Explore cave paintings in this 360° animated cave - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: iSAAC NgZiLe 審譯者: Helen Chang

In 1879, amateur archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola

1879 年，業餘考古學家桑圖奧拉 （Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola）

and his young daughter Maria explored a dark cave in Northern Spain.

和他年輕的女兒瑪麗亞在西班牙北部 探索了一個黑暗的洞穴

When Maria wondered off by herself, she made an amazing discovery.

當瑪麗亞獨自漫步時 有個令人驚訝的發現

They were standing inside a site of ancient art,

他們身在一處古老藝術的遺址內

the walls and roofs decorated with prehistoric paintings and engravings,

牆面與洞頂有史前壁畫和雕刻

ranging from 19,000 to 35,000 years old.

年代從 19000 到 35000 年前不等

Similar marks of our ancestors have been preserved in caves all over the world.

世界各地皆有類似的史前遺跡 保存在洞穴之中

The oldest we've found were made up to 40,000 years ago.

目前所知最古老的是四萬年前繪製的

What do these images tell us about the ancient human mind

這些圖像告訴我們 哪些史前人類的心智

and the lives of their creators?

和創作者的生活？

These early artists mixed minerals, clay, charcoal, and ochre with spit or animal fat

這些早期的藝術家將礦物質 黏土、木炭和赭石

與唾液或動物脂肪混合成漆

to create paint.

They drew with their hands and tools, like pads of moss, twigs, bones, and hair.

他們用雙手和工具來作畫 像苔蘚、細枝、骨頭和頭髮等工具

In many instances, their images follow the contours of the cave

他們通常會按照洞穴的輪廓

to create depth and shade.

來畫出深度與濃度

The most common depictions are of geometric shapes,

最常見的主題是幾何形狀

followed by large mammals, like bison, horses, mammoths, deer, and boars.

其次為大型哺乳動物 如野牛、馬、長毛象、鹿和野豬

Human figures appear rarely, as well as occasional hand prints.

但人物很少，偶爾出現的手印也一樣

Some have theorized that these artworks are the creation of hunters,

某些人主張這些作品出自於獵人

or of holy men in trance-like states.

或處於恍惚狀態的修行人

And we've found examples created by men, women, and even children.

我們發現一些案例是男人、女人 甚至是孩子們創造的

And why did they create this art?

他們為何創造了這些藝術？

Perhaps they were documenting what they knew about the natural world,

他們可能利用這個方法記下 自己所理解的自然世界

like modern scientists,

像現代科學家一樣

or marking their tribal territory.

或標示部族的領地

Maybe the images were the culmination of sacred hunting rituals

也許這是神聖狩獵儀式

or spiritual journeys.

或靈性之旅的高潮

Or could they be art for art's sake, the sheer joy and fulfillment of creation?

說不定他們是為了藝術而藝術

追求純粹的喜悅和創作的成就感

As with many unsolved mysteries of the ancient world,

就如同許多古代世界的未解之謎

we may never know for sure,

我們也許永遠無法理解

barring the invention of a time machine, that is.

除非發明時光機

But while the answers remain elusive,

儘管難以捉摸

these images are our earliest proof of human communication,

但這些圖畫是人類溝通的最早證明

testifying to the human capacity for creativity

證實在文字出現前的數千年

thousands of years before writing.

人類就擁有創造力了

They are a distinct visual language that imagines the world outside the self,

這是種獨特的視覺語言 思想著自我以外的世界

just like modern art forms,

就如同現代藝術

from graffiti and painting to animated virtual-reality caves.

從塗鴉和繪畫，到以動畫 表現虛擬實境的洞穴