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PALAEOLITHIC LITHOPHONES: DESCRIPTIONS AND COMPARISONS
Author(s) -
DAMS LYA
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
oxford journal of archaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1468-0092
pISSN - 0262-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0092.1985.tb00229.x
Subject(s) - cave , ceremony , rite , flute , subject matter , natural (archaeology) , archaeology , subject (documents) , history , geography , philosophy , computer science , art history , psychology , pedagogy , theology , library science , curriculum
Summary Following the findings of the lithophone at the “Organ” sanctuary in the cave of Nerja (Dams 1984a), This paper describes and discusses other similar natural configurations. Like the “Organ”, some of the lithophones mentioned below are also decorated. The function of these natural percussion sets may be linked with other Palaeolithic instruments like the flutes, of which 30 have been found to date. There is no resemblance in the subject matter of the ornamented lithophones, and the signs and symbols selected for their decoration are dissimilar; it may be assumed that this subject matter was not directly connected with the sound effect itself, but rather with the different surroundings of each cave and with a different story to be related to the spectators or participants in a rite or ceremony.