Figural art in the Paleolithic Aegean: the Asphendou petroglyphs in context

The Asphendou Cave petroglyphs are located high in the Alpine zone of the White Mountains of Crete (Greece). The petroglyphs are carved into the speleothem of the cave’s floor. These petroglyphs are a series of superimposed representations dating from recent times to the Paleolithic. The Paleolithic dating for the bottom-most glyphs is based on the depiction of quadrupeds that went extinct before the end of the Late Pleistocene, namely the dwarf deer (Candiacervus ropalophorous) with its characteristic long and simple antlers. Having isolated the quadrupeds from the superimposed glyphs that confuse the iconography below, a coherent image of the animals emerges. The scenery is a representation of about 40 male individuals, all of which carry annually deciduous, simple antlers, some of which are about as long as their bodies. This article presents artistic depictions to provide an idea of what the artist(s) saw and intended to replicate.