Cave Wall Rings
Structuring element of dwellings
Upper Palaeolithic
44 000 to 14 000 years
The presence of these rings on cave walls, associated with sculptures, leads various authors to give different interpretations of this enigmatic representation in Palaeolithic sites.
L. Iakovleva et G. Pinçon, La Frise sculptée du Roc-aux-Sorciers. C.T.H.S, R.M.N. 1997
Commentary :
In the shelters occupied during the Upper Palaeolithic, rings are carved into the rock walls.
These small stone arches are important structuring elements of the dwelling. They are used to secure ropes to hang food, and fragile equipment, as well as to firmly attach hangings, to divide the living spaces.
During the Upper Palaeolithic, at the height of the ice age, these rings carved into rock walls, reveal ingenious ways of closing off the dwellings.