--- product_id: 31449207 title: "The Oldest Enigma of Humanity: The Key to the Mystery of the Paleolithic Cave Paintings" price: "1120153₫" currency: VND in_stock: false reviews_count: 9 url: https://www.desertcart.vn/products/31449207-the-oldest-enigma-of-humanity-the-key-to-the-mystery store_origin: VN region: Vietnam --- # The Oldest Enigma of Humanity: The Key to the Mystery of the Paleolithic Cave Paintings **Price:** 1120153₫ **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Oldest Enigma of Humanity: The Key to the Mystery of the Paleolithic Cave Paintings - **How much does it cost?** 1120153₫ with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.vn](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/31449207-the-oldest-enigma-of-humanity-the-key-to-the-mystery) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Thirty thousand years ago our prehistoric ancestors painted perfect images of animals on walls of tortuous caves, most often without any light. How was this possible? What meaning and messages did the cavemen want these paintings to convey? In addition, how did these perfect drawings come about at a time when man’s sole purpose was surviving? And why, some ten thousand years later, did startlingly similar animal paintings appear once again, on dark cave walls? Scholars and archaeologists have for centuries pored over these works of art, speculating and hoping to come away with the key to the mystery. No one until now has ever come close to elucidating either their origin or their meaning. In their stunning book and for the first time, David and Lefrère, after working together for years, give us a new understanding of an art lost in time, revealing what had until recently remained unexplainable—the oldest enigma in humanity has been solved. Review: Well-substantiated and persuasive explanation of process of creation of cave art - The principal author, who is an illustrator, was skeptical of earlier explanations for the quality and consistency of cave paintings--especially that somehow a "school" of art and artists had persisted for tens of thousands of years--and had the insight that shadows cast by figurines illuminated by an oil lamp (examples of which have been found in caves) onto rough cave walls could explain consistency of form across time and geography. I had read a brief, dismissive newspaper article on his work and almost decided against buying the book. Fortunately, positive reviews persuaded me to read it to supplement other books on the subject that are heavy on illustration and description but light on explanation. My thanks to those reviewers. The author's diligent, ingenious, methodical, intellectually honest testing of his theory is a pleasure to follow, quite aside from its results. Like a good scientist, he raised and answered many questions to test his theory from every angle he could think of, and then sought out professional critics to test it further before publicizing it. A truly impressive project with a wonderful payoff. As an earlier, grumpy, and off-target review notes, this small book has few illustrations, only enough to substantiate the author's arguments. Look elsewhere for richly illustrated books, or search online for brilliant images of the drawings. This impressive and enjoyable book provides a convincing explanation of how the images were created and plausible speculation on why. Review: Interesting and Thought Provoking - I love the ideas presented in this book. There is no real evidence for his theory, but his arguments are compelling and make sense. It does make me look at the paintings in a new way. I actually, having seen many of the painting (or facsimiles), think that his theory makes a lot of sense. The only warning I give is that it takes away some of the 'magic' of the ancient work. ## Features - Orders are despatched from our UK warehouse next working day. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #2,314,216 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2,042 in History of Civilization & Culture #4,623 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books) #7,303 in Art History (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 104 Reviews | ## Images ![The Oldest Enigma of Humanity: The Key to the Mystery of the Paleolithic Cave Paintings - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81G7YCgGJVL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well-substantiated and persuasive explanation of process of creation of cave art *by W***E on May 28, 2020* The principal author, who is an illustrator, was skeptical of earlier explanations for the quality and consistency of cave paintings--especially that somehow a "school" of art and artists had persisted for tens of thousands of years--and had the insight that shadows cast by figurines illuminated by an oil lamp (examples of which have been found in caves) onto rough cave walls could explain consistency of form across time and geography. I had read a brief, dismissive newspaper article on his work and almost decided against buying the book. Fortunately, positive reviews persuaded me to read it to supplement other books on the subject that are heavy on illustration and description but light on explanation. My thanks to those reviewers. The author's diligent, ingenious, methodical, intellectually honest testing of his theory is a pleasure to follow, quite aside from its results. Like a good scientist, he raised and answered many questions to test his theory from every angle he could think of, and then sought out professional critics to test it further before publicizing it. A truly impressive project with a wonderful payoff. As an earlier, grumpy, and off-target review notes, this small book has few illustrations, only enough to substantiate the author's arguments. Look elsewhere for richly illustrated books, or search online for brilliant images of the drawings. This impressive and enjoyable book provides a convincing explanation of how the images were created and plausible speculation on why. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting and Thought Provoking *by J***B on August 27, 2019* I love the ideas presented in this book. There is no real evidence for his theory, but his arguments are compelling and make sense. It does make me look at the paintings in a new way. I actually, having seen many of the painting (or facsimiles), think that his theory makes a lot of sense. The only warning I give is that it takes away some of the 'magic' of the ancient work. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fascinating! *by P***R on March 22, 2020* I have long been aware of the beautiful paleolithic cave paintings, I never thought much about them and so did not realize all the questions surrounding their existence. The author has done a fantastic job of researching his ideas and presenting them in this book. I applaud his efforts and appreciate his work. I think he hit the nail on the head and hope the rest of the scientific community agrees. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.vn/products/31449207-the-oldest-enigma-of-humanity-the-key-to-the-mystery](https://www.desertcart.vn/products/31449207-the-oldest-enigma-of-humanity-the-key-to-the-mystery) --- *Product available on Desertcart Vietnam* *Store origin: VN* *Last updated: 2026-06-07*