The paleolithic mother of bellydance of Addaura Caves

I discovered about Addaura Caves by chance. Their graffiti dates back to Paleolithic and are most fascinating.

They are told to be the first historical representation of a "bellydance":

Belly dancing may have originated as a fertility ritual. 17,000 year-old rock engravings found in the caves of Addaura, near Palermo in Sicily, depict what appears to be a ritual fertility dance.

[From http://www.bellydancebysasha.com/the_belly_dance.html]

But there is much more:

The Addaura's caves (called anciently Allaura) are the most ancient human presence in the gulf of Mondello. The Graffiti discovered in the caves were traced 14.000 years ago by artists who for the first time in the world showed us their tribal activities. The caves, of marine origin, are situated on the north side of Mount Pellegrino under a rocky part of the mountain where there is the sound of birds and a beautiful view.

The caves are divided into 2 parts: the first one is on the west side where there is a small cavity and two caves called "first" and "second"; in the second part there is another small cave, and the "third" cave also called Caprara. This last one, which is the biggest cave, is formed by a particular cavern of stalactite, never inhabited by man, and by a huge cave which has been used as a stable, now empty of its archaeological remains, where there are some traces of fossils also of Elephas melitensis.

On the oriental wall of the "second" cave there are the famous graffiti composed by thirty figures, seventeen humans and thirteen animals. The animals, almost all equines, are designed in naturalistic style, some with realistic vivacity and others with a schematic design. The most beautiful one is a horse without a head, instead the most complete one is represented by a mare. The Addaura's fauna is also represented by deers. As the style, also the incision technique of the graffiti changes: all of the figures' incisions are thin except the deer designed with a deeper incision, similar to the human figures. It is difficult to understand the meaning of these designs which probably represent something ritual. The graffiti are divided in three pictures different one from another. In the biggest one there are two young naked humans performing acrobatic dances, surrounded by other seven figures. All the characters have long hair and masks of birds. Some studious think that this design symbolizes rites of puberty or of prison.

The second picture represents a deer with a naked hunter with long hair and a strange mask. The third picture has three figures: a female one with a big object on the shoulder and two male ones.

The Addaura's graffiti represent Palaeolithic art and are the most interesting of the world.

[From http://www.addaura.it/engl/cultura.html]