The Role of Cave Drawings in The Prehistoric Period

Sayre (2015) indicated that cave paintings are those paintings which are made on the rock or cave walls and ceilings and they are usually dated back to the prehistoric times. Despite the fact that the purpose of cave paintings during that period has not been clearly determined, it is important to note that they were not for meant solely for the decoration purposes in the living areas and that there were other hidden meanings of these art works. According to the information presented by Sayre (2015), the ancient people use the cave paintings for the purpose of transmitting information. It is also believed that they were also used for the religious or ceremonial purposes. Therefore, it is important to note that there are different forms of conjectures which have been made in order to explain the major purposes of the cave paintings in the lives of mankind during the prehistoric period.

Importance of Animals and Nature

Sayre (2015) further noted that pictures of animals formed an important portion of the cave paintings and that they were meant to form a bond with the soles of the animals and hence making the process of hunting an easy activity. Furthermore, it can be noted that the paintings were able to represent animistic vision as well as homage to the surrounding nature. With reference to the information contained in the book authored by Sayre (2015), it can be noted that another important purpose of the cave painting was to form a basic need of expression which is purely innate to the human beings. Based on the fact that some of the cave paintings were composed of human and animal sketches, it can be noted that they were meant to serve as recordings of the different life experiences of the of the artists. Despite the fact that the process of interpreting the meanings of the different types of cave paintings that were made during the prehistoric period, it is important to note that the human beings can still have the opportunity of appreciating and enjoying their beauty, have a high regard for the level of creativity presented on the techniques used in their establishments.

Hunting Magic and Memorabilia

Another argument presented by Sayre (2015) is that the rock or cave paintings were composed of images of records of hunts which played an important role, not only as an inventory of the total number of animals which they had killed but also as a vital reference document to indicate the migration patterns of the animals in order to promote their easy location in the forests during the hunting process. For that matter, the cave paintings can be considered as a hunting magic which helped the ancient human beings to increase the number of animals that could be killed by the hunting parties. Relating the importance of cave paintings to the modern photographs, it can easily be easily noted that such paintings were important in helping their artists to recall memorable events in their lives or in the lives of their societies hence forming an important sense of belonging among the cave dwellers.

Reference

Sayre, H. M. (2015). Discovering the Humanities (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall: Pearson Publishing.