Rather than addressing the myths or cosmologies supposedly expressed in rock art, this paper explores some of the myths that have been and are still being created about rock art. We know from the study of the last roc...Rather than addressing the myths or cosmologies supposedly expressed in rock art, this paper explores some of the myths that have been and are still being created about rock art. We know from the study of the last rock art-producing peoples in the world that outsiders of their cultures cannot interpret their rock art correctly, or even understand their cosmologies adequately. This is not surprising, in view of the neuroscientific understanding of the underlying differences. In a sound hermeneutical system, the normative nature of interpretation must be recognized and accounted for. The record shows that little hermeneutical restraint has been exercised in rock art research, and that the discipline＇s credibility demands the expulsion of the extensive myths that have been created by it. Some of the most prominent of these falsities are presented to illustrate the point.展开更多
文摘Rather than addressing the myths or cosmologies supposedly expressed in rock art, this paper explores some of the myths that have been and are still being created about rock art. We know from the study of the last rock art-producing peoples in the world that outsiders of their cultures cannot interpret their rock art correctly, or even understand their cosmologies adequately. This is not surprising, in view of the neuroscientific understanding of the underlying differences. In a sound hermeneutical system, the normative nature of interpretation must be recognized and accounted for. The record shows that little hermeneutical restraint has been exercised in rock art research, and that the discipline＇s credibility demands the expulsion of the extensive myths that have been created by it. Some of the most prominent of these falsities are presented to illustrate the point.
