杏吧原创

Why did people paint horses and spears on European cave walls? The explosion of cave art in the Upper Palaeolithic, about 45,000 years, ago has been attributed to a 鈥渘eurological revolution鈥�, but it鈥檚 not as simple as that, says David Lewis-Williams in The Mind in the Cave (Thames and Hudson, 拢12.95). Modern human behaviours showed up at different times among different populations in Africa and Europe. Europe鈥檚 cave art is preceded by Africa鈥檚 geometric engraving, dated to 77,000 years ago, and by 75,000-year-old shell beads. So what changed in Europe to produce so much art so swiftly? Society is the catalyst, he suggests 鈥� in particular, a role for art that he describes in terms of 鈥渟ocial conflict, stress and discrimination鈥�. A rich hoard of ideas.