One of the most significant works on our evolutionary ancestry since Richard Leakey’s paradigm-shattering Origins; The First Signs is the first-ever exploration of the little-known geometric images that accompany most cave art around the world—the first indications of symbolic meaning; intelligence; and language.Imagine yourself as a caveman or woman. The place: Europe. The time: 25;000 years ago; the last Ice Age. In reality; you live in an open-air tent or a bone hut. But you also belong to a rich culture that creates art. In and around your cave paintings are handprints and dots; x’s and triangles; parallel lines and spirals. Your people know what they mean. You also use them on tools and jewelry. And then you vanish—and with you; their meanings. Join renowned archaeologist Genevieve von Petzinger on an Indiana Jones-worthy adventure from the open-air rock art sites of northern Portugal to the dark depths of a remote cave in Spain that can only be reached by sliding face-first through the mud. Von Petzinger looks past the beautiful horses; powerful bison; graceful ibex; and faceless humans in the ancient paintings. Instead; she’s obsessed with the abstract geometric images that accompany them; the terse symbols that appear more often than any other kinds of figures—signs that have never really been studied or explained until now. Part travel journal; part popular science; part personal narrative; von Petzinger’s groundbreaking book starts to crack the code on the first form of graphic communication. It’s in her blood; as this talented scientist’s grandmother served as a code-breaker at Bletchley. Discernible patterns emerge that point to abstract thought and expression; and for the first time; we can begin to understand the changes that might have been happening inside the minds of our Ice Age ancestors—offering a glimpse of when they became us.
#14137271 in Books 2012-04-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.75 x 6.00l; 2.25 #File Name: 147517361X774 pages
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