Cavemen: what did they do in their spare time?

[HomerJay]

What I never understood about cave art is the practice required to get both scale and anatomy just right. This isn't something that just happens. So where are all the mistakes that lead to correct pictorial representation? The most spooky thing is that only paper style practice can lead to the accuracy above....

I was wondering exactly the same thing - where is all the shit caveman art?

Or were they all talented?

[Audley Strange]

Perhaps they practiced with sticks in mud?

[Atheist-Lite]

Perhaps they practiced with sticks in mud?

Yeah, all the rage even now.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4563751.stm

[Svartalf]

One thing that goes with a primitive lifestyle is the lack of spare time.

[Atheist-Lite]

One thing that goes with a primitive lifestyle is the lack of spare time.

They would have lacked a understanding of time as we know it altogether. The fact they would still have required a way to practice and be judged with regards artistic prowess remains. Perhaps tattoo artistry? Only the finest tattoo artist would qualify and this could also explain the slight scaling distortion in some of the images? Perhaps even indicating where they would have been placed on the hunters?

[Svartalf]

They had the same brains we have... they might have had different vision of it, but a lack of understanding? no, they had days and nights and recurring seasons, and they worked withing such a framework at least.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Flint knapping, clothes making, weapons production, all that took time.

[Rum]

..and of course racing their pet dinosaurs..

[Tero]

As soon as they had some objects, they did chores in spare time. Men and boys had games that inproved hunting skills. And to show off to available females.

When they had mates, picking off lice was a fun intimate job. Or you could groom the one above you in pecking order.

[Audley Strange]

..and of course racing their pet dinosaurs..

[FBM]

There wasn't much time to do anything, they died before 35 on average.

Doesn't that mortality statistic account for infant mortality too? I think if you survived past childhood you'd probably live for longer.

Absolutely. And if you live past today you'll probably live for longer. And tomorrow...

[Coito ergo sum]

There wasn't much time to do anything, they died before 35 on average.

That is a very good point. High infant mortality. Lots of women dying in childbirth. Malnutrition and hunger rampant. Minor injuries leading to death. Teeth being particularly vulnerable, I assume, because any infection would probably lead to death, and a toothache would have to result in a tooth being removed forcibly without anesthesia. No surgery. No medicine except witchcraft and shamanism.

I expect adulthood was accelerated. If one looks back just to the middle ages, there are many examples of teenage military leaders. Harald Hardrada fought in his first battle at around 15 years old, and was a king by 18. In caveman times, I imagine they had to be adults after puberty with sexual lives beginning as soon as puberty arrives, if not earlier. And, middle age set in around 17 and by 28, a man is an elder. Those that made it past 35 probably became renowned as so old that their reckoning could take them back to the little children's great great grandparents. The one guy who still hangs on through 40s and into his 50s in good health was probably looked at as magical.

[Audley Strange]

Which means most of our histories are written by daft children about daft children.

[Coito ergo sum]

Wake up. Eat. Hunt. Eat. Fuck. Sleep.

Sounds nice, actually.

I watched some show that was on one of the nerd channels, like discovery or something about stone age people. They had a bunch of people in reality-show style go out in the woods and they had to live like neolithic folks. The show was short lived and sucked ass, but the concept was cool. I wish they would try it again. The problem with it was they ended it making it full of soap operatic drama between the tribe members. One funny part, though, was how quick some of the modern folks went bat shit bananas from being without any modern conveniences. It was almost embarrassing. Like, if you know you're only going out there for a few weeks, can't you tough it out? Some of them quit after like 3 days. LOL

[Coito ergo sum]

What I never understood about cave art is the practice required to get both scale and anatomy just right. This isn't something that just happens. So where are all the mistakes that lead to correct pictorial representation? The most spooky thing is that only paper style practice can lead to the accuracy above....

I was wondering exactly the same thing - where is all the shit caveman art?

Or were they all talented?

Given that families or tribes used the same caves for hundreds of years, odds are they erased the shit art, and the stuff that remained for long periods of time would be the stuff everyone liked and which aided in storytelling and recounting great deeds.