Posted on 06/29/2010 1:22:10 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
VIENNA (AFP) – Prehistoric man enjoyed a primitive version of cinema, according to Austrian and British researchers, who are currently seeking to recreate these ancient visual displays.
Rock engravings from the Copper Age found all over Europe in remote, hidden locations, indicate the artwork was more than mere images, researchers from Cambridge University and Sankt Poelten's university of applied sciences (FH) in Austria believe.
"The cliff engravings... in our opinion are not just pictures but are part of an audiovisual performance," Frederick Baker of Cambridge University's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology said in a statement Tuesday.
"There was still no moving image but (the pictures) created sequences like in animation... this was not just a treat for the eyes but also for the ears, as these rock engravings are especially found in locations with particular echoes.
"In this sense, the rock engravings are not just static images but pictures that created a story in the mind of the viewer -- just like at the cinema," said Baker.
Cambridge University and FH Sankt Poelten have now launched a "Prehistoric Picture Project" with Weimar's Bauhaus university in Germany to recreate these films, using computer technology to establish the sequence of images and animate them like in a cartoon.
The "movies," dating back to 4000 to 1000 BC, often depict fights, dances or hunts, but interestingly never show death and rarely portray women, the project's coordinators said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
"Don't even say it!"
Prehistoric man is still going to the movies. Watched the Oscars lately?
“Sweetheart! This picture is gonna be big! Bigger than big! I’m hearing Oscar! AAAAHHHH! That’s not Oscar! It’s a mastodon! Run!”
My grandmother did too. She had the hots for Errol Flynn.
Must find bleach for eyes and mind immediately...magritte
Another 'Professor' whose Research Grants are on the verge of drying up unless he makes an astounding discovery.
Then, after paying for and looking at the pictures, you emerged from the cave, another caveman would bash you on the head with a rock, so you wouldn’t remember the paintings and steal them. He worked for the picture makers guild.
I could envision a bard using the cave paintings as illustrations while giving an historical account or a presentation of spiritual matters.
That was no lady, that was my wife. Thank you, I'll be here until the Bronze Age.
LOL! Don't forget to tip the cocktail waitress. And try the mastodon.
Hell yeah!
“researchers” can be morons
Prehistoric man went to the movies, say researchers, but his date was out cold.
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