The appropriation of subterranean space in decorated caves of the Upper Palaeolithic. Analysis of the representations of hands of hands using geomatic techniques

PhD researcher: Olga Spaey

PhD supervisor: Aritz Iruzun and Diego Garate Maidagan

Cave art is understood as a graphic communication system in which the representations can present a semiotic relationship, and therefore can only be understood as a whole, instead of individually. In the case of decorated caves of Palaeolithic chronology, the way in which these entities are arranged, i.e. their organisation in the underground space, is an indispensable source of information for a better understanding of the graphic phenomenon. This question of the management of space has been approached in a summary manner, through very specific theoretical approaches -structuralism- and with notable technical limitations -two-dimensional representations-. What is more, for some specific themes such as the hand motifs, and unlike other types of motifs such as animals, signs or human figures, their spatial study is practically non-existent. This constitutes an important information gap for a more profound understanding of Palaeolithic art.

Until now, the discipline was faced with the poverty of the analytical tools available. Moreover, the absence of obvious and identical distribution patterns across cavities (combined with their morphological variability) has not allowed the development of theories on the patterns of organisation of the motifs -especially the hands-.

The originality of our approach lies in the use of current computational methods, which allow us to process the three-dimensional space, both in its analysis and in the communication of results. Thus, statistical analysis methods, as well as digital GIS (Geographic Information System) software, have allowed us to consider the question in a fully innovative way.

In order to apply these methods to the specific case of underground networks, we have worked on the creation of relevant research axes. As a matter of fact, computer programmes are not informative in themselves: it is the questions we ask them, i.e. the calculations we perform through them, that can enlighten specific scientific questions. Thus, we consider questions such as the arrangement of the hands in relation to each other, their location in dangerous or difficult to access areas, their visibility or their link to the support.

We propose the application of this research method to three decorated Upper Palaeolithic caves: El Castillo (Cantabria, Spain), Fuente del Trucho (Huesca, Spain) and Maltravieso (Extremadura, Spain) to determine different types of spatial distributions. In the future, validation of the method would allow its application to a larger number of sites, with the aim of developing a geographically extended comparative analysis in order to obtain historical inferences. These results can also be compared with current research on the palaeodemography of negative hands, with the aim of increasing our knowledge of Palaeolithic social groups and their use of decorated caves in general.