Palaeolithic cave art at Creswell Crags in European context / [edited by] Paul Pettitt, Paul Bahn & Sergio Ripoll.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Pettitt, Paul.

Bahn, Paul G.

Ripoll, Sergio.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Paleolithic period--England--Creswell Crags.

Paleolithic period.

Cave paintings--England--Creswell Crags.

Cave paintings.

Petroglyphs--England--Creswell Crags.

Petroglyphs.

Art, Prehistoric--England--Creswell Crags.

Art, Prehistoric.

Cave paintings--Europe.

Petroglyphs--Europe.

Creswell Crags (England)--Antiquities.

Creswell Crags (England).

Europe--Antiquities.

Europe.

Antiquities.

England--Creswell Crags.

Physical Description:

xv, 292 pages, 8 pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2007.

Summary:

Cave art is a subject of perennial interest among archaeologists. It was once assumed that it was largely restricted to southern France and northern Iberia, but recent discoveries have demonstrated that it originally had a much wider distribution. In 2003 the first British examples of cave art, in two caves at Creswell Crags on the Derbyshire/ Nottinghamshire border, were discovered by the editors of the present volume. This book is the product of a conference in the village of Creswell in 2004, which brought together a number of Palaeolithic archaeologists and rock art specialists from across the world to study the Creswell art and debate its significance, and its similarities and contrasts with contemporary Late Pleistocene ('Ice Age') art on the Continent. The papers in this book fully contextualize the Creswell discoveries, which have changed our perception of Upper Palaeolithic cave art as well as of the hunter-gatherer societies that created it. Studies examine the local archaeology at Creswell, the archaeology of caves in the region, and the cave art of Western and Central Europe that is believed to be contemporary with the 13,000-14,000 year old Creswell art. Other papers cover the history of research at Creswell Crags, the scientific basis on which the age of the art is known, and some current issues in cave art research. This fully illustrated record of a vital discovery will be of interest to archaeologists, prehistorians, and rock art specialists, as well as to general readers who wish to be informed about this fascinating aspect of Britain's prehistory. Book jacket.

Contents:

The historical background to the discovery of cave art at Creswell Crags / Paul G. Bahn

The palaeolithic rock art of Creswell Crags : prelude to a systematic study / Sergio Ripoll and Francisco J. Mun̄oz

Verification of the age of the palaeolithic cave art at Creswell Crags / Alistair W. G. Pike, Mabs Gilmour, and Paul B. Pettitt

3D laser scanning at Church Hole, Creswell Crags / Alistair Carty

Zoological perspectives on the late glacial / D. W. Yalden

Cave archaeology and palaeontology in the Creswell region / Andrew T. Chamberlain

The Stone Age archaeology of Church Hole, Creswell Crags, Nottinghamshire / R. M. Jacobi

Cultural context and form of some of the Creswell images : an interpretative model / Paul B. Pettitt

The engravings of Gouy : France's northernmost decorated cave / Yves Martin

Palaeolithic art in isolation : the case of Sicily and Sardinia / Margherita Mussi

The horse in the palaeolithic parietal art of the Quercy : outline of a stylistic study / Michel Lorblanchet

A topographical approach to parietal figures : the monumental sculptures of the Roc-aux-Sorciers (Vienne, France) produced in daylight at the back of a rockshelter and on its ceiling / Geneviéve Pinçon

Dating Magdalenian art in north Spain : the current situation / César González Sainz

Rock art and the Côa Valley archaeological park : a case study in the preservation of Portugal's prehistoric Rupestral heritage / António Martinho Baptista and António Pedro Batarda Fernandes

Rewriting the history books : the Magdalenian art of Creswell Crags / Claire Fisher and Rob Dinnis.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

019929917X

9780199299171

OCLC:

77573083