MESSAGE FROM PALEOLITH The most ancient and picturesque drawings are on the second floor of the cave – right in the heart of the cave, in the Drawing chamber. This high and large rounded chamber was created as a sacred place by nature itself. The most impressive drawings can be seen here. They are present on the opposite walls – eastern and western. The eastern wall holds the most impressive composition. In the center stands a big horse outlined carefully. This was the first drawing, found by A.V. Ryumin in the cave. The drawing is about 1.5 meters big. The horse is stumpy, hairy, with furry mane and tail. It walks calmly to the north, as most of animals on this wall. Her head catches attention with its elegance; the horse is placed in front of all the other drawings, as if leading the whole procession. “The Upper Mammoth” stands behind the horse, somewhat higher. It is a large drawing as well, but roughly outlined, its back part suffered from water; the trunk and tusks are hardly seen. This is the most damaged figure of the composition. Right under, behind the horse, stands the “Great Rhinoceros”. The figure of the giant beast is well outlined; the frontal part of the body is heavily painted; in the center and behind the figure clear vertical lines are drawn. It could be a geometrical sign applied to the figure or lines, showing the shaggy fur of the animal. Beneath, slightly inclined to the left, we can see the horn of a rhinoceros; it is hanging over the back of the “Central Mammoth”. The outlines of this figure are not quite clear. Somewhat lower the “Big Trapezium” lies. At first it looks like a beast or a fish as well, it is very zoo-morph. The figure is large, nearly as large as the rhinoceros. The upper corners of the trapezium are long; the left one is much longer than the right one. The inner inclined ribs are drawn very tight, they are twelve in number. To the right on a rock face, separated from the wall by a crack, there are four smaller drawings. A horse with a narrow head, as if that of a fox or dolphin. Lower there is a mammoth. A computer analysis provided an unexpected result. Right in front of the mammoth there was the profile of a human figure. There is very little space on this flat triangular wall and that’s why the artist slightly squeezed the mammoth figure. The human figure faces the mammoth and stretches out his hand. Both figures are drawn without expression. This doesn’t look like a hunting scene. This looks like a meeting of a giant animal and a man! This picture could prompt us to a new understanding of relationship between the Paleolithic man and surrounding nature. Under the mammoth on a triangular rock there is another mammoth, which could be a mammoth baby of a. It is drawn very schematically.
23