The use of cave art through graphic space, visibility and cave transit: A new methodology

Publication date: March 2018
Source:Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Volume 49
Author(s): Blanca Ochoa, Marcos García-Diez
The objective of the paper is to determine convergences or divergences in the placement of cave art through the combined study of parietal art and the specific space in which it was executed.The proposed methodology is based on the definition of the concepts of graphic space, visibility, access and capacity. Through these, a series of variables have been created to analyse in the cave: the presence of an archaeological context, the specific location of the figures, divided into three levels of study –graphic unit, panel and topographic unit–, the cave transit, the selected spaces and the potential visibility and observer capacity at each level.This methodology has been applied to Chufín Cave (Cantabria, Spain). By studying the location of the different panels, two potential uses for the cave were determined: some panels are located on highly visible surfaces in large spaces of the cave using the techniques of deep engraving and drawing with red pigments. In contrast, other panels are situated in low visibility areas of more difficult access, with the technique of shallow engraving. This evidence might point towards a more widespread use of cave art in the first case, possibly including all the community, and a restricted use in the second case.



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