One of the outcomes of my research on transegalitarian societies has been a growing awareness of the important role that secret societies play in the creation of socioeconomic inequalities and political centralization. Since strong arguments can be advanced that many Upper Paleolithic societies in Southwest Europe were transegalitarian societies with significant inequalities, I, together with D’Ann Owens, began to explore the possible implications of transegalitarian dynamics for the interpretations of Upper Paleolithic painted caves. Specifically, we concluded that these painted caves most likely were used for the most costly and high level secret society initiations and ceremonies. Our research was based on theoretical considerations and available information in the literature (see Owens and Hayden 1997). In 2001, I began to extend this research to deal with the direct analysis of the physical viewing contexts and other key attributes of cave art images to evaluate the notion that caves might have been used for secret society rituals as opposed to individual shamanistic experiences, hunting magic, or tribal initiations.

Engraved Cervid

References:

2005

Review:“Lascaux, Le Geste, L’Espace, et Le Temps,” by N. Aujoulat; and “Chauvet Cave,” by Jean Clottes. American Antiquity 70:384–388.

1997 Owens, D’Ann, and B. Hayden.

“Prehistoric rites of passage: a comparative study of transegalitarian hunter-gatherers.” Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 16:121–161.

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