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The eyes have it: human perception and anthropomorphic faces in world rock art

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Ben Watson*
Affiliation:
Centre for Classics & Archaeology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia (Email: watson.benjamin@hotmail.com)

Extract

Why do early artists draw eyes? The author argues that they reflect the evolution of the brain in its expressions of fear, love and behaviour, and invites us to apply this ethological approach more widely to the study of early symbolism.

Type
Research article
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 2011

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