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The Ādam Paradox Hypothesis 113
At Hohle Fels, Nicholas Conard’s team uncovered flutes carved from bird bones
and mammoth ivory, dated to ~42 ka. Replicas played by experimental
musicians produce recognizable scales and melodies. Conard emphasized:
“This
instrument shows not only technological skill but a sophisticated musical
tradition. Its presence at the dawn of the Aurignacian suggests music was
integral to symbolic culture.
” (Conard et al., 2009, p. 737).
Figure 11.7 — Mammoth ivory flute from Hohle Fels, dated ~42 ka (after Conard et al.,
2009).
An upper-Paleolithic flute carved from
mammoth ivory, discovered at Hohle Fels in
the Swabian Jura of southern Germany.
Featuring finger-holes and precise
craftsmanship, this artifact is among the
earliest known musical instruments
associated with modern Homo sapiens in
Europe, reflecting aesthetic and acoustic
sensibility ca. 42,000 years ago.
Source: after Conard, N. J., Malina, M., & Münzel, S. C. (2009).
The caves of France elevated symbolism further into the realm of art. At
Chauvet Cave, paintings dated to ~37 ka depict lions, rhinoceroses, and horses
with shading, perspective, and motion. Jean Clottes, stunned by the mastery,
wrote:
“From the first moment, the art was fully formed. It was not tentative, not
experimental. It was masterful.
” (Clottes, 2003, p. 29).
Figure 11.8 — Panel of lions and rhinoceroses, Chauvet Cave, ~37 ka (after Clottes, 2003).
A panel in Chauvet Cave depicting multiple lions and rhinoceroses in dynamic poses, with strong use of
contour, shading, and natural rock relief. The artwork is dated to around 37,000 years ago and is
among best-preserved Paleolithic cave paintings, demonstrating early sophisticated representational art.
Sources: after Clottes (2003); images via Getty Publications (photo by Jean Clottes) and Ancient Art
Archive.