Stepping-Stones : A Journey Through the Ice Age Caves of the Dordogne

by Christine Desdemaines-Hugon; Foreword by Ian Tattersall

• ISBN13: 9780300188028
• ISBN10: 0300188021
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2012-09-11
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

The cave art of France's Dordogne region is world-famous for the mythology and beauty of its remarkable drawings and paintings. These ancient images of lively bison, horses, and mammoths, as well as symbols of all kinds, are fascinating touchstones in the development of human culture, demonstrating how far humankind has come and reminding us of the ties that bind us across the ages. Over more than twenty-five years of teaching and research, Christine Desdemaines-Hugon has become an unrivaled expert in Ice Age cave art and portable art forms, and in particular those of sites in the Dordogne. In her book she combines her expertise in both art and archaeology to convey an intimate understanding of the "cave experience." Her keen insights communicate not only the incomparable artistic value of these works but also the near-spiritual impact of viewing them for oneself.

Author Biography

Christine Desdemaines-Hugon is an eminent scholar of prehistoric anthropology and cave art of the Dordogne region of France. She lives in Campagne, France.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. viii
Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xiv
Acknowledgments	p. xviii
Freshly Plowed Fields in the Vézère Valley	p. 1
Font de Gaume	p. 9
Millions of Years Ago	p. 28
Neanderthals and Homo sapiens	p. 37
Combarelles	p. 51
Venus Figures, Blades, Beads, and Bone	p. 71
Rouffignac	p. 97
Laurel Leaves and Needles	p. 121
Cap Blanc	p. 129
Art at Its Peak	p. 140
Bernifal	p. 173
Afterword	p. 193
Appendix: Sites to Visit	p. 195
Recommended Reading	p. 203
Index	p. 211
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