Reflections on Palaeolithic Cave Art, Girls at Puberty and the Origin of Religion

10 Pages Posted: 6 Oct 2015

Date Written: August 11, 2015

Abstract

It is not a stretch of imagination to link seclusion of girls at puberty with the Palaeolithic cave art. The widely accepted view about cave art suggests that the cave artists had been shamans. This shamanic origin can imply that the religion emerged in the times when the cave artists were active. It has already been posited in the relevant literature that the Venus figurines representing mobile art of the period suggests their connection to the rites of girls at puberty. This paper explores the possibility that there could have been a link between the cave artists and the girls at puberty. This connection means that the religion might have started with an association to the girls’ puberty rites.

Keywords: Antiquity of Seclusion of Girls at Puberty, Interpretation of Venus Figurines, Palaeolithic Cave Art, Paleolithic Venus Figurines, Puberty Rites, Shamanism

Suggested Citation

Arachige, Darshi, Reflections on Palaeolithic Cave Art, Girls at Puberty and the Origin of Religion (August 11, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2668892 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2668892

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