That big debate about whether those cave paintings are actually hunting scenes or something else

I keep seeing people call every prehistoric animal painting a 'hunting scene' but look at the ones at Lascaux - half the animals aren't even wounded and some are just standing there. How do we really know what they meant back then, anybody got a solid argument for one side?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles_sanchez8d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, I used to just assume every cave painting was a hunting scene too. But then I saw a documentary that pointed out how some of those animals are just chilling, like maybe it's more about the spirit of the animal or telling a story about the group's connection to them. Idk, it changed my mind because when you look at the details, a lot of the drawings don't show any weapons or hunters nearby, just animals that look alive and healthy. Makes you wonder if they were maybe praying or trying to bring good luck for a hunt, not actually showing it happening. I'm not an expert or anything but that argument about the animals being unharmed really got me thinking.

zaram978d ago

Right @miles_sanchez, that whole thing about the animals being unharmed really makes you stop and think. It's like how people leave flowers at a memorial instead of taking a selfie there, you know? Sometimes the picture or the gesture is more about respect and memory than the action itself.

haydenbutler8d ago

Yeah @miles_sanchez, read something similar. Think they were drawing the soul of the animal, not the kill.