The Shaman in the Cave? Testing for entoptic imagery in Upper Paleolithic geometric rock art.

Summary

It has been proposed that much of the rock art of Upper Paleolithic (UP) Europe can be interpreted as the result of shamanistic visions and related spiritual practices (e.g., Lewis-Williams and Dowson 1998; Clottes and Lewis-Williams 2001; Lewis-Williams 2002; Whitley 2005). This theory is based on a combination of analogy with modern hunter-gatherer groups, and recent neuroscience studies on the universality of human physiological response when in a trance state. Specific geometric signs found in UP art are frequently cited in these arguments as evidence of entoptic phenomena – abstract shapes seen during an altered state of consciousness – but what has yet to be explored is whether these particular images appear with a great enough frequency and in the appropriate contexts to verify this claim. This paper will address the question of whether the regularity and co-occurrence of geometric sign types identified as potential entoptic imagery supports the theory that UP art is the product of shamanistic visions.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Methodology and Interpretation in the Archaeology of Rock Art

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14650