Art of Homo erectus: two additional Acheulean handaxes, this time from Africa, may include worked zoomorphic forms

Acheulean handaxe from the Sahara, west Africa, interpreted as including a facial profile of a monkey-like creature like other examples noted by Ken Johnston on this blog.

ORIGIN: WEST AFRICA (Sahara desert), from an old collection.
length : 15.5 cm ( 6.10 inches)
width : 8 cm ( 3.14 inches)
thickness : 5 cm ( 1.96 inches)
made of JASPER with Saharan patina

These kinds of Acheulean "decorated handaxes" have been documented by scholars and amateur archaeologists in Europe for several decades and are predicted to be found in existing archaeological and museum collections if time and care is made to inspect for them. Some of the facial profiles are human and some are animals.

Face profile on middle right edge on this handaxe from Dunbridge, Hampshire, was featured in an earlier posting on this blog. The handaxe is centered on stone cortex (light feature) which was intentionally retained by the artifact's creator. This face is similar to the new identification from north Africa above.

Another Sahara desert Acheulean handaxe which appears to have an area worked out to present a face of a creature, perhaps a human or feline.

A European handaxe identified in an earlier posting compares favorably to the new handaxe from Africa above it. Both have anthropomorphic/zoomorphic faces on the lower right edge.

The "fish mouths" interpreted on two artifacts a couple of postings ago were also in this approximate position, hinting that these so-called tools also served as a kind of display frame for expression of symbolic zoomorphic forms.

John Feliks, a co-founder of the Pleistocene Coalition, has demonstrated in a series of falsifiable proofs that homo erectus was highly intelligent and creative:

"Hence, the following advanced cognitive qualities may be quite easily assumed for the species Homo erectus by way of geometric analogy: interrelationship sensitivity and complex organizational skill; language; use of metaphor and hidden meaning; philosophy; mysticism or other “spiritual” perspectives; and a general ability to discern, appreciate, and create the most subtle nuance within any area of intellectual endeavor."

Baboon head depiction on a handaxe. Part of the stone's cortex was retained to depict the animal's nose and mouth.

Here is an example of a baboon head depiction I discovered on an Acheulean handaxe from the Île-de-France, along with a human head depiction on the obverse, which was featured in an earlier posting.

A petrified wooden polymorph ape-sculpture from Indonesia (Java)

A petrified wooden polymorph ape-sculpture from Indonesia (Java) 

Jan van Es of The Netherlands writes on his web site:

"The measures of this ape head are: height 18 cm; width 17 cm; thickness 8 cm; weight 4½ kilo. It’s extremely heavy, considering the measures.

In 1991 I bought in Roermond (Holland) in a little shop a piece of fossilized wood (it was presented like this), but I saw immediately a clear ape head. Because the ape item from the pitch in Pampau was presented by Mrs. U.Benekendorff as a new addition in the sculpture series, I thought this ape head a hot item. I asked the owner of the shop about this piece of wood. He told me about an acquaintance in Indonesia, from Java, who let children search for minerals and fossils in ancient riverbeds (he used to pay them f 1,- for a good fossil or mineral).

This polymorph ape head had been presented 4 x in expositions of several collectors, including present writer. Typological this piece fits in the sculpture-sequence: male portrait – sitting mother or ape portrait – sitting ape mother. I frequently notice these images besides (also frequently) females riding on the back of animals, like Europe on the back of a bull (Zeus). Because the ape images are turning up at several places in the world, this ape portrait seems to me a suitable piece in the jig puzzle of sort (species), source, period, interpretation and presentation. Ambiguous aspects in an ape portrait, e.g. the skull of a chimp but the snout of an orang-utan, can be an indication of a (geographic) connection to the African continent and Asia. This ape head for instance has a resemblance with a male chimp (and “en profile” with an Australopithecus), but upside down one can see an ape (mother) with a long snout. For many years I’ve been collecting a typology of male portraits and sitting females (in one sculpture), of which the male portraits were to be seen on the bellies of the females. I found this item also in human-animal sculptures.

When I saw this ape head I immediately had Dr. Eugene Dubois in mind, a professor from Amsterdam, who found in 1890 and 1891 fragments from skeletons in Indonesia from a species, which he called at that time the Pithecanthropus."

Old Acheulean ape figure from Boukoul, Netherlands, has similarities with ape-like face from Columbia River valley, Oregon

Old Acheulean ape figure from Boukoul, Netherlands, collection of Jan van Es, has similarities with smiling ape-like face from Columbia River valley, Oregon

White line indicates incised extension of mouth line of ape face, the red stone at the end of the line possibly intended to represent the mouth of the ape face

White line indicates incised mouth line of face visage.

Irrigon, Oregon, Dennis Boggs collection

Original March 2011 posting of the Oregon ape-like face, before the Netherlands similar piece was identified as having some visual similarity:

http://portablerockart.blogspot.com/2011/03/face-on-front-of-abrading-stone.html

Hans Grams of Germany finds sculpture interpreted as "ape" and "bear" heads

From Wegberg, German Rhineland

Found by Hans Grams, late February 2011

Interpreted by Grams as "ape head" in first three photos.

Hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas)

The face is depicted as having a missing left eye (and nostril) here.

Please see James Harrod's "Four Memes..." link on the right side panel for more on this theme, called "the mask of the opacity of suffering" by him.  I see similarity between this German piece and the American artifact posted on March 7 seen here:

http://portablerockart.blogspot.com/2011/03/polymorphic-sculpture-feline-hominid.html

American sculpture which resembles the German sculpture in the position and view shown in the photo before this American one.  The left eye is missing or distorted, perhaps to depict an injury to the face.

From another viewpoint, this has been interpreted as a

bear head by Hans Grams

Another bear view
From Wegberg, German Rhineland

Hans Grams, found late February 2011

Worked flint gorilla-like primate and horned bovid (with multiple faces)

Worked flint resembling a gorilla-type primate.

Dennis Boggs collection, Irrigon, Oregon, U.S.A.

When the view of the pierres-figures is changed slightly, the animal morphs into a horned bovid, presumably buffalo or musk ox, known symbols of "male fertility" and "masculinity" in early stone art.  The nose of the buffalo in profile is at the far left of the artifact, they eye is above that and a curling horn icon is above the eye. (A coin is being used to stand up the artifact for some of the photos).

This is side 2, the back of the stone

Test your skill.  Do you see any faces or other images on the gorilla/buffalo? Click the picture above to expand for details.

Here are three faces I detected on this stone. Primate face being seen straight on inside circle around head.  Child or woman in hat/leered at by devil man, is seen in the pentagon.

Child or woman in hat, on left looking to lower left of screen,  being leered at from right side from slightly above by left facial profile of a "devil-man" with a grotesquely exaggerated nose.  Other possible faces on this stone, such as the one outside and just below the left point of the pentagon, are 1 to 2mm round- almost rice grain art size.

-kbj

Face on front of abrading stone using contrasting white stone for jawline

From Irrigon, Oregon, U.S.A., Columbia River Valley

Dennis Boggs collection

Smiling, chimp-like face on leading front of abrading tool

This is a view of the hard stone material on the bottom of this piece used as the abrading surface on this finger held pebble tool.  The top of the stone which comprises the face is a softer, much different stone type.  This is a view from behind of the left profile of the face, tip of the face's mouth is point where at left where the two materials meet.  One would grab the "knob" seen here on stone top and hold with smiling face leading each forward stroke of the abrading tool. 

View of right side of face.  This face incorporated into a tool in the U.S.A. may indicate a Eurasian cultural connection to the maker.

From The Netherlands, collection of Jan van Es

Oregon example exhibits similar usage of different stone material to make the jaw line of the face.

 

-kbj

A polymorphic sculpture: ape, lion, duck, egg, elephant and face "mask"

Ape head, right facial profile

A polymorphic sculpture:  ape, feline, duck, egg, primate face "mask" and proboscidean

This likely prehistoric polymorphic sculpture came to my attention by an internet visitor to Portable Rock Art as a possible intended “ape” icon.  The base it now stands on has been cleanly cut by a power saw in modern times apparently to facilitate standing display of the stone, which is quite interesting and beautiful not considering the imagery.  It was gifted to a rock collector without any records.  There is no provenance on the stone, it has modern alteration and it must be duly qualified.  Nonetheless, it is quite interesting and I think suitable for introduction and discussion here.  In addition to the ape, I have interpreted four additional creatures in this sculpture.

Anyone familiar with the stone material and its possible origin, which seems like a type of banded onyx or marble, is invited to comment or send an email.  It is very heavy for its size so the stone density is high. It is best to warn others of its unexpected weight when handing it over to them or they tend drop their arm and swing it back like they’re ready to “bowl” the artifact across the room. The surfaces, other than the cut part, are in excellent condition.

Feline head left profile.  The black band is the cat's jawline, her mouth, at lower left of photo, is represented by an excavated hole to suggest a snarl out of the side of the mouth.

There is also a depiction of a "sitting  duck" integrated into the image of the lion's head.  The duck is sitting on the jawline's wide black band which becomes like a shore's edge, facing left, bill tucked to its breast, with the black spot at the top of the stone representing the duck's eye.  There is an incised triangular wing.  The tail of the duck, if there was one, has been lopped off by the saw cut.  The duck is depicted as sitting on a likely symbolic "cosmic egg," source of life.  The lion and/or facial mask,  depending on the view direction, is positioned to spit out the the egg, a regenerative theme in early European stone art described by archaeologist Jan van Es of The Netherlands.

The appearance of at least five creature images at each of the four cardinal-type views of the artifact suggests its likely prehistoric intended iconography.  It was probably naturally suggestive to an artist or artists who made alterations to follow those suggestions to further refinement.  They are interpreted as a feline’s snarling head (like a lion), a primate (ape or human) seemingly depicted with a traumatic injury to the left side of the face, an ape-like right facial profile, a standing probiscidean (elephant, mammoth, mastodon family) and a duck.

The rather obscure public recognition of the roles of these five  "morphs" in ancient stone art make it unlikely someone would intentionally manufacture such a stone in current times.  It seems very likely only someone with great exposure to stone material offered by a hunter-forager's intimate relationship with and knowledge of lithic resources, as well as a great culturally-driven desire to express these five creatures simultaneously, could produce the final form seen here. It is a combination of iconography and a craftsmanship of another time.    

The most obvious human activity documented besides the saw cut is drilling and expanding of the lion’s mouth to manufacture a look of “snarl” or “grrrrrrr”  out of the side of the mouth.  There is a definite area of focused multiple percussive blows on the forehead of the ape, just above the right eye.  The ape's mouth line seems partially incised.  The ape's eye area was excavated down to black stone and recessed under a natural stone inclusion serving as a hard brow line.  White stone was removed to access black stone underneath to make the two eyes of the elephant. The primate face mask has two ground stone nostrils. The duck likewise has white stone removed to depict an eye in exact location.

The piece appears polished, maybe resulting from a combination of environmental rolling, intentional polishing of breaks made to enhance the final form and smoothing and patination from human handling of the stone.

Primate (ape/human?) "mask" with grotesque/missing left facial depiction.  Two nostrils are visible at the tip of the nose here, face is being viewed straight on.  Each serves as the singular nostril for the profile views of the lion and ape.

(for orientation, ape on photo left side, lion on photo right side)

The idea of a lion taking a bite out of the head may be found in the “Four Memes…” article by James B. Harrod seen in the links panel on the right side of your screen.  Such stone faces, or masks, are often depicted with visual distortion on the left side, often indicating an open mouth, a closed or missing eye- perhaps suggesting the horror of a lions bite.  This artifact could be an expression of a “stratigraphic overlay” of three world “memes” or packages of cultural information (1) "hit the baboon (ape here) on the head," first identified by Mary Leakey at Olduvai, (2) “lion's bite out of the head” and (3) “mask of the opacity of suffering” to borrow James B. Harrod’s concepts and terminology. 

Standing elephant, head at photo left side, rump at right 

A slice of the stone was cut off by power saw in current times, about parallel to the horizontal plane of the standing elephant, where the lower 1/4 or so of the elephant, such as the bottom of the trunk, the bottom of legs and the feet, if they were ever there, are gone now.

Head-on view of elephant, eyes depicted in black stone

Apes are a known subject of European stone art.  There may have been human networks from Europe into Africa or Asia which provided information to Europeans about apes.  Some Europeans were very familiar with baboons which they had to contend with on the Iberian Peninsula and along the Mediterranean coast.  It may be that the remains of bones, such as those of Gigantopithicus which went extinct about 100,000 years ago, were traded into Europe from south east Asia as novelties of a much larger but similar species. 

Please use the links here for images and more information on the ape topic in ancient stone art.  Right click your mouse to have your browser translate languages if needed.

Ursel Benekendorff, Germany

http://www.schafftwissen.de/16.html

Hans Grams, Germany

http://hans-grams.de/Fund_Wegberg_PDF/compare_smitsi_sapiens.pdf

Jan van Es, The Netherlands

http://jan.innoxia.com/aapa2.htm

Petrified wooden polymorph from Java.  Jan van Es collection.

-kbj