WHO AND WHY IN PALAEOLITHIC ART

Summary. No consideration has ever been given to the possibility that women may have had a part in the execution of European Upper Palaeolithic art; however, an examination of the history of research in this field suggests that preconceptions, prejudice, and the acceptance of unproved theories have perhaps been responsible for the view that it was a male-only activity.
Some of its so-called 'religious' aspects are reconsidered, and re-explained from a female perspective in the light of an experimental attempt to reproduce Palaeolithic plaques with superimpositions. The results of this experiment suggest that Palaeolithic art may well have been multipurpose, at least some being illustrative and part of a general visual communication system — perhaps a forerunner of written communication. It seems probable that all members of society, especially women, were involved.