The holy grail of archaeology is to discover the earliest evidence of symbolic thought in humans. Generally speaking, symbolism means that one thing represents or stands for another. In its most basic form, symbolic thought is iconic: an object in the world (e.g., rock) is related to an idea in the mind (e.g., person).
Because this [...]
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In a collaborative (subscription seeking) arrangement with the Paris Review, Slate has just published a riveting piece on “America’s Ancient Cave Art” by John Jeremiah Sullivan. Many of these Cumberland and Tennessee Valley caves have been only recently discovered and their locations are largely secret. Except for a small group of Southeastern archaeologists, their existence [...]
Tags:Adena·Altamira·altered states of consciousness·Appalachia·ASC·cave art·cave cosmology·cave rituals·cave symbolism·Chauvet·Cherokee·Cumberland·David Lewis-Willliams·entoptic images·entoptics·form constants·hallucinations·Hopewell·Jan Simek·John Jeremiah Sullivan·Lascaux·Mayan·Mississippian cultures·Mound Builders·Natchez·Paleolithic·petroglyphs·rock art·San rock art·Southern Death Cult·Southestern Ceremonial Complex·Tennessee
Cognitive archaeologist David Lewis-Williams has long argued that the spectacular Paleolithic paintings in European caves such Lascaux, Chauvet, and Altamira were created by early shamans who were experiencing altered states of consciousness (“ASC”). Because Paleolithic rock art around the world displays the same types of symbols or form constants, which Lewis-Williams calls “entoptics,” he contends [...]
Tags:Alan Piper·Altamira·altered states of consciousness·ASC·auroch·Brian Akers·bull·Carl Ruck·Chauvet·cognitive archaeology·David Lewis-Williams·entoptic forms·entoptics·fungi·Juan Ruiz·Lascaux·mushrooms·Paleolithic·Psilocybe·psychotropics·rock art·Selva Pascuala·Spain
A friend just visited Zion National Park in Utah and took some amazing photos of petroglyphs in the backcountry. Given that these are carved into the rock, there really is no way to date them directly. I am not sure of the occupational sequence for that area, but there seems to be no reason these [...]
Tags:altered states of consciousness·Anasazi·entoptic·Paiute·Paleoindian·petroglyphs·rock art·shamans·Zion National Park
David Lewis-Williams, Professor of Cognitive Archaeology at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, has for decades studied Paleolithic rock art across the world. His scholarly output has been not only been prodigious, but also provocative. Because rock art constitutes some of the oldest evidence we have for symbolic thinking, its importance to understanding Paleolithic [...]
Tags:altered states of consciousness·David Lewis-Williams·entoptic forms·rock art·shamanic practices
