Aniconism and the origins of palaeoart

Bibliographic Data

ID4373110
AuthorsR G Bednarik (0000-0002-6388-0725, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume47
Issue3
Pages353-365
Publication date2017-07-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0048-721X • E-ISSN: 1096-1151
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0048721x.2017.1288785
OpenAlexW2601682354
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited43

Contrary to the widely held belief that iconic palaeoart precedes aniconic during the early history of humans, palaeoart commenced as non-iconic forms, and in most parts of the world then settled by hominins continued as such during the Pleistocene. The forms, development and global distribution of such palaeoart are presented within the framework of hominin evolution. Attention is given to the question of the continuation of aniconism after the introduction of iconicity and the apparent connection between the latter and youth. This coincides with the role of aniconism in the world of specific ethnographically studied peoples, such as the Aborigines of Australia and the Jarawas of the Andamans. The neuroscientific explanation of aniconism shows that it is cognitively more complex than iconic depiction. Based on these and other strands of evidence, a general hypothesis of the roles and significance of aniconism in the world’s pre-literate societies, be they extant or extinct, is developed

Biology · Depiction · Epistemology · Evolutionary biology · Extant taxon · Genealogy · Iconicity · Linguistics · Metaphor · Old World · Sociology · Zoology · Aesthetic Perception and Analysis · Anthropology · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · History · Multisensory perception and integration · Philosophy