Since its discovery, cave art has provoked great curiosity about why it appeared when and where it did, how it was made, and what it meant to the communities that created it. In the most convincing explanation for Upper Palaeolithic art yet proposed, David Lewis-Williams describes how nineteenth-century beliefs that the drawings were "art for art's sake, " or totemism, were supplanted in the wake of Darwinian evolutionary theory. The earliest human beings had a more advanced neurological makeup than their Neanderthal neighbors, allowing individuals to induce altered states of consciousness during which they experienced vivid mental imagery. It became important for people to "fix, " or paint, these images onto cave walls, which they perceived as the membrane between their world and the spirit world from which the visions came. Over time, new social distinctions developed as individuals exploited their hallucinations for personal advancement, and the first truly modern society emerged.
Illuminating glimpses into the ancient mind are skillfully interwoven with the still-evolving story of modern-day cave discoveries and research. The Mind in the Cave is a superb piece of detective work, casting light on the darkest mysteries of our earliest ancestors while strengthening our wonder at their aestheticachievements.
Or split into 4x interest-free payments of 25% on orders over R50
Learn more
Since its discovery, cave art has provoked great curiosity about why it appeared when and where it did, how it was made, and what it meant to the communities that created it. In the most convincing explanation for Upper Palaeolithic art yet proposed, David Lewis-Williams describes how nineteenth-century beliefs that the drawings were "art for art's sake, " or totemism, were supplanted in the wake of Darwinian evolutionary theory. The earliest human beings had a more advanced neurological makeup than their Neanderthal neighbors, allowing individuals to induce altered states of consciousness during which they experienced vivid mental imagery. It became important for people to "fix, " or paint, these images onto cave walls, which they perceived as the membrane between their world and the spirit world from which the visions came. Over time, new social distinctions developed as individuals exploited their hallucinations for personal advancement, and the first truly modern society emerged.
Illuminating glimpses into the ancient mind are skillfully interwoven with the still-evolving story of modern-day cave discoveries and research. The Mind in the Cave is a superb piece of detective work, casting light on the darkest mysteries of our earliest ancestors while strengthening our wonder at their aestheticachievements.
Imprint | Thames and Hudson Ltd |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Release date | November 2002 |
Availability | Supplier out of stock. If you add this item to your wish list we will let you know when it becomes available. |
Authors | J. David Lewis-Williams |
Dimensions | 237 x 160mm (L x W) |
Format | Hardcover |
Pages | 320 |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-500-05117-7 |
Barcode | 9780500051177 |
Categories | |
LSN | 0-500-05117-8 |