The significance of the Magdalenian depictions of horses from Gönnersdorf (Germany, 13,000 ka BP)

This paper examines the factors that may potentially influence a specific selection of animal in the slate plaquettes of the Magdalenian site of Gönnersdorf in the German Rhineland. Georges Sauvet identifies the dominance of the horse in Magdalenian parietal art within the Franco-Cantabrian region, and the associated animistic implications. The goal of my research was to observe if the same dominance was observable outside this region. The characteristics Sauvet defined as making a representation ‘prominent’ were modified for Gönnersdorf for the purpose of making a comparison. Prominent plaquettes were reviewed on a case-by-case basis. It was found that the Gönnersdorf assemblage did not bear close similarities to Sauvet’s conclusions, nor did they align with a specific animistic ontology. It is suggested that the prominence of the horse at Gönnersdorf is most visible in terms of the frequency of depiction, and the formal exemplarity of individual representations. The results...Show moreThis paper examines the factors that may potentially influence a specific selection of animal in the slate plaquettes of the Magdalenian site of Gönnersdorf in the German Rhineland. Georges Sauvet identifies the dominance of the horse in Magdalenian parietal art within the Franco-Cantabrian region, and the associated animistic implications. The goal of my research was to observe if the same dominance was observable outside this region. The characteristics Sauvet defined as making a representation ‘prominent’ were modified for Gönnersdorf for the purpose of making a comparison. Prominent plaquettes were reviewed on a case-by-case basis. It was found that the Gönnersdorf assemblage did not bear close similarities to Sauvet’s conclusions, nor did they align with a specific animistic ontology. It is suggested that the prominence of the horse at Gönnersdorf is most visible in terms of the frequency of depiction, and the formal exemplarity of individual representations. The results indicated two potential alternate functions for the plaquettes: their use as a storytelling medium, and as a communicative aid for culturally separate hunter-gatherer groups aggregating at the site. It was stressed that these two functions may not only be related, but serve a dual purpose.Show less

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The significance of the Magdalenian depictions of horses from Gönnersdorf (Germany, 13,000 ka BP)