Not Knuckle-Headed Cavemen

THE ZODIAC

One of the most interesting interpretations of the cave paintings at Lascaux in France is that the paintings were actually animal representations of the zodiac. A paper was presented at the International Symposium of Prehistoric Art in Italy, which stated the belief that the cave paintings at Lascaux were records of the zodiac constellations, fixed stars and the solstice points. Chantal Jeques - Wolkiewiez showed that all the constellations of the zodiac except Aquarius and part of Pisces are represented by the animals of that time. She believed that this together with the presence of the setting sun demonstrated that the painters were remarkable observers of the sky. If this is indeed the case, early man preceded the Babylonian astronomers by 10,000 years. [AMAIC comment: "No, there is no way that the Lascaux cave paintings date back as far as 17,000 BC]. To have done this early man would have had to measure distances between stars and Jegues - Wolkiewiez believes they did this with sticks as rulers, she believes that they were already using the stars as heavenly guides to find the position of the stars that were not visible above the horizon. She and a colleague studied the paintings carefully, keeping in mind that the sky then was different from ours today. They made measurements with an astronomical compass, and conjectured that the rays of the setting sun at the summer solstice penetrated into the cave and touched certain paintings. She checked her theory on the summer solstice, June 21st 1999, and saw that the setting sun hit the entrance for 15 minutes, and lit up the painting of the Red Bull on the back wall of the Hall of Bulls.   Taurus the Bull depicted in a cave painting   In the prehistoric zodiac, the constellation Taurus – the Bull – culminated in the summer solstice. The entire Hall of Bulls is proposed to correspond to the constellation of Taurus. There is a picture of two bulls facing each other, these align with the constellations of Taurus and Scorpio, which are not in the sky at the same time, so strengthens the theory that prehistoric man possessed a direct knowledge of astronomy, and also mathematics as they may have had the ability to calculate and project the positions of the stars regardless of their visibility.....

Taken from: http://historyday.crf-usa.org/1708/zodiac.htm

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TV :: Educational TV :: History :: Lost Worlds: Prehistoric Astronomers Lost Worlds:

Prehistoric Astronomers --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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2009 is International Year of Astronomy. The Paleolithic cave printings at Lascaux, France, have long been seen as astonishing examples of the artistic capacity of prehistoric cultures. But are they more then that? It is commonly known that 35,000 years ago, humans were brutish and primitive and their main activities were copulation, hunting and gathering. But what if this prehistoric human was clever enough to develop in depth scientific knowledge? As unlikely as it may seem, new data prove that these humans actually invented astronomy.
For the last 20 years, Chantal Jegues-Wolkiewiez, an independent astronomer and ethnologist, has led a rigorous investigation to prove this theory. According to her studies, hunter gatherers spent long nights observing the sky, calculating, and recording their discoveries either on the walls of caves or on animal bones. Thanks to their analyses they could measure time and adapt to weather change. In Preshistoric Astronomers, Jegues-Wolkiewiez shares her stunning conclusions that Prehistoric men chose their caves according to the orientation of the sun, created measuring tools such as a lunar calendar, and their wall paintings were the first maps of the sky and stars.
Today, these fascinating discoveries are gradually gaining respect in the international science community.