Monday, January 17, 2011

Paleolitic Fae?

If you've ever been curious about how early faeries lived whilst our ancestors were dwelling in caves and wrapping themselves in animal skins I'd like to take you on a short photographic visit to this recently discovered miniature troglodytic habitation, the first of its kind to be acknowledged and systematically studied by the scientific community. The cave site has been described by investigating scholars (in distinctly nonacademic terms) as "tiny--about the size of a large washbasin" and was discovered in the autumn of 2010 by a pair of recreational rock climbers whose Sunday outing dislodged the stones blocking the entrance. The actual location is a closely guarded secret and has been described by the press simply as "a steep cliff face in the Dordogne, France", a region already famous for its many traces of early cave dwelling humans. 
Although at this point in time there can be little more than educated conjecture concerning the original purpose of this amazing site, judging by the extensive wall decor and rich furnishings it appears to have been a place of some ritual or ceremonial importance. (In some aspects it also bears a striking if rather anachronistic resemblance to photos of mid twentieth century art galleries of the abstract expressionist persuasion--notice in particular the small sculptural pieces on pedestals). Whatever its original purpose, it is a stunningly well preserved glimpse into the distant magical past and yet another cautionary note to the fae naysayers.




2 comments: