J. David Lewis-Williams is world renowned for his work on the rock art of Southern Africa. In this volume, Lewis-Williams describes the key steps in his evolving journey to understand these images painted on stone. He describes the development of technical methods of interpreting rock paintings of the 1970s, shows how a growing understanding of San mythology, cosmology, and ethnography helped decode the complex paintings, and traces the development of neuropsychological models for understanding the relationship between belief systems and rock art. The author then applies his theories to the famous rock paintings of prehistoric Western Europe in an attempt to develop a comprehensive theory of rock art. For students of rock art, archaeology, ethnography, comparative religion, and art history, Lewis-Williams' book will be a provocative read and an important reference.

By David J. Lewis-Williams

Part 0 Foreword by David S. Whitley
Part 2 Acknowledgments
Chapter 3 Introduction
Chapter 4 Chapter 1Historical setting
Chapter 5 Chapter 2Man must measure
Chapter 6 Chapter 3Ethnography and iconography
Chapter 7 Chapter 4Mystery wrapped in myth
Chapter 8 Chapter 5Through the veil
Chapter 9 Chapter 6A dream of eland
Chapter 10 Chapter 7Seeing and construing
Chapter 11 Chapter 8Building bridges
Chapter 12 Chapter 9Harnessing the brain
Chapter 13 Chapter 10Agency, altered consciousness and wounded men
Chapter 14 Chapter 11The social production and consumption of rock art
Part 15 References
Part 16 Index
Part 17 About the Author