The Origins of Formation of Descriptive Geometry

The translation "Descriptive geometry" is not entirely accurate. In fact, the phrase should be translated as "Narrative geometry". Based on this translation, it can be confidently stated that the science under consideration serves not only as a theoretical basis for orthogonal projections, a special case of which are ordinary drawings, but also for any images – in this the author of the article fully agrees with such authorities as N.A. Rynin, N.F. Chetverukhin, V.O. Gordon, S.A. Frolov, N.A. Sobolev and many others. The paper considers the origins of one of the directions of geometry – descriptive geometry. The hypothesis is put forward that in reality descriptive geometry, or rather, its elements, was originally involved in ancient times, during the primitive communal system when making drawings on the walls of caves and rocks. Orthogonal projections were used in the ancient world and in the Middle Ages, and Gaspard Monge at the end of the XVIII century systematized all the existing disconnected developments on descriptive geometry, adding his own research. Most likely, geometry in general was the very first science that originated when our ancestors who lived in caves faced the problem of increasing the living area due to population growth. And descriptive geometry began to develop from the moment when the first artist depicted scenes from life on the cave wall: hunting, fishing, tribal wars, events that shocked people, etc. Ancient artists existed on all continents of the globe, except perhaps Antarctica, since rock carvings were found on all other continents. And the earliest was performed somewhere 25-30 thousand years ago. Thus, the hypothesis that the elements of descriptive geometry originated in the primitive communal system can be considered proven.

Geochemistry of phosphatic nodules as a tool for understanding depositional and taphonomical settings in a Palaeolithic cave site (San Teodoro, Sicily)

Interpreting depositional settings of cave sites is generally problematic, especially in absence of palaeontological/archaeological evidence. This is the case of some deposits at San Teodoro Cave (Sicily), a key site for the Mediterranean Palaeolithic. In a stratigraphic level interrupted by a carbonatic concretion, phosphatic nodules are present only in the part enclosed between the concretion and the cave wall. The discovery of these nodules combined with the punctual lack of fossils had initially suggested an erosion phenomenon and subsequent formation of nodules at a vadose level. Here we show the usefulness of an integrated, geochemical-palaeoecological approach in defining stratigraphy and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. XRD, ICP-OES, ATR-FTIR and EDS analyses allowed the formulation of a new hypothesis regarding the origin of the nodules, the depositional dynamics, and the role played by the guano produced by an extensive colony of bats. The role of barium and rubidium in detecting taphonomical processes has been highlighted.

Gravettian hand stencils as sign language formatives

Several Upper Palaeolithic archaeological sites from the Gravettian period display hand stencils with missing fingers. On the basis of the stencils that Leroi-Gourhan identified in the cave of Gargas (France) in the late 1960s, we explore the hypothesis that those stencils represent hand signs with deliberate folding of fingers, intentionally projected as a negative figure onto the wall. Through a study of the biomechanics of handshapes, we analyse the articulatory effort required for producing the handshapes under the stencils in the Gargas cave, and show that only handshapes that are articulable in the air can be found among the existing stencils. In other words, handshape configurations that would have required using the cave wall as a support for the fingers are not attested. We argue that the stencils correspond to the type of handshape that one ordinarily finds in sign language phonology. More concretely, we claim that they correspond to signs of an ‘alternate’ or ‘non-primary’ sign language, like those still employed by a number of bimodal (speaking and signing) human groups in hunter–gatherer populations, like the Australian first nations or the Plains Indians. In those groups, signing is used for hunting and for a rich array of ritual purposes, including mourning and traditional story-telling. We discuss further evidence, based on typological generalizations about the phonology of non-primary sign languages and comparative ethnographic work, that points to such a parallelism. This evidence includes the fact that for some of those groups, stencil and petroglyph art has independently been linked to their sign language expressions. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reconstructing prehistoric languages’.

Upper Palaeolithic Installation Art: Topography, Distortion, Animation and Participation in the Production and Experience of Cantabrian Cave Art

The physical nature of cave walls and its impact on Upper Palaeolithic image making and viewing has frequently been invoked in explanations about the function of cave art. The morphological features (convexities, concavities, cracks and ridges) are frequently incorporated into the representations of prey animals that dominate the art, and several studies have attempted to document the relationship between the cave wall and the art in a quantitative manner. One of the effects of such incorporation is that undulating walls will distort the appearance of images as viewers change their viewing position. Was this distortion deliberate or accidental? Until now, the phenomenon has not been investigated quantitatively. We address this here, analysing 54 Late Upper Palaeolithic animal images deriving from three Cantabrian caves, Covalanas, El Pendo and El Castillo. We introduce a novel use for photogrammetry and 3D modelling through documenting the morphology of these caves’ walls and establishing the specific relationship between the walls and the art created on them. Our observations suggest that Palaeolithic artists deliberately placed images on very specific topographies. The restricted nature of these choice decisions and the fact that the resulting distortions could have been avoided but were not suggest that the interaction between viewer, art and wall was integral to the way cave art functioned.

Draft Genome Sequences of Chlamydiales Bacterium STE3 and Neochlamydia sp. Strain AcF84, Endosymbionts of Acanthamoeba spp.

Chlamydiales bacterium STE3 and Neochlamydia sp. strain AcF84 are obligate intracellular symbionts of Acanthamoeba spp. isolated from the biofilm of a littoral cave wall and gills from striped tiger leaf fish, respectively. We report the draft genome sequences of these two environmental chlamydiae affiliated with the family Parachlamydiaceae.

The Function of Painting as a Visual Language (Djoko Pekik Trilogy Analysis)

Painting is a language expression that is expressed by artists through symbols or visual signs. Painting does not only reveal beauty, but also the role of symbolic language that will be realized by artists. The role of symbolic language in paintings is very influential to imply meaning, both denotation and connotation. Painting in general certainly aims to convey an unlimited message, it can be a social criticism, a historical record, and can also be present as an appeal. The message conveyed depends on what he wants to convey. So the focus of this study, how the role of painting as a visual language is realized through the symbols in the painting. This study uses the literature study method which is reviewed from some previous literature which is used as a sample or reference. The formation of visual language began in cave wall paintings, pictographs, and contemporary paintings such as the Djoko Pekik trilogy. Every painting shows that humans are able to express something through pictures or paintings.Keywords: Painting, Visual Language, Djoko Pekik Celeng Trilogy.

Cave wall-rock alteration as an indicator of hypogene speleogenesis

<p>Recent years have seen an increasing number of studies suggesting that hypogene processes are more important in the origin of cave systems than previously thought. Recognizing such hypogene caves has important implications for e.g. paleohydrology and has been primarily based on morphological criteria, which to some degree are subjective and difficult to quantify. Apart from caves containing coarsely crystalline spar backed by evidence of elevated paleotemperatures based on isotopes and/or fluid-inclusion data, there are no well-established physico-chemical tools to validate a hypogene model for a given cave.</p><p>In a systematic approach we have studied a number of cave systems showing morphological features diagnostic of upwelling fluids, and examined the composition of the rock immediately behind the cave wall using small-diameter drill cores. We commonly observed two features in this wall rock: (1) an increase in porosity (partly later occluded by carbonate cement) and (2) a change in the rock colour (bleaching of initially grey rock, or reddening). We also identified dedolomitisation of the dolomite host rock, which may locally lead to the formation of boxwork. The most diagnostic feature, however, is a systematic shift in the carbon and/or oxygen isotopic composition along wall rock drill cores. None of these petrographic and geochemical features were observed in wall-rock cores of epigene caves, opening the door to use this approach in order to identify, and in some cases quantify, paleo-water-rock interactions associated with hypogene speleogenesis.</p>

ZOOMORPHIC IMAGES IN PREHISTORIC CAVE PAINTING OF KAIN HITAM CAVE (PAINTED CAVE) NIAH, SARAWAK

This article debates the zoomorphic images or images of animals that have been produced on prehistoric cave walls. Kain Hitam Cave or known as Painted Cave, located within the Niah Cave complex, is a cave that believed have been inhabited by Neolithic peoples. Inside the cave, there were a variety of artifacts including boat-shaped coffins, jewelry made of shells, bones, and ceramics. Inside the cave, there is also a cave painting that is produced on the wall using hematite material mixed with a mixture of plant material. The main focus of this article is to record all the animal images found inside the cave wall. This research also attempted to document images digitally. The researchers produced a re-image using Adobe Photoshop's digital software. The results of this research are to collect a more organized and detailed collection of images.