Prehistoric artists know how to make animated films

Prehistoric artists knew how to create sculptures that looked like they were moving on a cave wall. This is a technique like the method of making animated films today.

Many caves throughout France still retain animal drawings with many legs, heads and tails. In essence, it is the author's intention to create a series of images as if the animal is moving, especially in the light of the flickering light.

A carvings of bison on Chauvet cave wall in France. (Source: Daily Mail)

In an article published in the June issue of Antiquities, Marc Azéma, an archaeologist at Toulouse-Le Mirail University and artist Florent Rivère, said that prehistoric people had anticipated the birth of the film industry by create works of art that show a primitive understanding of the principle of continuous movement of images.

After 20 years of studying Stone Age painting techniques, Azéma found 53 carvings on the walls of 12 caves in France that have images that show that kind of movement.

Another picture on Chauvet cave wall. (Source: Daily Mail)

In addition, Azéma and Rivère also found that things that were previously considered buttons were actually thaumatrope (meaning miraculous Wheel) - including round discs or square cards with pictures on both sides. attached to a piece of string. When the string is quickly rotated between the fingers, the picture on both sides of the discs / cards looks like it is combined to form a moving image.