Thoughts upon a Neolithic Cave Painting of Childbirth in Anatolia and its implications

YALÇIKLI D.

PRAEHISTORISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT, vol.98, pp.1-23, 2023 (AHCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 98
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1515/pz-2022-2027
  • Journal Name: PRAEHISTORISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT
  • Journal Indexes: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, FRANCIS, IBZ Online, Periodicals Index Online, L'Année philologique, Anthropological Literature, Art Abstracts, Art Index, Art Source
  • Page Numbers: pp.1-23
  • Keywords: Inkaya Cave, Neolithic, Cave Painting, Child-birth, Pregnancy, SETTLEMENT
  • Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The subjects of the Late Neolithic cave paintings in Inkaya Cave, Balikesir are life and death. It is seen that the panels representing Life are based on the formation of a fetus inside a pregnant woman's abdomen, its development then birth, and the celebration of a new individual joining the community, alongside an emphasis on the shaman's function throughout this process. Similar subjects in the Neolithic Age in Anatolia are presented to the viewer from different perspectives in cave paintings, reliefs and figurines showing scenes that depict sexuality, pregnant women, and childbirth. The successful use of the "X-ray" style in the creation of the Inkaya Cave painting in the Neolithic period fills a gap in the history of Anatolian painting and sculpture.