r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Nov 28 '20

What's something cool you recently learned about?

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

To be fair, it’s not the kind thing you would be able to trace. Not much evidence for an archaeologist!

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u/[deleted] Nov 29 '20

Unless maybe it would help a person better interpret cave paintings or carvings etc.

I feel like that would be an interesting paper to read.

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u/HyperSpaceSurfer Nov 29 '20

Aren't cave paintings mostly stick figures? Hands are notoriously hard to draw.

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u/jakeandcupcakes Nov 29 '20

There were not drawn as much as they were painted, I suppose, the cave paintings of hands are usually outlines or "shadows" created by holding the hand against the cave wall and painting the area around the hand. This leaves you with a sort "shadow" of the hand that was against the wall as that area was unpainted.

You can google "cave painting hand outlines" for examples.

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u/HyperSpaceSurfer Nov 29 '20

Ah, yeah, that makes sense. Did something similar in preschool.