Exploring Excavations Lascaux - Essay Example

Running Head: THEORY Theory In Harvard Format By Essay With the quest of knowing his past, man continues to discover what has been left behind by his ancestors. These traces of history, though incomplete in themselves, have become a huge source of knowledge and information about the past. The Lascaux in France and Altamira in Spain both serve as indicators of the past civilization. Within the walls of these caves, early man has imprinted his artistry and creativity. These irrefutably mirror his surrounding, his livelihood, and his aspirations. Lascaux is a complex of caves located in southwestern France. It has been famous for its cave paintings which date back to the Upper Paleolithic era around 15,000 and 13,000 BC. During 1940, four teenagers discovered the wealth of artistry within these caves (Lascaux 2007). According to Cornwell, "the cave was evidently a sanctuary for the performance of sacred rites and ceremonies." Lascaux contains the earliest traces of man's civilizations and holds the key in unlocking the prehistoric period. To date, it is estimated that the paintings on its walls totals around 20, 000. Because of its age, many of the images are hardly discernable while the others have deteriorated. The caves feature realistic images of large animals which are believed to have thrived within the area thousands of years ago. Among these paintings are animals called aurochs which, according to fossil evidence have lived in France during the period. The largest portion of the paintings is identified to be animals like horses, stags, cattle, and bison, while there are also drawings of geometric figures. Non-figurative images are speculated by one researcher to be illustrations of the night sky as the painted dots correlate with various constellations (Lascaux 2007). Aside from the illustrations of animals which thrived during the period, Lascaux is also said to house the "one of the humanity's earliest narrative compositions" (Virtual Realities n.d.). The writer described this particular scene: "Almost cartoonlike in appearance, it shows a man with the face (or mask) of a bird, engaged with an apparently fatal disagreement with a wounded bison. As the bison uses its head and horns as a weapon, the man falls stiffly back, apparently to his death" (Virtual Realities n.d.) Thus, Lascaux does not only depict the different players in the early civilization but expresses stories which have not been put in words by ancient man. The Altamira in Spain is another famous haven for prehistoric art. Like the Lascaux, Altamira is a cave which features drawings and polychrome rock paintings of wild animals and human hands. Because of its perceived importance in understanding the civilization of man, the UNESCO declared Altamira as a World Heritage Site (Altamira 2007). The 270 meter cave is comprised of twisting passages and chambers. The formation of the cave is due to the "collapses following early karstic phenomena in calcerous rock of Mount Vispieres" (Altamira Cave n.d.). Excavations on the site reveal two levels of archeological levels; one belongs to the Solutrean and the other to the Magdalenian. The Solutrean culture is said to have been formed from the occupation in the cave around 18, 500 years ago. Aside from the paintings, artifacts have also been excavated from this civilization. The Magdalenian period dates back 15, 500 and 14, 000 years ago (Altamira Cave n.d.). The most famous of area in the cave is known as the Ceiling of the Polychromes. This features superimposed paintings and engravings the most prominent of which shows herd of bison in different poses, two horses, a large doe and a possible wild boar (Altamira 2007). In addition are numbers of more indiscernible figures of what seems to be an elk and "a series of enigmatic signs and red stains appearing in direct contrast with other figures that have clearly been superimposed." This art are traced to the Magdelenean occupation. On the other hand, these red painting inside the caves which include four monochrome-shaded horses, a goat, and several hands are attributed to the Solutrean occupations. In comparison to the Lascaux whose images are found in the walls of the cave, Altamira paintings are mostly located in its ceiling. The artists utilize charcoal and ochre or haematite in the creation of images, "often scratching or diluting these dyes to produce variances in intensity and creating an impression of chiaroscuro" (Altamira Cave n.d). In order to create a three dimensional effect to their subjects, they have displayed creativity by exploiting the natural contours of the cave. Even though located in different locations and displays certain features, both the Lascaux and Altamira serves as an important in aiding man to unravel his history. References Altamira n.d., Retrieved 11 July 2007, from http://www.turcantabria.com/Datos/Historia-Arte/Cuevas/Cuevas%20Altamira/altamira-i.htm Altamira Cave 2007, Retrieved 11 July 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altamira_(cave) Lascaux 2007, Retrieved 11 July 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux Virtual Realities: Then and Now n.d., Retrieved 11 July 2007, from http://www.transparencynow.com/lascaux.htm Essay 2. Our temporal orientation, the now, the cogent moment, is irrefutably largely affected by the motion of the Earth around the Sun. The concept and awareness of the present among people around the globe varies according to their position on Earth and the Earth's revolution around the Sun. It should be noted that the creation of different time zones around the globe emphasizes the differences of "now" among its inhabitants. Also, seasonal change is created by the Earth's motion. Through observation, a man without scientific may conclude that the Earth stood still while it is the Sun which moves causing it to rise and set in the sky. This misconception is due to the fact that the Earths movement cannot be felt. However, through the advancement of science, we know for sure that the Earth rotates on its axis while revolving around the Sun. This motion strongly affects our temporal orientation with respect to our knowledge and our consciousness of time. The shape of the Earth is referred to as an "oblate spheroid," that its, its diameter in the equator is greater than 43 kilometers than its polar diameter. This planet rotates on its axis which passes through its North and South Poles. By approximation, the Earth takes 23. 934 hours (24 hours) to complete one single rotation on its axis (Kurtus 2004). This rotation results in daytime for the region facing the Sun and night time for areas which are facing away from the Sun. This rotation in its axis facilitates the creation of different time zones. In fact, in the United States alone, there are four time zones which vary from each other namely, Pacific Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone, Eastern Time Zone, and Central Time Zone. Thus, people from different parts of the US may report differently when asked what specific time is it. Aside from rotating on its axis, the Earth also revolves around the Sun in its orbit. As with most heavenly bodies, this orbit is far from being a perfect circle. It should be noted that the Earth revolves around an elliptical orbit which has the Sun as one of its focus. The Earth's distance at any point around the Sun varies at a rate less than 2% (Nordhoff 2003). However, even though the variation of distance is relatively small, it has huge and remarkable impact on our temporal orientation. One complete revolution of the Earth around the Sun takes approximately 365.25 days. Since one year in our calendar is comprised of only 365 days, the excess of one day after every four years is taken into account by the occurrence of a leap year. During this time, a day is added to February making a year equivalent to 366 days (Kurtus 2004). The axis of the Earth is on a slight tilt with respect to the Sun. Scientists estimate that the tilt is approximately 23.5 and is always in the same direction (The Earth's Rotation n.d.). The reason for seasonal change can be directly related to this tilt, the distance of the Sun from the Earth, and the length of day. As the Sun is the major source of heat and light on Earth, its distance from the Sun directly affects the level of temperature. While revolving on its elliptical orbit, the Earth reaches the point where it is nearest to the Sun. As it is tilted, the Sun shines more directly on the Earth causing the days to become longer while less sunlight is reflected. For the inhabitants of the planet, this is felt as a general rise in temperature which we call summer. Due to the spherical shape of the Earth, there is more daylight during summer as one gets to the pole. In fact, "once you cross the Arctic Circle in the Northern Hemisphere in the summer or the Antarctic Circle in the summer in the Southern Hemisphere, a day can be 24 hours long" (Kurtus 2004). Hence, the name "Land of the Midnight Sun." On the other side of the Earth, the angle of the sunlight is steeper resulting in more light being reflected. This makes the days relatively shorter and the climate colder which we call winter (Kurtus 2004). The aforementioned discussion above clearly illustrates how the motion of the Earth around the Sun affects our temporal orientation. It becomes notable that the Earth's rotation on its axis causes the creation of different time zones and seasons thus, causing variation on our awareness of the current situation in the world. References Kurtus, R. 2004, "Motion of the Earth," Retrieved 11 July 2007, from http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/earthmotion.htm Nordhoff, H. 2003, "Earth's Movement Around the Sun," Retrieved 11 July 2007, from http://www.qwerty.co.za/sundials/solar/earthmov.html The Earth's Rotation n.d., Retrieved 11 July 2007, from http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/the_universe/uts/earth2.html&edu=high Read More