Birth of primitive art 15 : What did precede the primitive art ? part１

 

＜　Blombos Cave in South Africa. A cave entrance is right-hand mountain side.  modern human beings lived 100,000 years ago.　＞

Till last time, we looked at the primitive fine arts since 35000 years ago in the world.

Didn't human beings make fine arts during 5 million?

This time, I will approach this mystery.

前回まで、３５０００年前以降の世界の原初美術を見て来ました。

それ以前の５００万年の間、人類は美術を作らなかったのでしょうか。

今回は、この謎に迫ります。

＜　The oldest figure　＞

Fig. A, the figure was found in Israel, was made of a red stone between 700000 and 230000 years ago, and was 4 cm in height.

Fig. B, the figure was found in Morocco, was made of a quartz between 500000 and 300000 years ago, and was 6 cm in height.　

Red ocher had adhered to the surface.

Both are considered that primitive man made.

Ages ago, primitive man on the way of evolution was performing fine arts creation.

Aはイスラエルで見つかった２３～７０万年前の高さ４ｃｍの赤い岩製人物像です。

Bはモロッコで見つかった３０～５０万年前の高さ６ｃｍの石英製人物像です。その表面に赤いオーカーが付着していた。

両方共、原人が作ったと考えられる。

遙か昔、現世人類への進化途上の原人が美術創作を行っていたのです。

＜　The oldest painting in Africa　＞

This painting found at the Apollo 11 cave in Namibia is estimated to date from approximately 25,000–27,000 years ago. It is an animal figure drawn on the slate.

At the south end of Africa, the creation was performed nearly in parallel to the Europe glacial epoch fine arts.

これはナミビアのアポロ１１洞窟で見つかった約２５０００～２７０００年前の動物図です。

アフリカ南端で、ヨーロッパ氷河期美術とほぼ並行して創作が行われていたのです。

＜　something like fine arts　　＞

Fig. A are the oldest bead made of many shells between 140000 and 100000 years ago, and were found in the cave in Israel.

Fig. B is an ocher found at Blombos Cave in South Africa. On its surface was the straight line pattern engraved, and it was made 75000 years ago.

In the cave where modern human beings were living, 8000 pieces and 12 sharpened crayons of ocher were found.

There were also brown and yellow colors of ocher, but the red was the most.

Ocher with the oldest used marks was found in Zambia in Africa, and was thing of 250,000 years ago.

Fig. C is a plate was found at Neanderthal ruins in Hungary, it was made of ivory at 250000 years ago. Red ocher had adhered to the surface.

It is considered that people was using at the ceremony over a long period of time.

What does the appearance of the bead, the plate, and the ocher mean?

This is concerned with "what is fine art?" deeply

The answer will be concerned with the relation of red color of ocher and human beings.

Aはイスラエルの洞窟（Skhūl）,で見つかった１０～１４万年前の最古の貝殻製ビーズです。

Bは南アフリカのブロンボスで見つかった７５０００年以上前の直線模様が刻まれたオーカー（黄土）の一つです。この現世人類が生活していた洞窟からは８千点のオーカーと先端を尖らせたクレヨンが１２本見つかった。オーカーの色は黄色と茶色もあったが、赤が最も多かった。

最も古い使用痕のあるオーカーはアフリカのザンビアで見つかり、２５万年前のものです。

Cはハンガリーのネアンデルタール人遺跡（タタ）で見つかった象牙製プレートで、赤いオーカーが塗られていた。これは入念に作られ、長期間繰り返し儀式などに使われたと推測される。

このビーズやプレート、オーカーの出現は何を意味するのでしょうか？

これは「美術とは何か」と深く関わっています。

オーカーの赤色と人類の関わりにその答えがありそうです。

＜　Burial and red color　＞

Fig.A is two small children's burial at 27000 years ago in Austria. Many red ochers was scattered there.   

In burial of Cro-Magnon after 37000 years ago, accessories attached to the dead and ocher was scattered on it.

Although Neanderthal was burying after 70,000 years ago, the dead that was painted with red pigments is seen in various area of Europe.

Ocher was used also with many pictures in every area of the earth.

Fig.B is the inner room of an ancient tomb in Japan at 5th century,　and it is also painted in red.

This red was made from mercury and sulfur.

Since time began, the red color had an important meaning in every corner of the earth.

Next time, I want to explain this meaning.

Aはオーストリアで見つかった２７０００年前の幼児２体の埋葬で、赤いオーカーが撒かれている。３７０００年前以降のクロマニヨン人の埋葬では、死者はオーカーが撒かれていることがある。ネアンデルタール人は７万年前以降、埋葬を行っていたが、赤色顔料を塗った遺体がヨーロッパ各地で見られる。世界各地の絵画にもオーカーは使用されていた。

Ｂは5世紀、日本の亀山古墳の墓室も赤く塗られていた。この赤は水銀と硫黄から作られた。

遙か昔から世界各地で赤色は重要な意味を持っていた。

次回、この意味を説き明かしたいと思います。