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Megalithic Art
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Re: Megalithic Art
Mar 30, 2003, 23:18
Well, abstract and figurative art (what you call passage grave art) is precisely contemporary according to the pioneering studies being done here. As with the wrong belief that big passage graves predated big ones, it used to be thought that one predated the other.

Funnily enough, cave art was quite a realistic thing (remember the archaeologists thought it couldn't have possibly been done by troglodytes and how many 'believers' died in penury for that) whereas much of the Neolithic has 'abstract' signs (zig zags, lozenges and other symbols). Many of the passage graves have mostly abstract stuff (though what we call abstract can be a picture we cannot discern) though it also includes snakes, people and later weapons, including slightly sculptured stones. That they did not transform 'everything' was deliberate, as they were clearly capable of that and more. I believe they chose certain abstract motifs for some sites/stones as they chose different KINDS of stone on purpose, even in the same grave, say, making up the orthostats that close the main chamber.

The idols are quite common by the way, and I've seen loads. I am actually transfixed by some of the designs on some slate plates and I'd like to print them (I'll send some, eh... annexed to you). In all, nothing resembles the 'naturalism' of the troglodytes during the Paleolithic. But I believe there is a certain 'code' since many motifs are common (like the solar eyes). Cupmarks are extremely common everywhere and concentric circles are quite a thing in other areas. I'll let you know when I have further checked those websites for further clues afield (Brittany and Northumbria) so as to get a global picture.
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Different Strokes (FourWinds)
Re: Megalithic Art (fitzcoraldo)
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