The Mind in the Cave — the Cave in the Mind: Altered Consciousness in the Upper Paleolithic

Author

David J. Lewis‐Williams
Jean Clottes

Files

Publication Date

3-1-1998

Publication Title

Anthropology of Consciousness

Volume Number

9

Issue Number

1

Abstract

This brief overview argues that the evidence of the images themselves, as well as their contexts, suggests that some Franco‐Cantabrian Upper Paleolithic cave art was, at least in part, intimately associated with various shamanic practices. Universal features of altered states of consciousness and the deep caves combined to create notions of a subterranean spirit‐world that became, amongst other ritual areas, the location of vision quests.

Document Type

Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1525/ac.1998.9.1.13

Recommended Citation

Lewis‐Williams, David J. and Clottes, Jean, "The Mind in the Cave — the Cave in the Mind: Altered Consciousness in the Upper Paleolithic" (1998). KIP Articles. 9591.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/9591