The animals in the cave paintings of the Basque Country are arranged according to a pattern and not randomly painted
According to a UPV/EHU study, the arrangement of animal figures was intentional: bison, horses and goats were in the middle of the composition, and the rest were on the periphery.
Photo: UPV
A study led by UPV/EHU doctor Iñaki Intxaurbe has shown that cave art in the Basque Country was not done randomly, but according to an organized pattern of structure and symbolic code .
How were the animals organized inside the cave?
Intxaurb has analyzed 500 graphic motifs in the nine caves in the Basque Country, applying network analysis and multivariate statistics. In the words of the researcher, the results show that "cave art was created in an orderly and not random manner."
Thus bison, horses, and goats were the centre of the compositions, and the rest of the animals were divided on the periphery. Besides, there is a clear rule of orientation: the horses looked chiefly to the right, and the bison looked to the left.
What message did they want to convey?
However, the study does not explain the reasons for this pattern, that is, it shows that there is an organized structure behind the drawings, although it is not yet possible to determine what message it intended to convey.
According to Intxaurbe, "cave paintings were not made for recreation. "" We know that they were important to them, because they drew in a few, not all, caves. They selected caves in certain areas. Now we know that the cave art of the end of the Palaeolithic had a syntactic structure, and that behind it is a graphic idea or a graphic code that we do not understand, but that would be important to them. "
Were the painters right-handed?
These discoveries call into question the theories formulated in the mid-20th century that, given animal orientation, most artists were right-wing.
Finding that horses were drawn in the opposite direction to other species, the study shows that this attitude was due to a deliberate symbolic language, and not to the physical comfort of painting.
Applications to decipher old languages
Intxaurb has released the open source methodology and database for application by the scientific community to other international sites.
In addition, this combinatory analysis opens the door to the study of the syntax of historical inscriptions that have not yet been deciphered, such as the Basque or Iberian inscriptions.
You might like
The fires are hitting hard in Spain, burning three times more surface area last year than in the same season
The area affected by the fire has increased from 58,383 hectares on 8 July to 119,458 hectares.
Bermeo, Elantxobe and Mundaka celebrate Madalen Eguna today with the Izaro Marine Procession
The ships of Bermeo will go to Izaro Island, and along the way the mayor will throw a shingle into the sea to declare that the island belongs to Bermeo.
There will be news of the start of the Jazz Festival, the yellow warning for high temperatures and the 90th anniversary of the bombing of Otxandio
In two words, a summary of what will be news of the Present today.
The 61 Otxandians killed in the Franco bombing will be remembered today on the 90th anniversary of the massacre
During the Santamaña festivities in the village's Andikona Square, neighbours 61 were killed by the Franco attack, which was the first air strike against the civilian population in the Basque Country.
Cases of gender-based violence during pregnancy can be identified through health consultations
During pregnancy, women have a close relationship with the health system: they have consultations with midwife, gynaecologist and nurse. As could be the key to identifying situations of gender-based violence. Anternational experts in San Sebastian have called for a coordinated response from the health and social spheres in the summer course on Violence and Motherhood.
Painted against Basque footballer Einar Galilea appeared in Malaga after spreading his image with the Argentine T-shirt
Painted with insults have appeared near La Rosaleda after the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. The photo of the Malaga player has been posted on social media, although it is not clear when it was taken.
Farewell to smoking on terraces and beaches: this is the new anti-smoking law, which equates the vaporizer with the cigarette
The new law passed by the Spanish Government prohibits smoking and bathing on terraces and beaches, since it equates electronic cigarettes with traditional tobacco and provides for fines of up to 600 euros.
Two monitors have been arrested in Biarritz on charges of raping and sexually assaulting children aged three and four
The Baiona Public Prosecutor's Office has reported that, according to testimonies collected so far, evidence of 12 cases of sexual assault and one rape has been found, and no further evidence is ruled out.
Asian algae: the green carpet that occupies the seabed of our shores
The appearance of this seaweed on our beaches is only a visible part, as Asian seaweed is forming real green carpets on the seabed of our coast, its spread threatens biodiversity and creates new challenges to control it.