Fossil findings blur picture of art’s birth as scientists have now dated the artefacts, by looking at the rates of decay of radioactive carbon atoms in samples taken from the specimens. There has always been speculation about the origin of ancient artefacts and who created them and, why. Even though I’m not able to argue for the whys of creation, I do find the pieces profoundly more stimulating than much of the artwork I’ve seen over the past twenty years. I could go back even further than twenty years but, I won’t.
Part of the thing I find interesting is understanding the nature of human migrations and their interaction with Neanderthals. The article in question talks about Europe although, it would be fascinating to see when and how other parts of the planet came to have similar-in-time artefacts.
The motivation for creating some kind of object with a non-utilitarian use would seem to be a continuing motivation in human history although, how that notion intersects with our highly charged capitalist, socio-political environment seems, at times, to have gone astray.