Use of calcite in european paleolithic muraled cave monuments

Abstract

The article describes ways of using calcite speleothems in the Upper Paleolithic Franco-Cantabrian andSouthern Uralsmuraled caves. The author describes artistic applications of such materials as stalactites, stalagmites, stalagnates and moonmilk. High emphasis is put on the practice of using knocked down fragments of calcite speleothems  found on the floor of caves or in their cultural layers. The author shows that the use of calcite speleothems was similar in the Upper Paleolithic monuments, such as the Franco-Cantabrian cave art sites and Kapova cave (though with some peculiar features of the monuments). Six main ways of using calcite speleothems are described: the use of them as features of walls in art activities; destruction/knocking down and/or picking up calcite speleothems in different parts of the caves; transfer and use of knocked down and/or selected fragments from one part of the cave to another; the use of large pieces of calcite sinters to create artificial structures; the use of calcite fragments for making a variety of items including guns and tanks for mixing paints (and fat-burning lamps); the use of calcite fragments to create visual objects and jewelry.The extensive use of calcite speleothems suggests that the material played no particularly sacred or symbolic role for a Paleolithic man and, on the contrary, was used for a variety of everyday human needs. Many features of Paleolithic ways of life, particularly the development of practices of using calcite speleothems, were similar for the inhabitants of cave art sites in Western Europe and theSouthern Urals.The research was supported by RFBR grant 13-06-00277.