Alexander Marshack single-handedly revolutionized the field of
Paleolithic art research. His astounding photographs of portable art
objects caused us to see them with fresh eyes, to ask new questions, and
to understand their technology and production far more precisely; and
his pioneering use of infrared and ultraviolet light in the caves
revealed startling new facts about the paintings. In addition, he
carried out important, provocative and challenging work on
archaeoastronomy, calendar sticks, female imagery, and other topics.
Alexander Marshack was able to do what nobody else ever had before, or
perhaps ever will again - i.e. travel all over Europe, visiting not only
many decorated caves but also all the portable art objects scattered
throughout the continent, including Russia. This unique experience and
knowledge, together with his unrivalled and amazing documentation of all
this material, made him by far the USA's foremost specialist in
Paleolithic imagery. To honor his memory, in this book, scholars from
many parts of the world contribute papers about some of the many
problems that interested him and to which he made such a massive
contribution.