Has the formal relationship between Lascaux and Gabillou been formally established?

摘要

It is generally accepted that the caves of Lascaux and Gabillou (Dordogne) are strongly related. The assumption is based on shared characteristics such as the presence of compartmentalized quadrangles in both caves and a general trend to represent strongly animated animal figures, in addition to other common stylistic features. However the archaeological data do not corroborate their absolute contemporaneousness, since the most recent l4C dates obtained by AMS indicate a difference of about 1600 calendar years between the two caves. In order to estimate quantitatively their degree of similarity, we have carried out a statistical analysis concerning the morphology of horses, the most abundant species in both caves. 51 complete representations of horses (13 from Gabillou and 38 from Lascaux) were described by means of 25 morphological criteria such as the presence of sense organs (eye, nostril, mouth, ear), the design of mane and tail, the perspective of the legs and the treatment of their extremities, some elements of animation, the tendency towards microcephaly, etc. The resulting table was submitted to multidimensional analysis (Factor analysis and Hierarchical ascending classification). The analysis shows a clear-cut separation of the figures into two groups, one being almost exclusively composed of horses from Lascaux and the other one almost exclusively composed of horses from Gabillou. The reason for this partition lies clearly in the different treatment of the limbs: complete limbs in natural perspective with hoof and fetlock at Lascaux; only one leg per pair (or more rarely two legs in a frontal view), with an open-ended or pointed extremity at Gabillou. On the other hand, the microcephalic trend (defined as heads measuring less than one half of the normal size with respect to Przewalski horse) is exclusively present in Lascaux. Thus, the two groups are well defined by clearly opposed properties facilitating their identification. In Lascaux, horses belonging to the "Gabillou group" are exceptional and this is also true for horses belonging to the "Lascaux group" in Gabillou. However the few examples where both types of animals are ?mixed? in the same panels are particularly noteworthy because horses with "exogenous" characteristics appear to be fully integrated in homogeneously conceived compositions. They do not seem to be intrusive additions devoid of any link to the composition (cases of the "panel of the Stable" in Gabillou; "Panel of the Imprint" and "Panel of the Great Black Cow" in Lascaux). This is a strong argument in favour of the strict contemporaneousness of both types of horses and therefore of the contemporaneity of both sites. This led us to the hypothesis that the cave art was elaborated simultaneously in Lascaux and Gabillou, during a period of time that could be situated at the end of the Upper Solutrean or at the very beginning of the Magdalenian. The oldest date known for Lascaux, 18600 BP (22220 cal BP) is in keeping with this assumption. Arguments for this assumption can be found in the artistic context of contemporary sites. During this period, the most usual design for quadrupeds is to represent one leg per pair or, less often, two legs in a frontal view, and to leave the extremities unfinished (open-ended or ending with a point). Examples of these features are widely distributed in the caves ofEbbou and Cosquer, in the open air rock art sites at Foz Coa (Portugal), and on the engraved slabs from Parpalld (Valencia). Gabillou is a good example of this trend. At the same date, Lascaux appears as very innovative since the animals are systematically represented with a true perspective of the limbs separated in two planes and with particular attention paid to the extremities.