| Re: Cavemen and cavewomen
We did a bit of exploring caves a couple of years ago in the Lot region in France, something I've always wanted to do but terror of going underground stopped me. We visited one cave where holm oaks' roots growing down through the 'limestone I think' had created what they called 'spaghetti stalactites, thin, hollow, phosphorescent and of various colours due to different minerals. The inhabitants of the cave in prehistoric times had ground some of them up to use as pigment for their paintings, giving a good range of colours. They had used larger hollow ones as lamps by filling them with animal fat. They had even, in a lower chamber where the paintings led us, used some of them to create music, striking them to produce different notes. This area, we were told, was believed to be some sort of religious or sacred room, and the ground was worn by their prossessions. If they were capable of all that creativity, then they were much closer to us than I had ever before believed, certainly capable of a wide range of emotions. It gave me the enthusiasm and courage to visit several other caves which was a great experience. I'm so glad I conquered my fear.  |