The Shamans of Prehistory : Trance and Magic in the Painted Caves

This work reveals the authors' method of understanding the images painted or etched on rock walls by the people of prehistory.

Noting the similarity between prehistoric rock art and that created by some contemporary traditional societies, archaeologists Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams suggest that the ancient images were created by shamans, powerful individuals who were able to contact the spirit world through trance and ritual.The authors reflect on neuropsychology and ethnography, following prehistoric shamans into their trance states, and shedding light on what these rock artists were thinking and how they may have worked.