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NCERT Notes: Prehistoric Rock Paintings

NCERT notes on important topics for the UPSC civil services exam preparation. These notes will also be useful for other competitive exams like bank PO, SSC, state civil services exams and so on .

Prehistoric Rock Paintings (UPSC Notes):- Download PDF Here

• Prehistory: The time period in the past when there was no paper or the written word and hence no books or written accounts of events. Information about such an age is obtained from excavations which reveal paintings, pottery, habitat, etc.
• Drawings and paintings were the oldest form of artistic expression practised by humans. Reasons for such drawings: Either to decorate their homes or/and to keep a journal of events in their lives.
• Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Periods have not shown any evidence of artworks so far. The Upper Palaeolithic Age shows a lot of artistic activities.
• Earliest paintings in India are from the Upper Palaeolithic Age.
• The first discovery of rock paintings in the world was made in India by archaeologist Archibald Carlleyle in 1867 – 68 (in Sohagighat, Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh).
• Rock paintings have been found in the walls of caves at Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Karnataka, some in the Kumaon Hills of Uttarakhand.
• Paintings at the rock shelters at Lakhudiyar on the banks of the Suyal River (Uttarakhand) –
• 3 categories of paintings: man, animal and geometric patterns in black, white and red ochre.
• Humans in stick-like forms, a long-snouted animal, a fox, a multiple-legged lizard, wavy lines, groups of dots and rectangle-filled geometric designs, hand-linked dancing humans.
• Paintings in Kupgallu (Telangana), Piklihal and Tekkalkota (both in Karnataka)
• Mostly in white and red ochre.
• Subjects are bulls, sambhars, elephants, sheep, gazelles, goats, horses, stylised humans and tridents.
• Paintings in the Vindhya ranges at Madhya Pradesh extending into Uttar Pradesh –
• About 500 rock shelters at Bhimbetka in the Vindhya Hills at Madhya Pradesh.
• Images of hunting, dancing, music, elephant and horse riders, honey collection, animal fighting, decoration of bodies, household scenes, etc.
• Period I: Upper Palaeolithic
• Period II: Mesolithic
• Period III: Chalcolithic
• Two major sites of prehistoric rock/cave paintings in India: Bhimbetka Caves and Jogimara Caves (Amarnath, Madhya Pradesh).
• Continuous occupation of these caves from 100000 BC to 1000 AD.
• Discovered by archaeologist V S Wakankar in 1957 – 58.
• One of the oldest paintings in India and the world.
• Period I (Upper Palaeolithic)
• Linear representations of animals like bison, tigers, elephants, rhinos and boars; stick-like human figures.
• Paintings in green and dark red. Green paintings are of dancers and red ones are of hunters.
• Period II (Mesolithic)
• The largest number of paintings in this period.
• More themes but paintings reduce in size.
• Mostly hunting scenes – people hunting in groups with barbed spears, arrows and bows, and pointed sticks. Also, show traps and snares to catch animals.
• Hunters wear simple clothes; some men are shown with headdresses and masks. Women have been shown both clothed and in the nude.
• Animals seen – elephants, bisons, bears, tigers, deer, antelopes, leopards, panthers, rhinos, frogs, lizards, fish, squirrels and birds.
• Children are seen playing and jumping. Some scenes depict family life.
• Period III (Chalcolithic)
• Paintings indicate an association of these cave-dwellers with the agricultural communities settled at Malwa.
• Cross-hatched squares, lattices, pottery and metal tools are depicted.
• Colours used in Bhimbetka paintings – white, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green and black. Most common colours – white and red.
• Red obtained from haematite (geru); green from chalcedony; white probably from limestone.
• Brushes were made from plant fibre.
• In some places, there are many layers of paintings, sometimes 20.
• Paintings can be seen in caves that were used as dwelling places and also in caves that had some other purpose, perhaps religious.
• The colours of the paintings have remained intact thousands of years perhaps due to the chemical reaction of the oxide present on the rock surface.

Also, See | NCERT Notes for UPSC Exams – Prehistoric age in India

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Prehistoric Era Art – Rock Paintings (Indian Culture Series – NCERT)

Last updated on July 23, 2024 by ClearIAS Team

We suggest aspirants start from the book published by NCERT on Indian Culture and then move on to other online and offline sources. The book is titled  ‘An Introduction to Indian Art’ – Part 1. Though many aspirants might not be aware, this textbook provides valuable knowledge for a beginner.

Clear IAS is starting a compilation of the important aspects of Indian culture based on the book ‘An Introduction to Indian Art’ – Part 1 so that aspirants can save time.

Table of Contents

What’s Inside: An Introduction to Indian Art – Part 1

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This NCERT textbook for Class XI extensively covers the tradition of cave paintings in the pre-historic era and their continuation in mural paintings of Buddhist era and later on in various parts of the country, Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu sculptural and architectural developments. During the Indo-Islamic period and before the Mughal rule, another era dawned upon India, which saw massive constructions in the form of forts and palaces. Different aspects of all these styles have been discussed to introduce students with the fabric of India’s culture. The approach is mostly chronological , and it extends from the pre-historic period till the Mughals.

Prehistoric Rock Paintings in India

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What is prehistoric?

• The distant past when there was no paper or language or the written word, and hence no books or written document, is called as the Prehistoric period.
• It was difficult to understand how Prehistoric people lived until scholars began excavations in Prehistoric sites.
• Piecing together of information deduced from old tools, habitat, bones of both animals and human beings and drawings on the cave walls scholars have constructed fairly accurate knowledge about what happened and how people lived in prehistoric times.
• Paintings and drawings were the oldest art forms practiced by human beings to express themselves using the cave wall as their canvas.

Prehistoric Period: Paleolithic Age, Mesolithic Age, and Chalcolithic Age

The drawings and paintings can be catagorised into seven historical periods. Period I, Upper Palaeolithic; Period II, Mesolithic; and Period III, Chalcolithic. After Period III there are four successive periods. But we will confine ourselves here only to the first three phases.  Prehistoric Era art denotes the art (mainly rock paintings) during Paleolithic Age, Mesolithic Age and Chalcolithic Age.

(1) Paleolithic Age Art

• The prehistoric period in the early development of human beings is commonly known as the ‘Old Stone Age’ or ‘Palaeolithic Age’.
• The Paleolithic period can be divided into three phases: (1) Lower Palaeolithic (2.5 million years-100,000 years ago) (2) Middle Palaeolithic (300,000-30,000 years ago) (3) Upper Palaeolithic (40,000-10,000 years ago)
• We did not get any evidence of paintings from lower or middle paleolithic age yet.
• In the Upper Palaeolithic period, we see a proliferation of artistic activities.
• Subjects of early works confined to simple human figures, human activities, geometric designs, and symbols.
• First discovery of rock paintings in the world was made in India (1867-68) by an Archaeologist, Archibold Carlleyle , twelve years before the discovery of Altamira in Spain (site of oldest rock paintings in the world).
• In India, remnants of rock paintings have been found on the walls of caves situated in several districts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, and Uttarakhand.
• Some of the examples of sites early rock paintings are Lakhudiyar in Uttarakhand, Kupgallu in Telangana, Piklihal and Tekkalkotta in Karnataka, Bhimbetka and Jogimara in Madhya Pradesh etc .
• Paintings found here can be divided into three categories: Man, Animal, and Geometric symbols .
• Human beings are represented in a stick-like form.
• A long-snouted animal, a fox, a multi-legged lizard are main animal motifs in the early paintings (later many animals were drawn).
• Wavy lines, rectangular filled geometric designs and a group of dots also can be seen.
• Superimposition of paintings – earliest is Black, then red and later White.
• In the late historic, early historic and Neolithic period the subjects of paintings developed and figures like Bulls, Elephants, Sambhars, Gazelles, Sheep, Horses, styled human beings, tridents and rarely vegetal motifs began to see.
• The richest paintings are reported from Vindhya range of Madhya Pradesh and their Kaimurean extension into U.P.
• These hills are fully Palaeolithic and Mesolithic remains.
• There are two major sites of excellent prehistoric paintings in India: (1) Bhimbetka Caves, Foothills of Vindhya, Madhya Pradesh. (2) Jogimara caves, Amarnath, Madhya Pradesh.

Bhimbetka Caves

• Continuous occupation of the caves from 100,000 B.C– 1000 A.D
• Thus, it is considered as an evidence of long cultural continuity .
• It was discovered in 1957-58.
• Consists of nearly 400 painted rock shelters in five clusters.
• One of the oldest paintings in India and the world (Upper paleolithic). The features of paintings of three different phases are as follows (even though Bhimbetka contains many paintings of periods later, different from what is explained below, as we are dealing with the prehistoric period only, we are concluding by these three):

 Upper Palaeolithic Period:

• Paintings are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures, such as Bisons, Tigers, Elephants, Rhinos and Boars beside stick-like human figures.
• Mostly they are filled with geometric patterns.
• Green paintings are of dances and red ones of hunters.

(2) Mesolithic period Art:

• The largest number of paintings belongs to this period.
• Themes multiply but the paintings are small in size.
• Hunting scenes predominate
• Hunters in groups armed with barbed spears pointed sticks, arrows, and bows.
• Trap and snares used to catch animals can be seen in some paintings.
• Mesolithic people loved to point animals.
• In some pictures, animals are chasing men and in others, they are being chased by hunter men.
• Animals painted in a naturalistic style and humans were depicted in a stylistic manner.
• Women are painted both in nude and clothed.
• Young and old equally find places in paintings.
• Community dances provide a common theme.
• Sort of family life can be seen in some paintings (woman, man, and children).

(3) Chalcolithic period Art:

• Copper age art.
• The paintings of this period reveal the association, contact and mutual exchange of requirements of the cave dwellers of this area with settled agricultural communities of the Malwa Plateau.
• Pottery and metal tools can be seen in paintings.
• Similarities with rock paintings: Common motifs (designs/patterns like cross-hatched squares, lattices etc)
• The difference with rock paintings: Vividness and vitality of older periods disappear from these paintings.

Some of the general features of Prehistoric paintings (based on the study of Bhimbetka paintings)

• Used colours, including various shades of white, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green and black.
• But white and red were their favourite.
• The paints used by these people were made by grinding various coloured rocks.
• They got red from haematite (Geru in India).
• Green prepared from a green coloured rock called Chalcedony.
• White was probably from Limestone.
• Some sticky substances such as animal fat or gum or resin from trees may be used while mixing rock powder with water.
• Brushes were made of plant fiber.
• It is believed that these colours remained thousands of years because of the chemical reaction of the oxide present on the surface of rocks.
• Paintings were found both from occupied and unoccupied caves.
• It means that these paintings were sometimes used also as some sort of signals, warnings etc.
• Many rock art sites of the new painting are painted on top of an older painting.
• In Bhimbetka, we can see nearly 20 layers of paintings, one on top of another.
• It shows the gradual development of the human being from period to period.
• The symbolism is inspiration from nature along with slight spirituality.
• Expression of ideas through very few drawings (representation of men by the stick like drawings).
• Use of many geometrical patterns.
• Scenes were mainly hunting and economic and social life of people.
• The figure of flora, fauna, human, mythical creatures, carts, chariots etc can be seen.
• More importance for red and white colours.

Compiled by: Jijo Sudarshan

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Reader Interactions

June 22, 2015 at 10:52 pm

Very valuable

July 17, 2015 at 9:59 am

Please give advice on how many questions we can attempt safely in cs preliminary2015 GS paper since CSAT is only a qualifying one.

June 27, 2016 at 2:27 pm

65 to 70 would be good enough without negatives.

July 22, 2015 at 9:15 pm

Seriously! this helps a lot.. thanks a lot

June 20, 2016 at 9:46 am

jogimara is in Chhatisgarh. So plz give right details…

June 24, 2016 at 2:51 pm

Seriously! this helps me a lot.. thanks a lot..!!!! Ambadnya

August 12, 2016 at 6:02 pm

from which site i can download Introduction to Indian Art – PartI book

January 1, 2018 at 7:14 pm

mesolithic people loved to paint animals not point as mentioned above

October 1, 2018 at 9:50 am

Thanku sir…it’s very useful for us…good compilation…

October 25, 2018 at 11:16 pm

February 25, 2019 at 5:57 pm

very nice answer that influenced me a lot

April 24, 2021 at 10:16 pm

It said that the first discovery of rock painting was in 1967-68, but then later said bhimbetka cave was discovered in 1957-58, which crontradict the first statement. Am i misunderstanding, can anyone explain?

January 18, 2022 at 11:43 am

First painting was discovered in 1867-68 not in 1967, read the above details again.. Make sense now?

April 4, 2023 at 12:07 pm

The first discovery of rock paintings in the world was made in India by archaeologist Archibald Carlleyle in 1867 – 68 (in Sohagighat, Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh).

January 18, 2022 at 11:44 am

April 4, 2023 at 12:33 pm

Hello Sir/Madam, ” JOGIMARA CAVE PAINTINGS ” are in CHATTISGARH (NOT IN MADHYA PRADESH) Plz do edit…

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Prehistoric Rock Paintings, Types, Features and Significance

Prehistoric art paintings were usually painted on rocks, and these rock carvings were referred to as Petroglyphs. The first prehistoric art paintings were uncovered in Madhya Pradesh's.

Table of Contents

Prehistoric Rock Paintings

Petroglyphs are the name given to prehistoric rock carvings that were typically painted on rocks. The Bhimbetka caves in Madhya Pradesh are where the earliest prehistoric artwork were discovered. The earliest forms of art that people used to express themselves on a cave wall as a canvas were paintings and sketches. In order to prepare for the UPSC Civil Service Exam, you can use this article to understand the ideas around the Prehistoric Rock Paintings.

Prehistoric Rock Paintings Background

The sketches and paintings can be used to identify seven historical eras. In 1957–1958, archaeologist V.S. Wakankar found the Bhimbetaka paintings. These paintings frequently include tigers, bison, and other big game creatures. Because they feature elephants, rhinoceroses, cattle, snakes, spotted deer, barasingha, and other creatures, they are known as the “Zoo Rock Shelter.” Three significant phases can be identified in prehistoric paintings:

• Palaeolithic Period
• Mesolithic Period

Chalcolithic Period

Upper palaeolithic period (40000–10000 bc).

Minerals were used as paints since the walls of the rock shelter caves were made of quartzite. One of the most common minerals was ochre, also known as geru, when combined with lime and water. By adding other minerals to their colour palette, they were able to produce hues like red, white, yellow, and green.

White, dark red, and green were used to depict large animals like bison, elephants, rhinos, tigers, and others. In human sculptures, red was typically utilised for hunters and green for dancers. In Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, and Uttarakhand in India, remnants of rock paintings have been found on cave walls.

Early rock painting sites include Lakhudiyar in Uttarakhand, Kupgallu in Telangana, Piklihal and Tekkalkotta in Karnataka, Bhimbetka and Jogimara in Madhya Pradesh, among others. These paintings fall into three categories: Man, Animal, and Geometric Symbols.

Upper Palaeolithic Period Features

The human form is portrayed as a stick figure. A long-snouted animal, a fox, and a multi-legged lizard are typical animal motifs in the early paintings (many other creatures were later created). There are more wavy lines, geometric patterns filled with rectangles, and a cluster of dots.Beginning with black, moving through crimson, and ending with white, paintings are layered one on top of the other. One of India’s and the world’s oldest paintings, dating to the Upper Palaeolithic, is Bhimbetka.

Mesolithic Period (10000–4000 BC)

The era with the most artistic remains is the Mesolithic. There are many themes, however the paintings are small. Most of the scenes feature hunters. Groups of hunters used bows, arrows, pointed sticks, and barbed spears. Traps and snares used to catch animals are depicted in certain paintings.

A common past time for Mesolithic inhabitants was animal pointing. In some images, mankind are being chased by animals, while in others, they are being chased by hunters. Throughout this time period, red was frequently used. Compared to the Upper Palaeolithic Period, the size of the paintings decreased at this time. One of the most frequent scenes depicted in these paintings is group hunting, and several others show grazing and riding activities.

During this time, there were a rise in the amount of paintings that featured the colours green and yellow. Most of the paintings are representations of combat situations. Many artworks show men astride horses and elephants. Some of them are equipped with bows and arrows, showing that they are prepared for battle. The idea that man perfected the art of tanning skins for clothing and shelter is supported by the drawings of spotted deer skins drying.

Other pieces of art from this historical period also feature musical instruments like the harp. In several of the paintings, intricate geometrical forms like the spiral, rhomboid, and circle are seen. Some paintings from the later era can be found at the Jogimara caves in the Ramgarh hills in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh. These were allegedly painted about the year 1000 BCE. Caves like the sanctuary of Udkuda, Garagodi, Khaperkheda, Gotitola, Kulgaon, and others may be found in the Kanker region of Chhattisgarh.

These shelters have images of a more affluent and stationary way of life, including human figurines, animals, palm prints, bullock carts, and other objects. Similar paintings can be seen at the Ghodasar and Kohabaur rock art locations in the Koriya district. Another remarkable site is Chitwa Dongri (Durg district), where we can observe murals of dragons, agricultural themes, and a Chinese figure riding a donkey.

Prehistoric Rock Paintings Significance

The colours utilised included white, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green, and black. However, white and crimson were their preferred hues. These people used a variety of coloured pebbles to smash to create their paints. They turned red due to haematite (Geru in India). This green shade was achieved using the green rock chalcedony. White was most likely created by limestone.

Sticky substances like animal fat, gum, or tree resin may be used when combining rock powder with water. The brushes were made of plant fibre. These hues are assumed to have been preserved for thousands of years by the chemical reaction of the oxide that exists on the surface of rocks. There have been paintings found in both active and inactive caves. It implies that these pieces of art have occasionally served as signals, warnings, or other comparable functions.

Many of the new rock art locations feature earlier paintings that have been painted over. At Bhimbetka, paintings are visible stacked one over the other in about 20 layers. It shows how humanity has evolved over time, from one era to the next. In symbology, inspiration from nature is blended with a touch of mystical. Only a few illustrations are utilised to convey ideas (the stick-figure drawings symbolise males). There are several geometrical designs. The majority of the scenes included both hunting and depictions of people’s social and economic situations. There are various figures, including carts, chariots, humans, animals, and legendary monsters. Red and white are more significant colours.

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What is prehistoric rock painting?

Prehistoric Paintings - Art and Culture Notes Prehistoric paintings were usually painted on rocks, and these rock carvings were referred to as Petroglyphs.

What are the main features of prehistoric rock paintings?

Paintings are linear representations, in green and dark red, of huge animal figures, such as Bisons, Tigers, Elephants, Rhinos and Boars beside stick-like human figures. Mostly they are filled with geometric patterns. Green paintings are of dances and red ones of hunters.

Which place is famous for prehistoric rock paintings?

Two major sites of prehistoric rock/cave paintings in India: Bhimbetka Caves and Jogimara Caves (Amarnath, Madhya Pradesh).

Who discovered the prehistoric rock painting?

Rock Art (Part-1) Discovery in India: The first discovery of rock paintings in India was made in 1867–68 by an archaeologist, Archibold Carlleyle.

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Prehistoric Paintings - Art and Culture Notes

Neha Grover

Aug 9, 2024

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Prehistoric paintings were usually painted on rocks, and these rock carvings were referred to as Petroglyphs. The first prehistoric paintings were uncovered in Madhya Pradesh's Bhimbetka caves . Paintings and sketches were the earliest art forms used by humans to express themselves on a cave wall as a canvas. This article will explain to you the concepts related to the Prehistoric Paintings which will be helpful in Indian Art and Culture preparation for the UPSC Civil service exam.

Prehistoric Paintings - Historical Background

• Seven historical periods may be identified in the sketches and paintings.
• V.S.Wakankar , an archaeologist, discovered the Bhimbetaka paintings in 1957-58 .
• These paintings typically depict animals such as bison, beers, and tigers. They are known as the 'Zoo Rock Shelter' because they depict elephants, rhinoceroses, cattle, snakes, spotted deer, barasingha, and other animals.
• Palaeolithic Period
• Mesolithic Period

Chalcolithic Period

Pre-historic Art

Upper Palaeolithic Period (40000–10000 BC)

• Since the walls of the rock shelter caves were formed of quartzite, minerals were employed as paints.
• Ochre or geru , when mixed with lime and water, was one of the most frequent minerals.
• They broadened their palette by using other minerals to create colours like r ed, white, yellow, and green.
• Large animals such as bison, elephants, rhinos, tigers, and others were shown in white, dark red, and green.
• Red was utilised for hunters and green was used largely for dancers in human sculptures.
• Remains of rock paintings have been discovered on the walls of caves in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, and Uttarakhand in India.
• Lakhudiyar in Uttarakhand, Kupgallu in Telangana, Piklihal and Tekkalkotta in Karnataka, Bhimbetka and Jogimara in Madhya Pradesh, and others are examples of early rock painting locations.
• Man, Animal, and Geometric Symbols are the three categories of paintings featured here.

Features of these early works of art

• Humans are depicted as a stick-like figure.
• In the early paintings, a long-snouted animal, a fox, and a multi-legged lizard are common animal motifs (later many animals were drawn).
• There are additional wavy lines, rectangular-filled geometric shapes, and a group of dots.
• Paintings are superimposed one on top of the other, starting with black, then red, and finally white.
• Bhimbetka is one of India's and the world's oldest paintings (Upper paleolithic).

Upper Palaeolithic Period Art

Mesolithic Period (10000–4000 BC)

• This is the period with the greatest amount of artwork. Themes are numerous, yet the paintings are modest.
• The majority of the scenes are of hunters . Hunters wielded barbed spears, pointed sticks, arrows, and bows in groups.
• Some paintings depict traps and snares used to catch animals.
• Animal pointing was a popular pastime among Mesolithic people . Animals are chasing men in some photographs, while hunters are chasing them in others.
• The colour red was heavily used throughout this time period.
• The scale of the paintings shrank throughout this period in comparison to the Upper Paleolithic epoch.
• Group hunting i s one of the most common scenarios represented in these paintings, and several others depict grazing and riding activities.
• The number of paintings employing the colors green and yellow increased throughout this time period.
• The majority of the paintings are depictions of battle scenes. Many paintings depict men riding elephants and horses.
• Some of them even have bows and arrows, indicating that they are ready for conflicts.
• They feature drawings of spotted deer skins drying, which supports the hypothesis that man perfected the art of tanning skins for shelter and clothing.
• Musical instruments such as the harp are also depicted in other artworks from this time period.
• Complex geometrical shapes such as the spiral, rhomboid, and circle appear in several of the paintings.
• The Jogimara caves in the Ramgarh hills in the Surguja district of Chhattisgarh include some paintings from the later period. These are thought to have been painted about the year 1000 BCE.
• In the Kanker area of Chhattisgarh, caves such as the refuge of Udkuda, Garagodi, Khaperkheda, Gotitola, Kulgaon, and others may be found.
• Human figurines, animals, palm prints, bullock carts, and other depictions of a higher and sedentary way of life can be found in these shelters.
• Similar paintings may be found in the Koriya district's Ghodasar and Kohabaur rock art sites.
• Another intriguing location is Chitwa Dongri (Durg district), where we can see a Chinese figure riding a donkey, as well as dragon paintings and agricultural scenes.

Chalcolithic Period Art

Significance of Prehistoric Paintings

• White, yellow, orange, red ochre, purple, brown, green, and black were among the colours used.
• However, their favorite colors were white and red. These folks manufactured their paints by crushing a variety of colored pebbles. Haematite turned them red (Geru in India).
• Chalcedony, a green-coloured rock, was used to make this green. Limestone was most likely the source of white.
• When mixing rock powder with water, sticky substances such as animal fat, gum, or tree resin may be employed. Plant fiber brushes were used.
• The chemical reaction of the oxide existing on the surface of rocks is thought to have kept these colours for thousands of years.
• Paintings have been discovered in both occupied and vacant caves.
• It suggests that these artworks were occasionally utilized as signals, warnings, and other similar purposes.
• Many of the new rock art sites have been painted over an older painting. Nearly 20 layers of paintings are visible at Bhimbetka , one on top of the other.
• It depicts the human being's progressive evolution from one period to the next. Nature's inspiration is combined with a hint of mysticism in symbology .
• Only a few drawings are used to express ideas (representation of men by the stick-like drawings). Many geometrical patterns are used.
• The majority of the scenes depicted hunting, as well as people's economic and social lives. Flora, fauna, humans, legendary creatures, carts, chariots, and other figures can be observed.
• The colours red and white are more important.

The Prehistoric period is defined as a time in the far past when there was no paper, language, or written word, and hence no books or written documents. Until scholars began excavating Prehistoric sites, it was difficult to comprehend how Prehistoric people lived. Scholars have pieced together information gleaned from old artefacts, environment, animal and human bones, and artwork on cave walls to create a pretty accurate picture of what happened and how people lived in prehistoric periods.

Question: Where are the Bhimbetka caves situated?

Bhimbetka is a rock shelter in Madhya Pradesh that is thought to be prehistoric.

Question: What is Chalcedony?

Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline type of silica made up of very fine quartz and morganite intergrowths. Both are silica minerals, however quartz has a trigonal crystal structure, whereas moganite has a monoclinic structure. Chalcedony , a green-coloured rock, was used to make this green in cave paintings.

Question: Where are the Jogimara caves located?

Jogimara caves in the Ramgarh hills of Chhattisgarh's Surguja district. These are believed to have been painted around 1000 BCE.

Question: Considering the following statements about Bhimbetka caves :

• The Paleolithic period is represented by the art on the walls of the caves.
• In 2003, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c) See the Explanation

Bhimbetka is an ancient rock shelter in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Several experts analysed the art on the shelter's walls and determined that it was created during the Paleolithic period. It appears to be from the early stages of the South Asian Stone Age and appears to offer traces of human life on the Indian continent. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. Hence, both the statements are correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

Question: Considering the following statements:

• The Chalcolithic Period saw an increase in the number of paintings using green and yellow colours.
• Most of the paintings concentrate on depicting battle scenes.

The number of paintings employing the colors green and yellow increased throughout this time period. The majority of the paintings are depictions of battle scenes. Many paintings depict men riding elephants and horses. Some of them even have bows and arrows, indicating that they are ready for war. Hence, both the statements are correct.

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Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Essays

Introduction to prehistoric art, 20,000–8000 b.c..

Laura Anne Tedesco Independent Scholar

August 2007

To describe the global origins of humans’ artistic achievement, upon which the succeeding history of art may be laid, is an encyclopedic enterprise. The Metropolitan Museum’s Timeline of Art History , covering the period roughly from 20,000 to 8000 B.C., provides a series of introductory essays about particular archaeological sites and artworks that illustrate some of the earliest endeavors in human creativity. The account of the origins of art is a very long one marked less by change than consistency. The first human artistic representations, markings with ground red ocher, seem to have occurred about 100,000 B.C. in African rock art . This chronology may be more an artifact of the limitations of archaeological evidence than a true picture of when humans first created art. However, with new technologies, research methods, and archaeological discoveries, we are able to view the history of human artistic achievement in a greater focus than ever before.

Art, as the product of human creativity and imagination, includes poetry, music, dance, and the material arts such as painting, sculpture, drawing, pottery, and bodily adornment. The objects and archaeological sites presented in the Museum’s Timeline of Art History for the time period 20,000–8000 B.C. illustrate diverse examples of prehistoric art from across the globe. All were created in the period before the invention of formal writing, and when human populations were migrating and expanding across the world. By 20,000 B.C., humans had settled on every continent except Antarctica. The earliest human occupation occurs in Africa, and it is there that we assume art to have originated. African rock art from the  Apollo 11 and Wonderwerk Caves contain examples of geometric and animal representations engraved and painted on stone. In Europe, the record of Paleolithic art is beautifully illustrated with the magnificent painted caves of Lascaux and Chauvet , both in France. Scores of painted caves exist in western Europe, mostly in France and Spain, and hundreds of sculptures and engravings depicting humans, animals, and fantastic creatures have been found across Europe and Asia alike. Rock art in Australia represents the longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world. The site of Ubirr in northern Australia contains exceptional examples of Aboriginal rock art repainted for millennia beginning perhaps as early as 40,000 B.C. The earliest known rock art in Australia predates European painted caves by as much as 10,000 years.

In Egypt, millennia before the advent of powerful dynasties and wealth-laden tombs, early settlements are known from modest scatters of stone tools and animal bones at such sites as Wadi Kubbaniya . In western Asia after 8,000 B.C., the earliest known writing , monumental art, cities , and complex social systems emerged. Prior to these far-reaching developments of civilization, this area was inhabited by early hunters and farmers. Eynan/Ain Mallaha , a settlement in the Levant along the Mediterranean, was occupied around 10,000–8000 B.C. by a culture named Natufian. This group of settled hunters and gatherers created a rich artistic record of sculpture made from stone and bodily adornment made from shell and bone.

The earliest art of the continent of South Asia is less well documented than that of Europe and western Asia, and some of the extant examples come from painted and engraved cave sites such as Pachmari Hills in India. The caves depict the region’s fauna and hunting practices of the Mesolithic period. In Central and East Asia, a territory almost twice the size of North America, there are outstanding examples of early artistic achievements, such as the expertly and delicately carved female figurine sculpture from Mal’ta . The superbly preserved bone flutes from the site of Jiahu in China, while dated to slightly later than 8000 B.C., are still playable. The tradition of music making may be among the earliest forms of human artistic endeavor. Because many musical instruments were crafted from easily degradable materials like leather, wood, and sinew, they are often lost to archaeologists, but flutes made of bone dating to the Paleolithic period in Europe (ca. 35,000–10,000 B.C.) are richly documented.

North and South America are the most recent continents to be explored and occupied by humans, who likely arrived from Asia. Blackwater Draw in North America and Fell’s Cave in Patagonia, the southernmost area of South America, are two contemporaneous sites where elegant stone tools that helped sustain the hunters who occupied these regions have been found.

Whether the prehistoric artworks illustrated here constitute demonstrations of a unified artistic idiom shared by humankind or, alternatively, are unique to the environments, cultures, and individuals who created them is a question open for consideration. Nonetheless, each work or site superbly characterizes some of the earliest examples of humans’ creative and artistic capacity.

Tedesco, Laura Anne. “Introduction to Prehistoric Art, 20,000–8000 B.C.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/preh/hd_preh.htm (August 2007)

Further Reading

Price, T. Douglas. and Gary M. Feinman. Images of the Past . 5th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Scarre, Chris, ed. The Human Past: World Prehistory & the Development of Human Societies . London: Thames & Hudson, 2005.

Additional Essays by Laura Anne Tedesco

• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Blackwater Draw (ca. 9500–3000 B.C.) .” (originally published October 2000, last revised September 2007)
• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Wadi Kubbaniya (ca. 17,000–15,000 B.C.) .” (October 2000)
• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Fell’s Cave (9000–8000 B.C.) .” (originally published October 2000, last revised September 2007)
• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Jiahu (ca. 7000–5700 B.C.) .” (October 2000)
• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Lascaux (ca. 15,000 B.C.) .” (October 2000)
• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Mal’ta (ca. 20,000 B.C.) .” (October 2000)
• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Pachmari Hills (ca. 9000–3000 B.C.) .” (October 2000)
• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Hasanlu in the Iron Age .” (October 2004)
• Tedesco, Laura Anne. “ Eynan/Ain Mallaha (12,500–10,000 B.C.) .” (October 2000; updated February 2024)

Related Essays

• African Rock Art
• Chauvet Cave (ca. 30,000 B.C.)
• Lascaux (ca. 15,000 B.C.)
• Neolithic Period in China
• Prehistoric Stone Sculpture from New Guinea
• African Rock Art: Game Pass
• African Rock Art: Tassili-n-Ajjer (?8000 B.C.–?)
• African Rock Art: The Coldstream Stone
• Apollo 11 (ca. 25,500–23,500 B.C.) and Wonderwerk (ca. 8000 B.C.) Cave Stones
• Blackwater Draw (ca. 9500–3000 B.C.)
• Cerro Sechín
• Cerro Sechín: Stone Sculpture
• Eynan/Ain Mallaha (12,500–10,000 B.C.)
• Fell’s Cave (9000–8000 B.C.)
• Indian Knoll (3000–2000 B.C.)
• Jiahu (ca. 7000–5700 B.C.)
• Jōmon Culture (ca. 10,500–ca. 300 B.C.)
• Mal’ta (ca. 20,000 B.C.)
• Pachmari Hills (ca. 9000–3000 B.C.)
• Ubirr (ca. 40,000?–present)
• Valdivia Figurines
• Wadi Kubbaniya (ca. 17,000–15,000 B.C.)
• X-ray Style in Arnhem Land Rock Art
• 8th Millennium B.C.
• Agriculture
• Archaeology
• Central and North Asia
• Eastern Mediterranean
• Iberian Peninsula
• Literature / Poetry
• Musical Instrument
• Mythical Creature
• North Africa
• North America
• Painted Object
• Personal Ornament
• Prehistoric Art
• Relief Sculpture
• Sculpture in the Round
• South America
• Wall Painting
• Wind Instrument

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Bhimbetka Cave Painting: Rock Art, Feature & Rituals

Bhimbetka Cave Paintings: Prehistoric Daily Life and Rituals

Bhimbetka Cave Paintings, located in central India, boasts ancient rock art dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period. These prehistoric paintings , found on cave walls and rock shelters, depict vivid scenes of daily life, wildlife, and rituals. The art at Bhimbetka Cave Paintings offers invaluable insights into the rich cultural heritage of early human societies.

Bhimbetka Cave Paintings: Ancient Cultures through Diverse Rock Art

• Location: Bhimbetka Cave Paintings is located in the Vindhya hills of Madhya Pradesh and their Kaimurean extensions into Uttar Pradesh, spans late historical, early historical, and Neolithic periods.
• Diverse Features: These Bhimbetka Cave Paintings feature a diverse range of subjects , including bulls, elephants, sambhars, gazelles, sheep, goats, horses, stylized humans, tridents, and occasionally, vegetal motifs. 
• Vindhya Range: The richest collection of Bhimbetka Cave Paintings is found in the Vindhya ranges due to their abundance of Palaeolithic and Mesolithic remains, forests, wild plants, fruits, streams, and creeks—a perfect habitat for Stone Age people.
• Numerous Paintings: Bhimbetka boasts approximately eight hundred rock shelters , with five hundred of them adorned with Bhimbetka Cave Paintings.  
• Discovery: In 1957–58, it was discovered by archaeologist V.S. Wakankar , these caves offer a glimpse into various aspects of ancient life, from everyday events to sacred and royal images. 
• Varied Themes: Includes hunting, dancing, music, horse and elephant riders, animal fights, honey collection, body decoration, and household scenes .
• Times Zones: The rock art at Bhimbetka Cave Paintings is categorized into seven historical periods , with the first three being Upper Palaeolithic (Period I), Mesolithic ( Period II), and Chalcolithic (Period III).
• Valuable Inputs: The art provides valuable insights into the culture and evolution of ancient civilizations in the region.

Bhimbetka Cave Paintings: Upper Paleolithic Artistry and Rituals

• Linear Representation: During the Upper Palaeolithic period at Bhimbetka, the paintings are characterized by linear representations in green and dark red colors .
• These ancient artworks depict large animal figures like bison, elephants, tigers, rhinos, and boars, alongside stick-like human figures . 
• While some paintings are wash paintings , the majority are filled with intricate geometric patterns .
• The green paintings typically feature dancers , while the red ones portray hunters . 
• These artworks provide valuable insights into the artistic expressions and possibly the rituals of early humans during this period in history.

Bhimbetka Cave Paintings: Mesolithic Marvels and Ancient Artistry

• Smaller Size: The Mesolithic period, represented by Period II at Bhimbetka, unveils a rich collection of paintings, albeit smaller in size compared to earlier periods. 
• Some depictions feature primitive traps and snares used for catching animals. 
• Clothings: These hunters are often shown wearing simple clothing and ornaments , while some sport elaborate head-dresses or masks .
• The Mesolithic artists demonstrated a fascination with animals, depicting them both as predators and prey .

• Women were depicted both clothed and in the nude , with representations of individuals of all ages, including children engaged in playful activities. 
• Many rock-shelters feature handprints, fist prints, and fingertip dots as well.
• These colors were derived from minerals like haematite for red and chalcedony for green , white may have been made from limestone .
• Brushes were fashioned from plant fibers.

• Remarkable Skills: These colors have endured for thousands of years, likely due to chemical reactions with the rock surfaces , providing a remarkable glimpse into the artistic skills of ancient civilizations.

Bhimbetka Cave Paintings: Ancient Narratives on Stone, Human and Animal Struggles

• Artistic Expression: The artists at Bhimbetka crafted their paintings on the walls and ceilings of rock shelters. 
• Location Variety: Some paintings were discovered in living spaces, while others were found in places with potential religious significance , often positioned in high or uncomfortable locations , possibly to be visible from a distance.
• They depict scenes from the artists’ natural environment , showcasing adventurous and joyous human figures and majestic, youthful animals . 
• Narrative Passion: Some scenes show hunting, with injured men lying on the ground, while others depict animals in the throes of death and men dancing—a display of human dominance over nature.
• Layered Perspectives: Notably, many rock art sites reveal new paintings painted over older ones , sometimes with up to 20 layers of paintings at Bhimbetka. 
• Artistic Evolution: The reasons for this practice are speculative but could include dissatisfaction with previous work, the sacred or special significance of certain paintings or places, or multiple generations using the same locations over time.
• Cultural Insights: These prehistoric paintings offer valuable insights into the lives, food habits, daily activities, and thought processes of early human beings. 
• Above all, these rock paintings stand as a priceless legacy left behind by the primitive humans of that era.

Painting on Rocks

This practice of painting is common among primitive people of today also. They engrave or paint on rocks as part of the rituals they perform at birth, at death, at coming of age and at the time of marriage. They dance, masked, during hunting rites to help them kill animals difficult to find or kill

• Diverse Historical Insights: The ancient rock paintings of Bhimbetka, spanning various historical periods, offer a captivating glimpse into the lives and minds of our distant ancestors. 
• Artistic Resilience: These remarkable artworks, created under challenging conditions with limited tools and materials, reveal the artists’ deep connection to their environment and passion for storytelling. 
• Adventurous Spirits: Through scenes of hunting, survival , and the intricate portrayal of both humans and animals, these paintings convey a sense of adventure, dominance over nature, and an enduring appreciation for the world around them.
• Enduring Legacy: These rock paintings serve as proof of the evolving human civilization, shedding light on early societies’ lifestyles, food habits, daily activities , and, most importantly, their thought processes.

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The History of Visual Communication

Rocks and Caves

The Neolithic or New Stone Age is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Europe, Asia and Africa. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts of the world. This included the introduction of farming, domestication of animals, and change from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one of settlement. 

The Neolithic began about 12,000 years ago when farming appeared in the Near East, and later in other parts of the world. It lasted in the Near East until the transitional period of the Copper Age from about 6,500 years ago (4500 BC), marked by the development of metallurgy, leading up to the Bronze Age and Iron Age.

In other places, the Neolithic followed the Middle Stone Age, continuing for a very long time, such as in Ancient Egypt where it lasted until the Protodynastic period, circa 3150 BC. In China, it lasted until circa 2000 BC with the rise of the pre-Shang Erlitou culture, and in Scandinavia, the Neolithic lasted until about 2000 BC.

Shown in the images below is Aşıklı Höyük, in Central Anatolia, which is especially renowned for being the location in which the first known brain surgery in the world was performed on a young woman 10 thousand 500 years ago.

The Paleolithic Era

However, in order to see some of the most remarkable feats of visual communication ever created by humanity we need to step back in time to the paleolithic era and meet the "early modern humans", also known as the Cro-Magnons.

The Paleolithic era, also called the Old Stone Age, is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, representing almost the entire period of human prehistoric technology. It extends from the earliest known use of stone tools circa 3.3 million years ago, to the end of the Pleistocene, circa 11,650 BC.

The Paleolithic era saw the rise of:

Tools for hunting, stitching and grinding

Rafts to travel over water

Domestication of animals (dogs were among the first to be domesticated due to their usage in hunting)

Art work (for religious ceremonies and rituals)

Cro-Magnon is the name that has been used to describe the first early modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) who lived during the European Upper Paleolithic era. Cro-Magnons were anatomically similar to modern humans, straight limbed and tall compared to the contemporaries, the Neanderthals, also more robustly built and powerful than they were. Their foreheads were fairly straight rather than sloping like those of the Neanderthals, and they only had slight brow ridges. Their faces were short and wide, with prominent chins. Their brain capacity was about 1,600 cc (98 cu in), larger than the average for modern humans.

The earliest known Cro-Magnon remains are between 35,000 and 45,000 years old, based on radiometric dating. Scientists now use the term "European early modern humans" instead of "Cro-Magnons.

Cro-Magnons had powerful bodies, which were usually heavy and solid with strong muscles. Unlike Neanderthals, which had slanted foreheads, the Cro-Magnons had straight foreheads, like modern humans. Their faces were short and wide with a large chin. Their brains were slightly larger than the average human's is today.

Surviving Cro-Magnon artifacts include huts, cave paintings, carvings and antler-tipped spears. The remains of tools suggest that they knew how to make woven clothing. They had huts, constructed of rocks, clay, bones, branches, and animal hide/fur. These early humans used manganese and iron oxides to paint pictures and may have created the first calendar around 15,000 years ago. The flint tools found in association with the remains at Cro-Magnon have associations with the Aurignacian culture that Lartet had identified a few years before he found the skeletons. The Cro-Magnons must have come into contact with the Neanderthals, and are often credited with causing the latter's extinction, although morphologically modern humans seem to have coexisted with Neanderthals for some 60,000 years in the Levant and for more than 1000 years in France.

They pierced bones, shells and teeth to make body ornaments. The figurines, cave-paintings, ornaments and the mysterious Venus figurines are a hallmark of Cro-Magnon culture, contrasting with the utilitarian culture of the Neanderthals. Like most early humans, the Cro-Magnons were primarily big-game hunters, killing mammoth, cave bears, horses, and reindeer. They hunted with spears, javelins, and spear-throwers since archery had not yet been invented. They would have been nomadic or semi-nomadic, following the annual migration of their prey, and would also have eaten plant materials.

Cave Paintings

Cave or rock paintings are images painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times. Rock paintings are made since the Upper Paleolithic, 40,000 years ago. It is widely believed that the paintings are the work of respected elders or shamans.

The most common themes in cave paintings are large wild animals, such as bison, horses, aurochs, and deer, and tracings of human hands as well as abstract patterns, called Macaroni by Breuil. Drawings of humans are rare and are usually schematic rather than the more naturalistic animal subjects. Cave art may have begun in the Aurignacian period (Hohle Fels, Germany), but reached its apogee in the late Magdalenian (Lascaux, France).

The paintings were drawn with red and yellow ochre, hematite, manganese oxide and charcoal. Sometimes the silhouette of the animal was incised in the rock first. Stone lamps provided some light. Abbé Breuil interpreted the paintings as being hunting magic, meant to increase the number of animals. As there are some clay sculptures that seem to have been the targets of spears, this may partly be true, but does not explain the pictures of beasts of prey such as the lion or the bear. ​

Recommended further reading: Do not miss this fascinating lecture on the dawn of astronomy in Paleolithic times: http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/tharriso/ast110/class02.html

Humans mainly appear as images of hands, mostly hand stencils made by blowing pigment on a hand held to the wall, as shown here with images from the Cave of Chauvet in France.

Some theories hold that cave paintings may have been a way of communicating with others, while most theories ascribe a religious or ceremonial purpose to them, and that the paintings were made by paleolithic shamans. The shaman would retreat into the darkness of the caves, enter into a trance state, and then paint images of their visions, perhaps with some notion of drawing power out of the cave walls themselves. Thus, the purpose of these drawings would appear to be not communication among humans but communication directed at non-human deities and powers.

Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs are images incised in rock, usually by prehistoric, especially Neolithic, peoples. They were an important form of pre-writing symbols, used in communication from approximately 10,000 B.C. to modern times, depending on culture and location. Many petroglyphs are thought to represent some kind of not-yet-fully understood symbolic or ritual language.

The oldest petroglyphs are dated to approximately 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Around 7,000 to 9,000 years ago, other writing systems such as pictographs and ideograms began to appear. Petroglyphs were still common though, and tribal societies continued using them much longer, even until contact with Western culture was made in the 20th century. These images probably had deep cultural and religious significance for the societies that created them; in many cases this significance remains for their descendants.

Many petroglyphs are thought to represent some kind of not-yet-fully understood symbolic or ritual language. They may also show trails, symbols communicating time and distances traveled, as well as the local terrain in the form of rivers, landforms and other geographic features; as may also be the case with these ones from North America.

Petroglyphs are found world-wide, and are often associated with prehistoric peoples. There are many theories to explain their purpose, depending on their location, age, and the type of image. Some petroglyphs are thought to be astronomical markers, maps, and other forms of symbolic communication, including a form of "pre-writing."

Some researchers have noticed the resemblance of different styles of petroglyphs across different continents; while it is expected that all people would be inspired by their surroundings, it is harder to explain the common styles. This could be mere coincidence, an indication that certain groups of people migrated widely from some initial common area, or indication of a common origin. Many of the geometric patterns (known as form constants) which recur in petroglyphs and cave paintings have been shown to be "hard-wired" into the human brain; they frequently occur in visual disturbances and hallucinations brought on by drugs, migraine and other stimuli. More controversial explanations this phenomenon are grounded in Jungian psychology and the views of Mircea Eliade. According to these theories it is possible that the similarity of petroglyphs (and other atavistic or archetypal symbols) from different cultures and continents is a result of the genetically inherited structure of the human brain.

These are huge drawings on the ground, or a large motif, (generally greater than 4 metres) or a design produced on the ground, either by arranging clasts (stones, stone fragments, gravel or earth) to create a positive geoglyph or by removing patinated clasts to expose unpatinated ground. Some of the most famous negative geoglyphs are the Nazca Lines in Peru. Other areas with geoglyphs include Western Australia and parts of the Great Basin Desert in SW United States. Hill figures, turf mazes and the stone-lined labyrinths of Scandinavia, Iceland, Lappland and Russia are types of geoglyph. The largest geoglyph is the Marree Man in South Australia.

The Nazca Lines are gigantic geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert, a high arid plateau that stretches 53 miles between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana in Peru. They were created by the Nazca culture between 200 BC and 600 AD. There are hundreds of individual figures, ranging in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, and lizards. The Nazca lines cannot be recognized as coherent figures except from the air. Since it is presumed the Nazca people could never have seen their work from this vantage point, there has been much speculation on the builders' abilities and motivations. Since their discovery, various theories have been proposed regarding the methods and motivations behind the lines' construction.

The accepted archaeological theory is that the Nazca people made the lines using nothing but simple tools and surveying equipment. Wooden stakes in the ground at the end of some lines (which, coincidently, were used to date the figures) support this theory. Furthermore, Joe Nickell of the University of Kentucky has reproduced one of the figures using the technology available to the Nazca Indians of the time without aerial supervision. With careful planning and simple technologies, a small team of individuals could recreate even the largest figures within a 48 hour period. However, there is not much extant evidence concerning 'why' the figures were built, so the Nazca's motivation remains the lines' most persistent mystery. Most believe that their motivation was religious, making images that only gods could see clearly. The details of their theology, however, remain unsolved.

Contemporary Geoglyphs also exist. Spiral Jetty is an earthwork sculpture constructed in April 1970 by Robert Smithson. Smithson documented the construction of the sculpture in a documentary film also titled Spiral Jetty. Built on the northeastern shore of the Great Salt Lake near Rozel Point in Utah entirely of mud, salt crystals, and basalt rocks, Spiral Jetty forms a 460 meter by 4.6 meter counterclockwise coil jutting from the shore of the lake.

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroglyph http://www.jqjacobs.net/rock_art/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Lines

A review on rock paintings of India: Technique, pigment and conservation

• Historical Note
• Published: 25 October 2022
• Volume 57 , pages 317–329, ( 2022 )

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• Anjali Sharma 1 &
• Manager Rajdeo Singh 2  

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Rock painting spans thousands of years of creative efforts and is as diverse as India's cultural practices, literature, and tradition. In India, there are over 1000 rock shelter sites with paintings. Amateurs discovered the majority of these sites. Archibald Carlleyle (1897), a British archaeologist, made the first systematic documentation  in the mid-nineteenth century. Since the discovery in 1958 of a large collection of rock paintings found by Wakanakar at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, extensive research projects have been devised speculating on local and regional chronologies and styles. This paper provides a brief overview of Indian rock paintings, assisting readers in comprehending the history and distribution of rock paintings in different regions of India and its painting techniques and materials, pigments and binders, cause of deterioration, and management and conservation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the National Museum Institute, Janpath, and National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property, Lucknow for providing us with the necessary facilities. We would like to especially thank Dr. Manuel Joseph, and Mr. Udesh Kumar for supplying information and sources.

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Anjali Sharma

National Research Laboratory for the Conservation of Cultural Property, Aliganj, Lucknow, 226024, India

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Sharma, A., Singh, M.R. A review on rock paintings of India: Technique, pigment and conservation. Indian J Hist. Sci. 57 , 317–329 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43539-022-00060-2

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Received : 17 January 2022

Accepted : 28 September 2022

Published : 25 October 2022

Issue Date : December 2022

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s43539-022-00060-2

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Rock paintings are the most easily accessible cultural data. Explain the significance of pre-historic rock art.

Topic: Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

1. Rock paintings are the most easily accessible cultural data. Explain the significance of pre-historic rock art. (250 words)

Difficulty level: Easy

Reference: New Indian Express

Why the question: Bhimbetka stands out for the large number of caverns with paintings, containing as many as 762 rock shelters, and more than 400 display a wide variety of paintings. Key Demand of the question: To write about the importance of pre-historic rock art Directive word:  Explain – Clarify the topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurred, or what is the context. You must be defining key terms wherever appropriate and substantiate with relevant associated facts . Structure of the answer: Introduction:  Begin by writing about the various limitations to understanding of pre-history. Body: First, mention the major sites where re historic rock art is found in India making the most easily available cultural data. Draw a map of sites for better presentation. Next, write about significance of pre historic rock art and insights it gives us in to pre-history. Substantiate with examples. Conclusion: Conclude by stressing on the need to preserve ancient rock art.

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History Of Indian Art

Wizard's Dance - Bhimbetka Rock Painting

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What Prehistoric Cave Paintings Reveal About Early Human Life

By: Becky Little

Updated: August 6, 2024 | Original: October 5, 2021

What does the oldest known art in the world tell us about the people who created it? Images painted, drawn or carved onto rocks and cave walls—which have been found across the globe—reflect one of humans’ earliest forms of communication, with possible connections to language development. The earlest known images often appear abstract, and may have been symbolic, while later ones depicted animals, people and hybrid figures that perhaps carried some kind of spiritual significance.

The oldest known prehistoric art wasn't created in a cave. Drawn on a rock face in South Africa 73,000 years ago, it predates any known cave art. However, caves themselves help to protect and preserve the art on their walls, making them rich historical records for archaeologists to study. And because humans added to cave art over time, many have layers—depicting an evolution in artistic expression.

Early Cave Art Was Abstract

In 2018, researchers announced the discovery of the oldest known cave paintings, made by Neanderthals at least 64,000 years ago, in the Spanish caves of La Pasiega, Maltravieso and Ardales. Like some other early cave art, it was abstract. Archaeologists who study these caves have discovered drawings of ladder-like lines, hand stencils and a stalagmite structure decorated with ochre.

Neanderthals, an archaic human subspecies that procreated with Homo sapiens , likely left this art in locations they viewed as special, says Alistair W.G. Pike, head of archaeological sciences at the University of Southampton in the U.K. and co-author of a study about the caves published in Science in 2018. Many of the hand stencils appear in small recesses of the cave that are hard to reach, suggesting the person who made them had to prepare pigment and light before venturing into the cave to find the desired spot.

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The markings themselves are also interesting because they demonstrate symbolic thinking. “The significance of the painting is not to know that Neanderthals could paint, it’s the fact that they were engaging in symbolism,” Pike says. “And that’s probably related to an ability to have language.”

The possible connection between cave art and human language development is something Shigeru Miyagawa, a professor of linguistics and Japanese language and culture at MIT, theorized about in a 2018 paper he co-authored for Frontiers in Psychology .

“The problem is that language doesn’t fossilize,” Miyagawa says. “One of the reasons why I started to look at cave art is precisely because of this. I wanted to find other artifacts that could be proxies for early language.”

One particular thing he’s interested in is the acoustics of the areas where cave art is located, and whether its placement had anything to do with the sounds people could make or hear in a particular spot.

Telling Stories With Human and Animal Figures

Over time, cave art began to feature human and animal figures. The earliest known cave painting of an animal, believed to be at least 45,500 years old, shows a Sulawesi warty pig . The image appears in the Leang Tedongnge cave on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island. Sulawesi also has the first known cave painting of a hunting scene , believed to be at least 43,900 years old.

These Sulawesi cave paintings demonstrate the artists’ ability to depict creatures that existed in the world around them, and predate the famous ​​paintings in France’s Lascaux cave by tens of thousands of years. The Lascaux paintings, discovered in 1940 when some teenagers followed a dog into the cave, feature hundreds of images of animals that date to around 17,000 years ago.

Many of the images in the Lascaux cave depict easily -recognizable animals like horses, bulls or deer. A few, though, are more unusual, demonstrating the artists’ ability to paint something they likely hadn’t seen in real life.

The Lasacaux cave art contains something like a “unicorn”—a horned, horse-like animal that may or may not be pregnant. Another unique image has variously been interpreted as a hunting accident in which a bison and a man both die, or an image involving a sorcerer or wizard. In any case, the artist seems to have paid particular attention to making the human figure anatomically male .

Cave and Rock Art in America

In North America, rock and cave art can be found across the continent, with a large concentration in the desert Southwest, where the arid climate has preserved thousands of petroglyphs and pictographs of ancient puebloan peoples. But some of continent's the oldest currently known cave paintings—made approximately 7,000 years ago—were discovered throughout the Cumberland Plateau, which stretches through parts of Kentucky , Tennessee , Alabama and Georgia . Indigenous peoples continued to create cave art in this region all the way into the 19th century.

Many of the Cumberland Plateau caves feature a spiritual figure who changes from a man into a bird, says Jan F. Simek, an archaeology professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, who has studied and written about cave and rock art in the region.

It’s clear from the way that some paintings in the Cumberland Plateau caves are grouped that the artists were telling a story or narrative.

“There’s a cave that’s actually relatively early in time in middle Tennessee that has a number of depictions of a boxlike human creature…paired with a more normal-looking human,” he says. “And they are interacting with each other in relation to what appears to be a woven textile.”

He continues, “there is a narration there, there’s a story there, even though we don’t know what the story is.”

That’s true of a lot of cave art as well. Even if archaeologists can’t tell what an early artist was saying, they can see that the artist was using images purposefully to create a narrative for themselves or others.

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• Bhimbetka Rock Shelters Indias Oldest...

Bhimbetka Rock Shelters: India’s Oldest Human Art

The Bhimbetka Rock Shelters are a World Heritage Site and, according to the Archaeological Society of India, show signs of the earliest human habitation. They also feature rock art which shows the evolution in painting as a form of expression. The dawn of mankind continues to be one of the most fascinating periods of our history. We are ready to embark on any vehicle that takes us back in time and provides insights into the lives and struggles of early man. Prehistory, the period before recorded history was documented following the invention of writing systems, is divided into Stone, Bronze and Iron Age. These names are based on the technologies that humans used during these times.

A common answer when exploring the earliest traces of prehistory in India is the Indus Valley civilization of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. The Indus Valley Civilization, dating back 5000 years, is one of the first recorded civilizations: a society which has economic, political, social and cultural interactions. Yet the oldest human settlement in India can in fact be dated to as far back as 1,00,000 years, with rock paintings and art which date back to 30,000 years ago.

If these numbers have triggered your fascination, then just set up a travel plan to see the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters. The rock shelters are located 45 km from Bhopal City in the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh. The name of the rock shelters is a fascinating legend in itself: it is derived from the words Bhimbaithaka, the sitting place of Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers from the Mahabharata. Legend has it that during the banishment period of the Pandavas, they resided in the forests around these areas. Panchmarhi, a famous hill station of the Satpuras which derives its name from Panch (five) Marhi (caves) of the Pandavas, is just 160 km from the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters. Although no scientific corroboration to these legends has ever been established, they do add a fascinating dimension to the site’s heritage. What has been validated and established, however, is the settlement of the Homo Erectus species in these areas around one million years ago. The discovery of this heritage site occurred accidentally thanks to Dr. Vishnu Wakankar, who was fascinated by the formation of rocks while en route to another place. He got a team of archaeologists together and the subsequent excavations led to incredibly valuable revelations about human history in this part of the world.

There are around 15 rock shelters and rock paintings depicting the life of early man. These paintings, as old as 30,000 years, showcase the evolution of human understanding of shapes, forms and the developing capability to express these ideas through painting. They cover the journey from the Lower Paleolithic to the Mesolithic periods. The shape of the shelters and the composition of minerals used for the paintings have miraculously meant that the colors have not faded or been worn away.

Some of the oldest paintings show human forms and animals in geometrical shapes, similar to how children these days begin drawing through geometrical forms. The art on these rock shelters show animals like elephants, horses, deer, peacocks and bison: a rock shelter named Zoo Rock is one of the main attractions here. You can also see art depicting humans on horses, with weapons like arrows and spades.

As the ability to paint evolved, so did the sophistication of images. Some are superimposed over others, showcasing battle scenes, soldiers’ march, and celebrations with dance and music. These rock drawings trigger the imagination, acting like a time machine across the memory lane of human evolution. UNESCO declared the rock formations a World Heritage Site in 2003.

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