Gergory Curtis makes us see the astonishing sophistication and power of the paintings and tells us what is known about their creators, the Cro-Magnon people of some 40,000 years ago. He takes us through various theories—that the art was part of fertility or hunting rituals, or used for religious purposes, or was clan mythology—examining the ways interpretations have changed over time. Rich in detail, personalities, and history, The Cave Painters is above all permeated with awe for those distant humans who developed—perhaps for the first time—both the ability for abstract thought and a profound and beautiful way to express it.

—The Washington Post Book World

"The beauty of the cave art moves Curtis deeply, and his writing preserves that passionate response."

—Seattle Times

“Curtis is a good storyteller, and he has good stories to tell about eccentrics of all sorts.”

—The Christian Science Monitor

“A fascinating survey of the rival theories. . . . [Readers will be] swept up in the beauty of the cave paintings and the persuasive pull of his prose.”

—Richmond Times-Dispatch

The Naked Cave Man

Chapter 1

The Seductive Axe; The Well-Clothed Arrivals

Chapter 2

A Skeptic Admits His Error; The Passion of Miss Mary E. Boyle

Chapter 3

Noble Robot, an Inquiring Dog; The Abbé’s Sermons on the Mount

Chapter 4

The Great Black Cow; How to Paint a Horse

Chapter 5

A Stormy Drama Among Bison; The Golden Section

Chapter 6

A Lively but Unreliable Creation; Quaint, Symbolic Arrows

Chapter 7

The Trident-Shaped Cave; Pairing, Not Coupling

Chapter 8

Three Brothers in a Boat; The Sorcerer

Chapter 9

A Passage Underwater; The Skull on a Rock

Chapter 10

Strange, Stylized Women; The World Below the World

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography

Index