AR58. 12 July 2003
Copyright © 1975 by Christine Sharpe. All rights reserved.
Unpublished. Became part of a Master of Fine Arts thesis presented to Boston
University.
A
NEWLY DISCOVERED ART SANCTUARY IN KOONALDA
CAVE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA[1]
by
Christine Sharpe
ABSTRACT.
This article involves a description of a newly discovered
Pleistocene art form in the upper chamber of Koonalda
Cave in South
Australia. This consists of a large number of
extensively engraved boulders which seem to align a complex series of pathways
and living floors.
KEYWORDS.
CONTENTS.
References
Cited. 1
Notes. 1
Koonalda
Cave is situated fifty-four miles
from the Went Australian border and fourteen miles from the sea. It contains
evidence of late Pleistocene occupation in the form of complicated assemblages,
sculptural stele and wall markings similar to the ‘macaroni’ of European caves.
For more complete background information see Wright (1971).
During this expedition, my airy was to make a thorough
documentation of the wall markings. I was accompanied in this task by my
husband, K. Sharpe.
The entrance to the cave is from the North West
side of a huge sink hole. One must descend some three hundred feet
from this entrance to reach the main chamber. At the back of this chamber is a
steep ascent which leads to an upper level,
at the back o which are the wall markings. While passing through this area,
I noticed that some of the many large limestone boulders on the floor of the
passage were engraved. The first such stone which came to my attention was
smoothly rounded and buried deeply in the cave floor. Its striking feature was
some half dozen deeply engraved parallel lines. They were at a slight angle to
the vertical, at inch distances from each other and six to seven inches long.
The strokes were vigorous and emphatic. They were definitely not recently made
as they were filled with red dust; recent lines are quite obviously so as they
are raw white in color and, lack the red dust coating. I found many such
engraved stones in a kind of trail formation leading off to the side of the
cave, to the right of the main path leading to the wall markings.
This ‘trail’ ended in a deep trench between the cave floor
and the wall. A huge engraved stone stood in this trench, it was some eight feet wide and seven feet
high and sparsely engraved with very fine lines. Further exploration revealed
other ‘trails’ of marked boulders, possible ‘ceremonial areas’, charcoal, bones
and torches.
The trails are shown in diagrammatic form in fig. 1. The paths themselves are numbered and the
groupings of engraved stones bear the number of the path on which they are to
be found and also an alphabetical numeration.
The main pathway, 1-2, has been the most thoroughly documented.
This leads from the end of the climb which is necessary to reach this upper
level, 1, to a large stone
which stands about midway between this ‘climb end’ and the wall markings at the
back of this area. We have named this large stone, the ‘Directional
Stele,’ 2.
At the head of the path, la refers to a crevice. This was
explored and found to be some six feet deep. Its curved chamber contained wood
fragments, a suspected implement and many fine engravings in the form of
vertical waves, oblique scratches and also a semi-circle of four parallel
curves (Michael Smith). 1b and
1c are two engraved boulders
in front of the crevice. They, including a flat, table-top rock, form the head
of path 1-2. The engraved faces turn inward towards the
path. The engravings themselves are in groups of fine parallel lines, mainly
vertical, seemingly made with a sharp implement possibly a sliver of
chalcedony. 1b bears the most
engravings in its group; occasionally two groups of parallel lines will slant
together at their lower ends, forming what look like downward pointing arrows.
Facing the Directional Stele, group 1d, 1e,
1f,
is to the right of path 1-2, about four feet away from group 1a, 1b,
1c. Again, the engraved faces
of the stones comprising this group are turned inwards. The smoothly rounded
face of 1d which turns toward
the pathway is covered with a fine mesh of engraved lines. 1e is perhaps the most interesting of this
group. From the side it has an overall shape of the body of a resting bovine.
On the floor of the cave near its ‘rump’ a very deep hole, only wide enough to
accommodate one’s hand. Directly above this on the engraved side of 1e are two emphatic, vertical, parallel lines;
these are scored more deeply and are longer than the other engravings on this
face. To the right of this, on a corner, are two deep interlocking holes. The
area in and around these is profusely engraved. Stone 1f
lies between 1e and 1d; it is larger than the former and its too
surface slants down to the cave floor. The inner side of this surface, which
has not collected very much dust, bears a number of groups of short fine
parallel lines, again all being vertical. In one section these seem to
emphasize a natural depression in the limestone.
Stones 1g
and 1h lack significant
engraving, so I will move on to 1i.
This stone slants up to three feet in height and is about five foot six in
length. Again, all of its sides are heavily engraved. The top surfaces of all
of these engraved stones are covered with a thick layer of tightly packed dust.
It is impossible to ascertain whether or not these surfaces are engraved;
brushing may remove the dust but would certainly damage any lines which may lie
beneath. In fact, even the light dusting of the surfaces for photographic
purposes tended to reduce their sharpness and clarity. At this point, perhaps I
should stress the care with which one must move in this area. It is almost
impossible not to stand on engraved stones when walking around. The most
interesting part of 1i, is the
lower corner which faces onto the pathway. From above, one can clearly see a
breast-like projection. This is heavily accentuated with short, well spaced
parallel groups of lines. In this case they do not all uniformly point
downwards, rather, inwards towards the centre of the ‘breast.’ Another
interesting portion of 1i is a
small groove about half way along its engraved side. This is overhung by a
pierced flap, both the flap and the inside of the groove being heavily
engraved. A thin, arched rock on one side of 1i
is also clearly engraved on its top surface which slopes smoothly to the ground.
Stone 1j
lays on the left of path 1-2, opposite . Its only outstanding feature is
a group of long engravings which face onto the path. These tend to converge
toward each other and point in a downward direction.
The pathway continues back between wedge-shaped 1k and 1l,
and over 1m. 1l and 1k
slope towards each other, their inner tips almost overlapping. 1k is over five feet long and three feet high
at its highest point. 1l
slopes up to five feet. Again it is only the faces on the path side which are
engraved. On one side of group k, 1
, m is a curved opening in the boulder floor of the cave. This opening was
covered with a flat stone. The removal of this stone revealed four vertebrae
arching out of the dust, still in position beside each other. We replaced the
flat stone and left the vertebrae in situ. A piece of charcoal was also found
here and some pieces of bone in the vicinity of lm.
Group 1n,
lo, lies behind group k, 1, m,
on the left of path 1-2. 1n
and lo are very flat, no more than two feet high, but some six feet long. In
seems to lie across lo. These are heavily engraved with vertical lines around
their bases. The greatest concentrations of lines are around and pointing away
from small holes in the face of 1n,
in the niche between 1n and lo
and beneath the overhanging portions of 1n.
There are heavy vertical lines pointing to the niche between 1n and lo. On the top of 1n, is a small loose piece of limestone,
shaped rather like a dog’s ear. This is also engraved.
Stone 1p is
a small stone in comparison with the others along pathway 1-2.
It is of a peaked form, leaning its one flat engraved face towards the path,
its back slanting gently down to the cave floor.
The set 1q,
1r, 1s is a very interesting group. 1r and 1s,
are both six feet long and rather flat, 1s
is balanced on ton of r, and r slightly overlaps 1q.
The most striking feature of 1s
is a fine, sharp overhang which juts far out over 1r. The upper side is covered with thick dust but the
under side reveals beautiful, fine engravings. At the path side of this
overhang is a point, carefully accentuated by lines which move along its length. To the right of this point is a
gentle hollow which is again accentuated by deep vertical engraved lines. As
with group 1n, lo, the
heaviest concentration of lines is where one stone meets another. The majority
of lines on 1r are on its
upper surface, close to 1s, and beneath its engraved point
mentioned above.
The Directional Stela is a large (5’
by 7’)
flattened stone standing on end. It is located at the end of path 1-2.
Its positioning is interesting in three ways. Firstly it is half way between
the top of the climb to the upper chamber and the wall markings at the back of
this chamber. The path slants uphill until it reaches this stela, then downhill
the rest of the way to the wall markings.
Secondly this elevated position makes it readily visible from both the wall
gallery and the entrance to the upper chamber. The path makes a turn to the
left at the Directional Stele. Thirdly, the engraved stones terminate at this
point except for a few isolated examples. There is little art work evident
until the well gallery is reached. It is also necessary to point out that
smooth stones suitable for engraving also terminate at this point.
As can be seen in fig. 1,
other pathways branch off either side of 1-2. Path 5-6 terminates at the right hand side wall
(facing 2). In the wall at
this point is an ochre deposit and some engraving. Along this path, in the area
designated P4 on fig. 1, was found
what we suppose to be a torch, a piece of root some six inches long, charred at
one end and placed on a limestone boulder. It bore a thick coating of dust. At
the base of this boulder in a niche formed by three loose stones lay another
piece of wood, four inches long, also with a charred end.
Pathway 3-4 terminates in a large pit beside the cave
wall. Standing in this pit is a huge
slab of limestone ( 8’
by 7’
by 4’)
engraved sparsely with a fine series of lines. Low down in the wall behind this
‘monument’ is a large ochre deposit bearing finger scrapings. Further along
this same wall are a number of very fine engravings including a superb example
where two lines emerge from a natural hole and run some seven inches down the
stone. In a ‘pocket’ on this slab was found a small group of charcoal ends,
possibly torch stubs, and at the foot of the slab, numerous pieces of charcoal.
Back along path 3-4, towards path 1-2, was a very sculptural stone, the most
striking aspect of which was a series of interconnected , smoothed tunnels. The
openings of these tunnels were heavily accentuated with engraving. Between path
3-4, and 5-6 stood a large flat-topped boulder, a good
size and shape for a work bench. On this was a suspected unfinished implement.
Three feet from the wall at the end of path 15-8,
is a deep chamber in the cave floor. Its entrance is a tunnel, five feet wide
and two feet deep. This chamber can hold one person and on investigation was
found to contain engravings and some chalcedony nodules in one of its three
chambers. On path 15-8 itself is another interesting engraved group
entitled the ‘elephant-head formation.’ This consists of one large boulder with
a trunk-like projection arching off it onto the ground. The area where the
‘trunk’ meets the ‘head’ is finely engraved; notable here are four clearly
defined parallel lines, five inches long. The ‘head’ area is a very good
example of the association of lines with holes. Some sixteen natural
indentations in the limestone are surrounded by carefully executed groups of
parallel lines and herringbone patterns. Close by this is a three foot long loose nodule of limestone. Again its form is very
sculptural and rather like an abstract female form; it also bears finely
engraved lines.
On the left hand side of path 1-2, path 9-10 meets the side wall at a most spectacular
arrangement. A deep ‘closet-type’ of cavern opens into the limestone. Within it
a number of stones stand on end. At its entrance, one above another, are two
limestone slabs with flat faces. Both of these bear emphatic vertical marks
along their lengths, and each is approximately two feet long and ten inches
high. The engravings are of distinctly different characters on each. The bottom
stone has a fairly even distribution of lines of similar depth along its length
with no outstanding groups forming a shape or ‘streams’ of broken lines which
could be followed. All of these lines are vertical, some are broken, and they
often converge and meet each other on the lower edge of the slab. Shorter lines
join these at intervals to create branching forms.
The upper slab does contain a striking group of lines which
unite to form a definite ‘shape.’ I have been able to tentatively identify five
separate ‘streams’ of parallel lines which could perhaps represent a number of
distinct ‘hands’ or times of engraving the form as some clearly pass beneath
others. See plate 1 and fig 2 . Alternatively, they could just represent
the stages of production of the figure by one person at one time. The highest and
perhaps first stream arches from the left. This stream is not clear and is very
fragmented in character. To the right of this in the center of the figure are
four distinct, deeply engraved. parallel lines, branching slightly at their
base. To the right again is another group, still in the same vertical
orientation, but not clearly defined. Arching from left to right are two broad
arcs of parallel lines overlapping these first three ‘streams.’ This figure has
a very intentional character.
The last section of the upper chamber which I wish to
describe is more an ‘area’ than a pathway. It is located at 15 on fig. 1.
At this point along path 1-2, stones 15a
and 15b stand as ‘gate posts’
leading off to the area. These lead into a floor surrounded by placed loose
rocks. At the far left of this floor is a niche formed by three stones and
which contains wood. Near the niche are two pieces of bone. At the back of
floor 15, between the stones
of its boundary is a small animal skull. Behind floor 15 are three other areas, also scooped out and
surrounded by stones. Floor 11l
contains a tall stone on which stands a large vertebra.
Three radiocarbon dates have been given for this upper
chamber for wood, collected by Michael Smith, on the surface, 18,200
± 300 BP (A. Gallus, pers.
comm.) and for the area near the wall engraving at the back of the chamber, ‘V-92 19,900
± 2,000
BP (3-6 inches
below the surface), ANU-180 21,200 ± 700
BP (5-8 inches
below the surface)’ ( A. Gallus, in Wright 1971:28).
The evidence presented here leads me to believe that the
upper chamber of Koonalda Cave
was an important ceremonial area and
that the marking of limestone outcrops was an important aspect of the
activities carried on there. It seems that certain outstanding limestone
formations have been singled out and engraved, perhaps in order to accentuate
their power or some striking aesthetic aspect. Some of these formations had a
definite influence on the way in which we moved around the cave and it is
conceivable that previous inhabitants used them in this way also. An example of
this is the Directional Stela. This large stone is so placed that from anywhere
in the upper chamber, a light, held aloft, will reflect on its surface, even
though no other stone in the area is lit. Thus, if one is working, for example
at the back of the chamber near the wall markings, the Directional Stela is
lit. When working alone, deep in the gallery section, I strongly felt the
presence of this stone glowing some distance away in reflected light. We named
it Directional Stela because we used it to find our way out of the cave. One
only needs to walk towards it and when reached, the chamber entrance is clear.
From the analysis of path 1-2 we can make some assumptions regarding the
positioning of the line groupings. They are most often on rock faces nearest or
facing onto the pathways. When two engraved stones are near or on top of each
other, engravings are concentrated in those areas closest to where they touch.
Often lines seem to accentuate prominent parts of the rocks’ form; for example,
curves, protuberances or overhangs. The most striking placement is the
connection lines have with holes. Very often natural holes in the limestone are
either covered in and around by a thick mesh of lines or one or two clearly stated
lines are drawn emanating from the hole. The longest, most emphatic lines are
often directly above crevices in the cave floor or at a point along a pathway
where another pathway intersects.
There appears to be three distinct ‘styles’ of engraving in the
upper chamber of Koonalda Cave: the finger markings on the wells near the
squeeze (Gallus, in Wright 1971:127-128),
engravings on walls made with some sharp tool, and the very delicate and finely
executed engravings on the large limestone boulders on the floor of this upper
chamber.
Since there seems to be an intimate relationship between the form of the smooth
limestone outcrops and the positions of the engraved lines, a logical step
toward a more complete analysis should include a thorough diagrammatic analysis
of the lines and the way in which they relate specifically to the forms. I have
investigated the possibility of using a variation of Alexander
Marshack’s lunar methodology (Marshack, 1972) in this study, but feel that it is
not directly applicable. I have however used his method of identifying
‘streams’ or ‘hands’ of lines, in order to clarify photographs (Marshack, pers.
comm.). I feel that these engravings can he described in a specialized form of
‘art analysis’ language. As one can speak of motive or the use of certain
elements such as line, form and color when interpreting a work of art in order
to gain insight into the artist’s aim, and as the process of externalizing
feelings and thoughts by means of pictorial expression is an intellectual process
in itself, it may be possible to gain similar insight into our Koonalda artists
in this fashion. However, in order to attempt this, one would need to create a
specialized-art vocabulary localized on the relationship between form and line.
As one receives direct communication from the artist when viewing a work of
art, I feel that the same hind of impulses could be intercepted if one
carefully copied and analyzed the line groupings. The value of
developing a language to express this personal transference is to relate this
experience to others.
Wright, R. V. S. 1971.
Archaeology of the Gallus Site – Koonalda Cave.
Marshack, A. 1972.
Cognitive Aspects of Upper Paleolithic Engraving. Current Anthropology 13: 445.