The development of painting in ancient Egypt. Institute of Ancient Slavic Writing and Ancient Eurasian Civilization - IDC Egyptian Rock Paintings

Rocks with petroglyphs inscribed on them are located in the area of ​​the modern village of Kurta - about 40 km south of the Upper Egyptian city of Edfu. In ancient times it was called Behdet and was the cult center of the sky god Horus (later identified with the Greek Apollo). Rock art - petroglyphs - were discovered there by Canadian archaeologists back in the early 60s of the 20th century, but then the place was forgotten. These petroglyphs were rediscovered by a Yale University expedition in 2005: a corresponding publication was made in 2007 in the Project Gallery of Antiquity.

The images were knocked out or carved into the rock; they are very naturalistic: you can see bison and other wild animals.

Based on the nature of the design (substrate, technique and style), the technique of blackening and the degree of weathering, as well as the archaeological and geomorphological context, the petroglyphs were dated to the late Pleistocene, and more precisely to the late Paleolithic (23,000-11,000 years ago). This dating has been criticized by the archaeological community.

In 2008, an expedition led by Dirk Huij, organized by the Royal Museum of Art and History of Brussels (Belgium), discovered new rock paintings near Kurta. The sediments covering the petroglyphs were partly wind-blown dust, which was analyzed by the Laboratory of Mineralogy and Petrology (Luminescence Research Group) at the University of Ghent (Belgium). The luminescent dating method can determine how much time has passed since the deposited dust particles were hidden from view. sunlight new layers. In other words, it shows how long the dust “did not see” light.

These petroglyphs turned out to be the oldest in at least the entire North Africa: Luminescent analysis showed that they are at least 15,000 years old.

Petroglyphs of Kurta are more or less modern European art last ice age, for example in the famous caves of Lascaux (France) and Altamira (Spain). European sites are believed to be several thousand years older.

Opening ancient art this level of skill is important, but not unexpected news, experts say. Much more ancient examples of art are known in the more southern parts of the continent. Thus, in 1969, images of animals 26,000 years old were found in Namibia. In 1999 and 2000, engraved geometric motifs were discovered on the coast of South Africa, which are 75-100 thousand years old.

The images on the rocks in Kurta are stylistically very close to European Ice Age petroglyphs, although they are separated by significant distances.

However, there is a “bridge” between them: such images are a little more late period were found already in Northern Italy, Sicily, as well as in northern Libya, off the coast. Considering that the level of the Mediterranean Sea was 100 m lower in Paleolithic times (and African illegal migrants successfully travel by boat to Sicily even at today's high sea levels), it is very likely that there was cultural exchange between continents during the Paleolithic era, which determined the similarity of the images.

Petroglyphs are known on the territory of Russia (for example, the Onega demon in Karelia), whose age reaches 4,000 years.

Today samples rock art can be seen in various parts of our planet. And they always - whether they are illustrations of the ancients about their life or ritual drawings - arouse special interest among scientists. After all, in each such drawing the secrets of the history of our civilization are hidden.

1. Neolithic birth picture

In 2005, geologists made a discovery that dates back to the Neolithic or Paleolithic era, but it is still very relevant today. Once upon a time, a child was born in a small cave in the Sahara Desert in Egypt and someone painted this scene on the ceiling of the cave.

Often this image is compared to much more famous painting"nativity scene", then it is 3000 years older famous birth Jesus. A newborn baby is raised between parents as the greatest value. Also, a star in the east is visible. But such a picture was painted long before the emergence of Christianity.

2. Sudanese excavations

There are 15 sites in Sudan where ancient rock art is found. In 2011, similar images were also found in about 30 different places in the desert valley of Wadi Abu Dom. The collection of these images has been expanded over time. by different artists. Drawings made 1,500 years ago perfectly depict the period when Christianity appeared in Sudan: crosses, churches and even St. George on his horse. Livestock can be seen in 3,000-year-old images. But 5,000-year-old cave paintings puzzle even experts.

This art is simply inexplicable. It looks like spirals, "wound" so precisely that some consider them to be the earliest mathematical representation. Another type of image is more geometric and looks similar to a fishing net. Archaeologists also found “stone gongs.” When you hit such a stone, it makes a clear ringing sound. Their age has not even been determined, but some believe that such stones could be signaling devices.

3. Tiny hands

In the Sahara, the “Cave of Beasts” got its name from the strange headless creatures depicted on its walls. In 2002, the cave also found 13 children's handprints on the walls, some of which were inside adult handprints. This scene was perceived as touching until one anthropologist noticed that the children's handprints were not proportional to the correct size. The 8,000-year-old prints were smaller than even those of premature newborns.

Also, the fingers were abnormally long and clearly did not belong to humans. Tests showed that they belonged to animals, probably desert monitor lizards. Since monitor lizard prints were made at approximately the same time as human handprints, and they also used the same pigment, the reason similar phenomenon remains a mystery.

4. Venus of Hole Fels

The following example differs from "usual" cave art - this is a figurine from Ivory. Venus Hohle Fels was found in the cave of the same name in Germany. She is a 40,000-year-old figurine of a naked female without arms or head. She is called the most ancient sculpture person. "Venus" may symbolize prehistoric beauty and health, but perhaps the carver simply wanted to depict a doll of a naked woman. Most scientists agree that today it is no longer possible to prove what the figurine was intended for.

5. Scottish curls

The mysterious Kochno stone was found in Scotland. Someone a long time ago tried to artistically decorate this stone with geometric swirls. Although such art is not unique, stone is one of the best examples similar spiral images in Europe. The Glasgow artifact was dug up in 1887, but by 1965 it had been badly damaged by vandals and weather. For further preservation, the stone was reburied. In 2016, a 5,000-year-old slab was excavated, scanned, photographed for... better study and was reburied again.

6. Footprints

When it comes to limb prints, they are not always hand prints. A thousand years ago, the Pueblo culture of New Mexico's Chaco Canyon clearly revered feet. They left similar marks on everything. Interestingly, the Pueblos had a common physical trait: polydactyly, that is, an extra finger or toe. Naturally, not everyone had an extra toe, but among the Pueblos the percentage of such people was phenomenally high. Most traces of bare feet were left at the entrances to “important” rooms.

7. Acoustic art

One study has discovered a remarkable connection between prehistoric scribblings and sound. This kind of art is mainly found in places where there is a loud echo. In addition, many of the paintings in similar places depict scenes associated with the sounds of a thunderstorm. It is possible that prehistoric people did not fully understand the nature of echoes, but considered them a manifestation of something sacred.

8. "Higgs Bison"

The Higgs bison represents one of the few cases where science has been directly "connected" to ancient rock art. After testing the DNA of an ancient bison, the results were unexpected. Their DNA was found not to be closely similar to modern European aurochs. Rather, they were related to some mysterious bison ancestor, which researchers dubbed the “Higgs bison.” Here the name “Higgs boson” was played on - a mysterious particle whose existence could not be proven.

9. Aliens from Charam

Indian archaeologists suddenly remembered words like "UFO" and "aliens" when they looked inside a cave in 2014. In the village of Charama in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, this is not the first time that residents have encountered 10,000-year-old paintings. Their ancestors told them about legends when the so-called “Rohela” people came to the village. These little people allegedly landed in a circular object and interacted with several villagers before flying off.

In the past, the Charama tribe even worshiped paintings dedicated to this event. Prehistoric images show humanoids dressed as astronauts and weapons-like objects. The creatures depicted were flexible, orange in color and had no mouths or noses. Also found on the wall of the cave was an image of an object in the form of a disk with three legs and “antennas.”

10. The mystery of the Neanderthals

In Spain, an underground cave has caused quite a stir in the scientific community. The walls of the El Castillo cave were painted with red dots and handprints. These creations are over 40,800 years old, making them the most famous examples cave art. What's most interesting is that people couldn't make them. At that time, this area was inhabited by Neanderthals, so most likely it was they who left behind these signs. Neanderthals have always been viewed as a separate type hominids, but such art can “reclassify” them as a race of people.

Cave drawings this is not the only one ancient secret, which worries scientists. There is also, at a minimum, .

Rock paintings and engravings began tens of thousands of years before the birth of civilizations such as Greece and Mesopotamia. Although most of these works remain a mystery, they provide modern scholars with insight into daily life prehistoric people, understand their religious beliefs and culture. It is truly a miracle that these ancient drawings survived for such a long time in the face of natural erosion, wars and destructive human activities.

1. El Castillo

Spain
Some of the oldest known cave paintings in the world, depicting horses, bison and warriors, are located in the El Castillo cave, in Cantabria in northern Spain. There is a hole leading into the cave, so narrow that you have to crawl through it. In the cave itself you can find many drawings that are aged at least, 40,800 years.

They were made shortly after people began migrating from Africa to Europe, where they met Neanderthals. In fact, the age of the cave paintings suggests the possibility that they were made by Neanderthals who lived in the region at the time, although the evidence for this is not at all conclusive.

2.Sulawesi

Indonesia
For a long time, El Castillo Cave was believed to contain the oldest known cave paintings. But in 2014, archaeologists made a stunning discovery. In seven caves on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, handprints and primitive drawings of local pigs were found on the walls.

These images were already known to local residents, but no one even knew how old they were. Scientists estimate the age of the rock paintings at 40,000 years. This discovery casts doubt on the long-held belief that human art first appeared in Europe.

3. Arnhem Land Plateau

Australia
Recent research has shown that some places in Australia may rival the world's oldest art in age. Rock art dating back 28,000 years was found at the Nawarla Gabarnmang rock shelter in the north of the country. However, scientists believe that some of the drawings may be much older, as one of them depicts a giant bird that went extinct about 40,000 years ago.

Therefore, either the rock art is older than expected, or the bird lived longer than expected modern science. In Nawarla Gabarnmang you can also find drawings of fish, crocodiles, wallabies, lizards, turtles and other animals made tens of thousands of years ago.

4. Apollo 11

Namibia
This cave has received so much unusual name, because it was discovered by a German archaeologist in 1969, when the first spaceship(Apollo 11) landed on the moon. Drawings made with charcoal, ocher and white paint were found on the stone slabs of a cave in southwestern Namibia.

The images of creatures that resemble cats, zebras, ostriches and giraffes are between 26,000 and 28,000 years old and are the oldest fine arts, found in Africa.

5. Pech Merle Cave

France
Scientists believed that paintings of two spotted horses on the walls of the Pech-Merle cave in south-central France, which were made 25,000 years ago, were the figment of the imagination of an ancient artist. But recent DNA research has shown that similar spotted horses actually existed in the region at that time. Also in the cave you can find 5,000-year-old images of bison, mammoths, horses and other animals, painted with black manganese oxide and red ocher.

6. Tadrart-Akakus

Libya
Deep in the Sahara Desert in southwestern Libya, in the Tadrart-Akakus mountain range, thousands of paintings and rock carvings have been found that show that these arid lands once contained water and lush vegetation. Also on the territory of what is now the Sahara lived giraffes, rhinoceroses, and crocodiles. The oldest drawing here was made 12,000 years ago. But, after Tadrart-Akakus began to be swallowed up by the desert, people finally left this place around 100 AD.

7. Bhimbetka

India
There are about 600 caves in Madhya Pradesh and rock dwellings, in which they found rock paintings made between 1,000 and 12,000 years ago.
These prehistoric images are painted with red and white paint. In the paintings you can find scenes of hunting buffaloes, tigers, giraffes, moose, lions, leopards, elephants and rhinoceroses. Other drawings show the harvesting of fruits and honey and the domestication of animals. You can also find images of animals that have long been extinct in India.

8. Laas Gaal

Somalia
A complex of eight caves in Somaliland contains some of the oldest and best-preserved rock paintings in Africa. They are estimated to be between 5,000 and 11,000 years old and are painted in red, orange and cream colors of cows, people, dogs and giraffes. Almost nothing is known about the people who lived here at that time, but many local residents The caves are still considered sacred.

9. Cueva de las Manos

Argentina
This unusual cave in Patagonia is overflowing with 9,000-year-old red and black handprints on the walls. Since there are mainly images of the left hands of teenage boys, scientists have suggested that drawing an image of one’s hand was part of the initiation rite for young men. In addition, scenes of hunting guanacos and flightless rhea birds can also be found in the cave.

10. Cave of Swimmers

Egypt
In 1933, a cave with Neolithic rock paintings was found in the Libyan Desert. The images of people swimming (from which the cave gets its name), as well as the handprints that adorn the walls, were made between 6,000 and 8,000 years ago.

There is something magically attractive and at the same time sad about petroglyphs. Names talented artists we will never know antiquity and their history. All that remains for us are rock paintings, from which we can try to imagine the life of our distant ancestors. Let's take a look at 9 famous caves with rock paintings.

Altamira Cave

Discovered in 1879 by Marcelino de Sautola in Spain, it is not without reason called Sistine Chapel primitive art. The impressionists began to use techniques that were in service with ancient artists in their work only in the 19th century.

The painting, discovered by the daughter of an amateur archaeologist, caused a lot of noise in the scientific community. The researcher was even accused of falsification - no one could believe that such talented drawings were created thousands of years ago.

The paintings are made realistically, some of them are three-dimensional - a special effect was achieved using the natural relief of the walls.

After the opening, everyone could visit the cave. Due to the constant visits of tourists, the temperature inside has changed, and mold has appeared on the drawings. Today the cave is closed to visitors, but there is a Museum nearby ancient history and archaeology. Just 30 km from the Altamira cave you can see copies of rock paintings and interesting finds of archaeologists.

Lascaux Cave

In 1940, a group of teenagers accidentally discovered a cave near Montillac in France, the entrance to which was opened by a tree that fell during a thunderstorm. It is small, but under the arches there are thousands of drawings. Ancient artists began painting some of them on walls back in the 18th century BC.

It depicts people, symbols and in motion. The researchers divided the cave into thematic zones for convenience. Far beyond the borders of France, drawings of the Hall of the Bulls are known; its other name is the Rotunda. Here is the largest rock painting ever discovered - a 5-meter bull.

Under the vaults there are more than 300 drawings, including animals from the Ice Age. It is believed that the age of some paintings is about 30 thousand years.

Nio Cave

In the southeast of France is located, the painting inside of which was known to local residents back in the 17th century. However, they did not attach due importance to the drawings, leaving numerous inscriptions nearby.

In 1906, Captain Molyar discovered a hall with images of animals inside, which later became known as the Black Salon.

Inside you can see bison, deer and goats. Scientists believe that in ancient times rituals were performed here to attract good luck in hunting. The Pyrenees Park of Prehistoric Art is open to tourists near Nio, where you can learn more about archaeology.

Koske Cave

It is located not far from Marseille, and can only be accessed by those who can swim well. To see the ancient images, you need to swim through a 137-meter tunnel located deep underwater. Opened unusual place in 1985 by diver Henri Cosquet. Scientists believe that some of the images of animals and birds found inside were made 29 thousand years ago.

Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash)

Cueva de las Manos cave

In the south of Argentina in 1941 they also discovered ancient painting. There is not just one cave, but a whole series, the total length of which is 160 km. The most famous of them is Cueva de las Manos. Its name is translated into Russian as "".

Inside there are many images of human palms - our ancestors made prints on the walls with their left hands. In addition, here you can see hunting scenes and ancient inscriptions. The images were taken between 9 and 13 thousand years ago.

Caves of Nerja

The Nerja Caves are located 5 km from the city of the same name in Spain. The cave paintings were discovered by accident by teenagers, as happened earlier in the Lascaux cave. Five guys went to catch bats, but accidentally saw a hole in the rock, looked inside and discovered a corridor with stalagmites and stalactites. The find interested scientists.

The cave turned out to be of impressive size - 35,484 square meters, which is equivalent to five football fields. The fact that people lived in it is evidenced by many finds: tools, traces of a hearth, ceramics. There are three halls downstairs. The hall of ghosts scares guests unusual sounds and strange shapes. The waterfall hall was equipped for concert hall, it can accommodate 100 spectators at the same time.

Montserrat Caballe, Maya Plisetskaya and others performed here famous artists. The Bethlehem Hall amazes with its bizarre columns with stalactites and stalagmites. Rock paintings can be seen in the Hall of Spears and the Hall of Mountains.

Before the discovery of this cave, scientists assumed that the most ancient drawings were in the Chauvet Cave. According to recent research, our distant ancestors began to engage in creativity even earlier than modern science believed. The results of radiocarbon dating showed that six images of seals and fur seals were made presumably 43 thousand years ago - accordingly, they are even older than the cave paintings discovered at Chauvet. However, it is too early to draw conclusions.

Magura Cave

The images in all these caves and the methods of drawing are completely different. However, there is also common features. Artists of antiquity conveyed their perception of the world through creativity and shared their outlook on life, but they did it not with words, but with drawings.

A group of Belgian archaeologists, together with colleagues from Yale University, discovered the oldest rock carvings in the region in Egypt. The age of the drawings found in the area of ​​the eastern bank of the Nile was about 15 thousand years.

The objects were found near the village of Kurta, 40 km south of the city of Edfu. On the slabs, archaeologists discovered images of aurochs and other wild animals. According to scientists, the found rock paintings are the oldest not only in Egypt, but throughout North Africa.

Cave paintings dating back 15,000 years have been found in Egypt, similar to ancient petroglyphs discovered in Europe. Coincidences confirm that cultural exchange existed between the continents at that time.

Rocks with petroglyphs inscribed on them are located in the area of ​​the modern village of Kurta - about 40 km south of the Upper Egyptian city of Edfu. In ancient times it was called Behdet and was the cult center of the sky god Horus (later identified with the Greek Apollo). Rock art - petroglyphs - were discovered there by Canadian archaeologists back in the early 60s of the 20th century, but then the place was forgotten. These petroglyphs were rediscovered by a Yale University expedition in 2005: a corresponding publication was made in 2007 in the Project Gallery of Antiquity.

The images were knocked out or carved into the rock; they are very naturalistic: you can see bison and other wild animals.

Based on the nature of the design (substrate, technique and style), the technique of blackening and the degree of weathering, as well as the archaeological and geomorphological context, the petroglyphs were dated to the late Pleistocene, and more precisely to the late Paleolithic (23,000–11,000 years ago). This dating has been criticized by the archaeological community.

In 2008, an expedition led by Dirk Huij, organized by the Royal Museum of Art and History of Brussels (Belgium), discovered new rock paintings near Kurta. The sediments covering the petroglyphs were partly wind-blown dust, which was analyzed by the Laboratory of Mineralogy and Petrology (Luminescence Research Group) at the University of Ghent (Belgium). The luminescent dating method can determine how much time has passed since the deposited dust particles were hidden from sunlight by new layers. In other words, it shows how long the dust “did not see” light.

These petroglyphs turned out to be the oldest in at least all of North Africa: luminescent analysis showed that their age is at least 15,000 years.

Curta's petroglyphs are more or less contemporary with European art of the last Ice Age, for example in the famous caves of Lascaux (France) and Altamira (Spain). European sites are believed to be several thousand years older.

The discovery of ancient art of this level of skill is important, but not unexpected news, experts say. Much more ancient examples of art are known in the more southern parts of the continent. Thus, in 1969, images of animals 26,000 years old were found in Namibia. In 1999 and 2000, engraved geometric motifs dating back 75,000 to 100,000 years were discovered along the South African coast.

The images on the rocks in Kurta are stylistically very close to European Ice Age petroglyphs, although they are separated by significant distances.

However, there is a “bridge” between them: similar images from a slightly later period were found already in Northern Italy, Sicily, as well as in the north of Libya, off the coast. Considering that the level of the Mediterranean Sea was 100 m lower in Paleolithic times (and African illegal migrants successfully travel by boat to Sicily even at today's high sea levels), it is very likely that there was cultural exchange between continents during the Paleolithic era, which determined the similarity of the images.

Petroglyphs are known on the territory of Russia (for example, the Onega demon in Karelia), whose age reaches 4,000 years.