Technical Knowledge and Worldview through Rock Art

Chauvet cave is a pivotal reference for  interpreting Paleolithic art, revolutionizing our paradigms and our descriptive approach to graphic expressions of this period in human history.It is now crucial to deepen our understanding of the technical skills (engraving, pigment use, material characterization, etc.) and cognitive abilities (mental schemas, psychology of form, etc.) involved in the act of drawing. This knowledge is essential for guiding analytical results toward meaningful interpretation.

Investigating the how? and the why? will enable the exploration of human agency through symbolic gestures in subterranean environments, as well as the interactive relationships between humans and non-humans. Within this unusual setting, it is necessary to identify the way in which these human groups organized their thinking within a network of relationships including all animate creatures (human and non-human). This comprehensive and comparative approach aims to evaluate and propose dynamic networks that shaped the worldview of indigenous societies.

Keywords: engraved drawing; painting; pigment; graphic composition; interpretation; 3D imaging; archaeometry.