and his young daughter Maria explored a dark cave in Northern Spain.

和她女兒瑪麗亞在北西班牙發現一個黑暗洞穴

When Maria wandered off by herself, she made an amazing discovery.

當時瑪麗亞在洞內閒晃時，有了驚人的發現

They were standing inside a site of ancient art,

在他們面前的是史前人類壁畫

the walls and roofs decorated with prehistoric paintings and engravings,

牆壁和洞穴頂部都繪畫著史前繪畫和雕刻

ranging from 19,000 to 35,000 years old.

大約有 19,000 至 35,000 年的歷史

Similar marks of our ancestors have been preserved in caves all over the world.

類似的人類祖先繪畫都保存在全世界各個洞穴之中

The oldest we've found were made up to 40,000 years ago.

被發現最古老的繪畫有 40,000 年的歷史

What do these images tell us about the ancient human mind

究竟這些圖像反映出何種史前人類的思想

and the lives of their creators?

以及那些繪畫者的生活？

These early artists mixed minerals, clay, charcoal, and ochre with spit or animal fat

這些早期繪畫者混合礦物、黏土、木炭、混合唾液的赭石或動物脂肪

to create paint.

製作顏料

They drew with their hands and tools, like pads of moss, twigs, bones, and hair.

他們用手作畫或使用工具，例如苔癬墊、樹枝、骨頭、毛髮

In many instances, their images follow the contours of the cave

在許多壁畫當中，大多都依照洞穴壁上的輪廓

to create depth and shade.

製造景深以及陰影效果

The most common depictions are of geometric shapes,

最常見的描繪方式是幾何構圖

followed by large mammals, like bison, horses, mammoths, deer, and boars.

繪製大型哺乳類，例如：野牛、馬匹、猛瑪象、麋鹿、野豬

Human figures appear rarely, as well as occasional hand prints.

人形繪圖相當少見，連手掌印也是如此

Some have theorized that these artworks are the creation of hunters,

有些人推測這些壁畫是由獵人所畫

or of holy men in trance-like states.

或由在與神靈接觸的古聖者所畫

And we've found examples created by men, women, and even children.

有找尋到一些由男人、女人甚至小孩的畫作

And why did they create this art?

可是為何他們要創作壁畫？

Perhaps they were documenting what they knew about the natural world,

或許他們要記錄當時所知的自然世界

like modern scientists,

就如同現代科學家

or marking their tribal territory.

也或許是劃分部落界線

Maybe the images were the culmination of sacred hunting rituals

可能這些壁畫是神聖的狩獵儀式代表作

or spiritual journeys.

或是心靈修行

Or could they be art for art's sake, the sheer joy and fulfillment of creation?

抑或是藝術感作祟，純粹是樂趣以及滿足創作慾？

As with many unsolved mysteries of the ancient world,

如同這些古代世界的未解謎團

we may never know for sure,

我們也許永遠都無法確定原因

barring the invention of a time machine, that is.

除非能夠搭乘時光機回去探究一番

But while the answers remain elusive,

然而即便答案仍舊是未知數

these images are our earliest proof of human communication,

這些壁畫依然是人類傳達訊息的早期證據

testifying to the human compacity fo creativity

證明了人類的創造能力

thousands of years before writing.

且是在幾千年前，文字尚未發明前的產物

They are a distinct visual language that imagines the world outside the self,

這些是獨特的視覺語言，描繪古人對於世界的想像

just like modern art forms,

就如同現代藝術形式

from graffiti and painting to animated virtual-reality caves.

從塗鴉繪畫到栩栩如生的擬真洞穴