Ice Age beasts and geometric designs, hunting parties and herds of horses – the painted imagery of our ancestors took many shapes and styles. As far back as 41,000 years ago, working in the dim light of oil lamps, humans (and possibly our Neanderthal relatives) expressed themselves in caverns across the world with etchings and paintings. But while archaeologists know how Stone Age artists turned cave walls into canvasses – by using chisels, charcoal, berries, and even bat poop as paint applied with straw brushes or blown through hollow bones – no one knows for certain why they did it.
In the age before the written word, cave artists probably painted as a form of communication: to teach other members of their group about animals in the region and how to hunt them. Some archaeologists believe cave art may have served as a sort of magic. By painting animals and hunting scenes on the walls of scared caverns, or special caves used for ceremonies rather than as shelter, ancient artists may have hoped to bring success on the next hunt.
Picture Credit : Google