**Have you ever wondered why prehistoric people painted scenes of hunting, animals, or star symbols on cave walls?
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Today, we have many theories. Some suggest it was part of magical rituals—paint a mammoth, and your hunt will be successful. Others believe it was more practical, like an early “manual” for younger generations to learn what a mammoth or a dangerous predator looks like. Or maybe it was simply a way to share experiences or tell a story—like the first-ever chatroom on the walls of a cave. Whatever the reason, these paintings represent humanity’s first “records,” told through the universal language of color and shape.
And that leads to another question: what did they use to paint? There were no art supply stores back then!
The answer is both simple and ingenious. Imagine this: a person sits by the fire after a successful hunt. A burning piece of wood falls from the flames. They pick it up, walk over to the cave wall, and start drawing. There's the outline of a mammoth, with themselves next to it holding a bow and arrow. They notice blood on their hands from processing the hunt, dip their finger into it, and add a vivid red dot to the image. Meanwhile, another carves the sun into the rock using a sharp stone.
People used whatever nature provided—ochre, charcoal, blood, and clay. They mixed pigments with water or animal fat and even sprayed paint through hollowed-out bones to create a spray-paint effect.
Why did they do it?
Maybe it was to preserve a moment in time. Or perhaps it was simply for themselves—a form of self-expression. And isn’t that something we can all relate to? Even today, we draw, photograph, and write to leave our mark, to share our experiences.
What do you think? Has art truly changed over thousands of years? Or are we still telling the same stories, just with different tools?
Now, imagine you have your own cave—a blank canvas. What would you paint on its walls to tell your story? Share in the comments—I’d love to know what your "mammoth" would be!