Paper short abstract:

Paleolithic human beings, sensitive to the natural world they shared with diverse species, learned much from animals, particularly horses, and from herd behavior. 38,000 years ago they paid homage to non-human communication, prominently depicting specific animals on cave walls.

Paper long abstract:

As a trained art historian/artist/archaeologist, I have been fascinated with the evolution of communication in visual vocabulary. But, my equine avocation has yielded more insights than my extensive academic education. I have worked/partnered with horses since I was 3. It was not until I rescued an American mustang and began to study herd behavior and wild horses that I truly began to experience an authentic human-horse connection and communication. I have spent time with 350 wild horses in a natural habitat allowing me to experience first hand, subtle herd behavior. Working with indigenous cultures and these wild mustangs required I set aside decades of academic assumptions.

We have lived in intimate relationship with animals for millennia. These animals have been much more than a food supply or source of sport. My experience with feral horses has shown that animals were sentient teachers and sacred relatives. It is not hard to imagine, therefore, that ancient Paleolithic humans may have mirrored their tribal behavior and collaboration for survival, by observing animal behavior. Human assimilation of animal behavior was woven into songs and stories, patterned in tribal dances, encoded in glyphs and marks and depicted on the walls of the most ancient sacred spaces. These were visited for ritual purposes, for remembrance and to pay homage to these remarkable creatures. I would appreciate discussing with others interested in primal horse/human communication this proposed decoding of visual expression from 38,000 BCE in French Paleolithic cave paintings.