Prehistoric cave art is some of the earliest surviving art in human history. Paintings have been found on walls of caves around the world with depictions of objects, symbols, patterns, shapes, animals, humans and mythical creatures. Cave art more broadly also includes relief carvings and portable sculptures, paintings and carvings on rocks. It is a reminder of how far we have come and how disconnected we are from ancestors we know nothing of. It also reveals that common interests and practices have linked communities since our origins: art-making, animals, storytelling and making our mark. Cave art began with abstract shapes, and became increasingly figurative and representative of complex ideas, incorporating humans, animals and plants as time went by. With no written records from tens of thousands of years ago and few other surviving artefacts or art forms, this anonymous art is some of our only insights into the interests, hopes, dreams and fears of our ancestors, and decoding them is fascinating. As a result, cave art has captivated, and even obsessed, people since the 19th century, as we seek to understand more about our origins.
One article cannot cover the richness and sheer number of fascinating cave paintings the world over. Palaeolithic cave art has been found on every continent except Antarctica: from Namibia to Brazil, Argentina to Arizona – some strikingly similar, and some worlds apart. Here, we will introduce you to ten of the very oldest, and perhaps spur you to uncover many more examples of mankind’s abundant creativity, skill and imagination.
