpretations of the purpose of the paintings as being decorative "art for arts sake", hunting magic or simple totemism are no longer valid. He then looks in some detail at intelligence and consciousness in prehistory and maintains that as Palaeolithic people were thoroughly modern human beings, then their nervous system was identical to that of ourselves. He looks at how the human nervous system shapes visual hallucinations in altered states of consciousness and compares abstract patterns painted on walls with shapes seen by people under laboratory conditions of altered consciousness. Much of this considerable section is heavy going, but it is worth persevering as his arguments are well presented and come together when he looks at the rock paintings of the San people of South Africa and early Native Americans. Their paintings have much in common with those of the Palaeolithic - not just the animals, but the abstract shapes of zigzags, tunnels and lattice squares. Such designs, he argues, are entoptic phenomena caused by the spatial relationship between the retina and the visual cortex. (Although totally outside the scope of the book, it occurred to me that this could also be true for the designs at New Grange and the cups and rings etc. of much later British rock art).
The world of the Shaman is central to the book and the roles of the "wounded healer" in Siberia, the Amazon, North America, the Arctic and elsewhere are examined. He believes that the Palaeolithic shamans were instigators of Palaeolithic Art and the book is particularly vivid when it demonstrates how natural contours in the rock face were enhanced with paint in order to draw the animals out of the rock surface. He suggests that shamans seeking power on vision quests used the deepest, inner caves and that the subterranean world was a portal to the spirit world. There, they had visions of animals and shapes and used paint to fix them on the rock surface, which was a membrane between this world and the world of spirit. Paintings in the upper cave levels were used more for communal rituals (rites of passage and initiation ceremonies).
The book deals mainly with paintings on the walls of caves, but also briefly with portable objects - atlatls (spear throwers) and "batons". It is to be regretted that he does not mention the female "Venus" figurines at all as his interpretation of these in terms of Shamanistic visions would have been most interesting as they are conventionally seen as mother or fertility goddesses. Also, there is no consideration of the apparent humour of Palaeolithic Art - the atlatl from Le Mas d'Azil carved in the form of an ibex defecating with two birds perched on and pecking at the emerging turd. Up to ten examples of this design have been found so it must have been a popular joke. Or did it have a different, religious meaning? Similarly, he makes no reference to the "humorous" human caricatures scratched on stone slabs at La Marche.
It must be stressed that although this book deals extensively with shamans and altered states of consciousness (drug induced, fasting, sensory deprivation etc.) - it is in no way a mystic "new age" book. The author is to be applauded for moving outside the confines of archaeology and bringing together art history, neuro-psychology, hallucinogenics and anthropology.
Review by PeterH
Click here to order from amazon.co.uk
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Re: The Mind in the Cave (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Tuesday, 11 May 2004 | | Did caves limit the area`s that the artists could "do their stuff", Is that why there is more Art in open sites around here, situated near rivers and springs. Arthur, Burbage, Leicestershire. | [ Reply to This ]
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Re: The Mind in the Cave (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Wednesday, 12 May 2004 | Is the book going to be available at the Megalithic Portal Book Shop
NicolaDidsbury at work! | [ Reply to This ]
Re: The Mind in the Cave (Score: 1)
by Thorgrim on Wednesday, 12 May 2004
(User Info | Send a Message) | | I don't know Nicola, but you can get it from Amazon at about £10 - it really is worth it. |
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Re: The Mind in the Cave (Score: 1)
by Andy B (andy@megalithic.co.uk) on Wednesday, 12 May 2004
(User Info | Send a Message) | No I don't think so Nicola. We can't compete with a 30% discount from Amazon (it's actually nearer 9 pounds there) and I don't like offering poor value to people. Please do click on our links to amazon, and go straight through to buying the product if you can so we get the maximum commission.
Thanks for the interest!
Cheers,
Andy |
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Re: The Mind in the Cave (Score: 1)
by Andy B on Wednesday, 12 May 2004
(User Info | Send a Message) | I had a quick read of this book before sending it on and I found a lot of the same resonances as Peter. An interesting reference is Art of the Shaman - Rock Art of California by Whiteley, Univ. of Utah Press. This talks of vision quests involving entering a hole in the rock. Caves or rocks generally were considered entrances or portals to the supernatural world.
A principal motif in Californian rock art is the bighorn sheep, and the Native Americans made three-dimensional animal masks in caves, as seen in Salina Cave, California. A reference for this is Thor Conway – Painted Dreams – North American Rock Art. North Wood Press. Put this all together and I feel that detractors of Terence Meaden and his Avebury heads should read up on their rock art literature before rubbishing his work.
Other interesting snippets are that "some societies regard inward directed states as pathological, in others, they are indicative of divine afflatus, still others pay little attention."
Another intriguing reference quoted is Laughlin et al. Brain, Symbol & Experience – Neurophenonomenology of Human Consciousness. This identifies that normal waking day comprises of cycles of 90 to 120 minutes of moving from outward directed to inward directed states.
The identified spectrum of states are:
Walking, problem-oriented thought
realistic fantasy
autistic fantasy
reverie
hypnogogic (falling asleep) states
dreaming
He notes how the term "Altered states of consciousness" carries lot of cultural baggage. On neurophsychological entoptic phenomena; as well as visual zig-zags and squiggles as mentioned by Peter, the book also talks of imagined tunnels or shafts. There's a fascinating similarity to real holes to the bowels of the earth such as ritual shafts or disused flint mines.
I agree with this is a fantastic book. An interest, or preferably basic grounding in psychology or anthropology will be a benefit, or it could give a springboard into a new subject. | [ Reply to This ]
Re: The Mind in the Cave (Score: 1)
by Andy B (andy@megalithic.co.uk) on Friday, 14 May 2004
(User Info | Send a Message) | http://www.google.com/search?lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Neurophenonomenology
I think that's called a Googlewhack!
"Did you mean to search for: Neurophenomenology"
Spelling humbly corrected but can you blame me, or by spellchecker program,
Andy |
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Re: The Mind in the Cave (Score: 0)
by Anonymous on Thursday, 13 May 2004 | | Suggest interested readers in this subject read "Lost civilisations of the stone age" by Richard Rudgley,without the information gained I for one would not have made the discoverys I have around here, perhaps it would do the same for you?. Arthur, Burbage, Leicestershire. | [ Reply to This ]
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