How Our Ancestors With Autistic Traits Led a Revolution in Ice Age Art
Topic: Anthropology and Disability
Author: University of York
Published: 2018/05/14 - Updated: 2024/04/10
Publication Type: Anthropology News - Peer-Reviewed: Yes
Contents: Summary - Introduction - Main Item - Related Topics
Synopsis: Research reveals the ability to focus on detail, a common trait among people with autism, allowed realism to flourish in Ice Age art. Detail focus is what determines whether you can draw realistically; you need it in order to be a talented realistic artist. This trait is found very commonly in people with autism and rarely occurs in people without it. Individuals with this trait - both those who would be diagnosed with autism in the modern day and those that wouldn't - likely played an important part in human evolution and survival as we colonised Europe.
Introduction
Around 30,000 years ago realistic art suddenly flourished in Europe. Extremely accurate depictions of bears, bison, horses and lions decorate the walls of Ice Age archaeological sites such as Chauvet Cave in southern France.
Main Item
Why our ice age ancestors created exceptionally realistic art rather than the very simple or stylised art of earlier modern humans has long perplexed researchers.
Many have argued that psychotropic drugs were behind the detailed illustrations. The popular idea that drugs might make people better at art led to a number of ethically-dubious studies in the 60s where participants were given art materials and LSD.
The authors of the new study discount that theory, arguing instead that individuals with "detail focus", a trait linked to autism, kicked off an artistic movement that led to the proliferation of realistic cave drawings across Europe.
Lead author of the paper, Dr Penny Spikins from the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, said:
"Detail focus is what determines whether you can draw realistically; you need it in order to be a talented realistic artist. This trait is found very commonly in people with autism and rarely occurs in people without it."
"We looked at the evidence from studies attempting to identify a link between artistic talent and drug use, and found that drugs can only serve to dis-inhibit individuals with a pre-existing ability. The idea that people with a high degree of detail focus, many of which may have had autism, set a trend for extreme realism in ice age art is a more convincing explanation."
The research adds to a growing body of evidence that people with autistic traits played an important role in human evolution.
Dr Spikins added:
"Individuals with this trait - both those who would be diagnosed with autism in the modern day and those that wouldn't - likely played an important part in human evolution and survival as we colonised Europe."
"As well as contributing to early culture, people with the attention to detail needed to paint realistic art would also have had the focus to create complex tools from materials such as bone, rock and wood. These skills became increasingly important in enabling us to adapt to the harsh environments we encountered in Europe."
How do we explain 'autistic traits' in European Upper Palaeolithic art? is published in Open Archaeology.
Autism and Human Evolutionary Emergence of Collaborative Morality: It is likely our ancestors would have had autism, with genetics suggesting the condition has a long evolutionary history.
Attribution/Source(s):
This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its significant relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by University of York, and published on 2018/05/14 (Edit Update: 2024/04/10), the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, University of York can be contacted at york.ac.uk. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.
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Cite This Page (APA): University of York. (2018, May 14 - Last revised: 2024, April 10). How Our Ancestors With Autistic Traits Led a Revolution in Ice Age Art. Disabled World. Retrieved October 7, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/education/anthropology/ice-age-art.php
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