Ice Age art

[Camilo]

A new exhibition at the British Museum
features sculptures made up to 40,000
years ago. Dr. Alice Roberts meets curator
Jill Cook to discuss three artefacts in the
collection; the Lion Man, a group of female
figurines from Siberia, and the oldest known
flute.

Despite being made thousands of years ago,
the objects show that the minds of their
creators - our ancestors - were incredibly
similar to our own.

Video (almost 7 mins):

http://youtu.be/McYem7Qz9AI

[Ellisa]

How I wish I could see this exhibition of such amazing art works. All those years ago societies were willing to allow at least some members of their community the time and support to create such images. We do not know their purpose, but they are fantastical and an example of imagination at work. There is little practical application for them. Possibly the flute was useful, music is important to communities, but in a society where life was hard and life was short they made time to create powerful and beautiful images with basic and primitive tools. That seems to tell us something about 'being human' I think.

[Hazel]

Well said Ellisa.. "amazing art works indeed"..

but am wondering if the lion man at least, may have represented something else or used for something more important, i.e:
shamanism

food for thought or indeed thought for food e.g.
self/other hypnosis toward man becoming the lion so as to more easily stalk the prey

[westhill]

What I love is the subtle expression on the face of the lion man.
da Vinci couldn't have done better.