MP Gallery - Markings, Signs, Graphemes; h) temnata6750Drawing upon the Early Paleolithic 'interative stroke marks', the Middle Paleolithic symbol makers appear to have innovated a new grapheme, sequences of 'long, object-crossing, parallel lines' mark motif (which I designated Type B iterative stroke marks). Examples include:
Marshack proposes that the regularity and parallel spacing of such incised lines on the La Quina bone likely results from the cutting of leather to make thongs (Marshack, A. 1991. A reply to Davidson on Mania & Mania. Rock Art Research 8, 47-58). However, this cannot explain either the Temnata or La Ferrassie artifacts in which cross-object lines are engraved on stone. Hence, something else is happening here, and possibly also on one or more of the bone objects so incised. I suggest, after the New Guinea ritual dibat, whose knotting around a stone object makes it sacred, empowers it with the 'singing seeds of life', ancestral spirit (Hampton, O.W. 1999. Culture of stone: Sacred and profane uses of stone among the Dani. College Station: Texas A&M University Press), may signify something like 'unfolding, empowerment with spirit-soul, and its protection'. Cutting across the entire surface of the object is like giving it a string necklace, giving it life-power and protective power; it makes the whole enspirited. The example from Temnata is shown below. Photo © M. Crémades. Cremades, M., Laville, H., Sirakov, N. and J. K. Kozlowski. 1995. Une pierre gravee de 50,000 ans B.P. dans les Balkans. Paleo 7:201-209: Figures 9, 10, and 11. Top: techical analysis of incisions, indicating direction of incising and V or U form of grooves; numbers 1, 2, 3 indicated order of making of incisions. Middle: photo. Bottom: hypothetical reconstruction of original object prior to breakage. |