Rock Art Research

The beginning of art is unknown, but according to archaeological evidence, birds played a significant part in hominin aesthetic and cultural behaviour. Artistically, birds’ eggshells, bones and talons furnished some early artefacts. Linguistically, ethno-ornithology shows a universal prevalence of onomatopoeia in bird names, suggesting a possible link to language development. Birds also acquired a unique iconicity as metaphors and mythological symbols. Finally, flying, a particularly avian behaviour, is experienced by humans as dream-flying. Based on these facts, a cognitive hypothesis can be advanced that ornithographic art, avian metaphors and flying dreams constitute a ‘mode of thought’. As a form of ideation, they represent images of reality involving affective, mnemonic and sensory stimuli. Using a multidisciplinary approach, this essay explores the perceptual processes underlying metaphors, flying dreams and rock art for understanding iconicity and artistic creativity.