Explore cave paintings in this 360° animated cave - Iseult Gillespie
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TEDEd Animation
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The paintings of our ancestors have been preserved in caves all over the world; the oldest we’ve found were made up to 40,000 years ago. What do these images tell us about the ancient human mind and the lives of their creators? In this special 360° TED-Ed animation, explore an ancient cave and its surroundings as Iseult Gillespie shares a brief history of cave paintings.
WatchThink 5 Multiple Choice &
3 Open Answer Questions Dig Deeper Learn More Discuss 1 Guided Discussion &
8 Open Discussions
3 Open Answer Questions Dig Deeper Learn More Discuss 1 Guided Discussion &
8 Open Discussions
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Do you have a Cardboard™ viewer? Here are the instructions to enjoy the TED-Ed 360° animated video:
1. Open this video in the YouTube app on your phone.
2. Hit pause on the video.
3. Tap the 3 vertical dots on the top right corner of the view window. This will slide up a sub-menu where you will choose the quality setting of your video stream. Choose "2880s." Note that if you are not streaming over Wifi, YouTube will only allow "720s" quality.
4. Tap on the “Cardboard viewer” icon on the bottom row of the video window (it looks like a mask). This will present the video full screen in prep for the Cardboard viewer.
5. The screen is now divided into 2 halves, separated by a thin white line that runs halfway up the screen. Make sure to rotate your phone so that this thin line is coming from the bottom of the screen. This ensures proper stereoscopic depth.
6. Insert your phone into the Cardboard viewer and press play. The video will begin. Enjoy!
If you do not have access to a Cardboard or smart phone, you can watch on your browser. Use your mouse to drag and explore the space above, below, and behind you. Enjoy!
Cave paintings stand as an early testament to the visual sensibilities of the human mind. Although their explicit purpose is still unknown, there are many ways to think about cave painting in the context of human creation. This article places them in the broad context of art and diagrams, and this piece imagines cave paintings like comic strips our ancestors illuminated image by image with their torches. Or, can we think of cave paintings as ancient graffiti? Finally, this article offers a meditation on what the earliest art forms tell us about human nature.
The cave in which Marcelino and Maria discovered the paintings is called Altamira, and attracts visitors from around the world today. Learn about its history and explore some other famous caves around the world here. For many years, the only examples of cave painting were in Europe. However, new findings are challenging notions of where this cultural activity may have originated.
1. Open this video in the YouTube app on your phone.
2. Hit pause on the video.
3. Tap the 3 vertical dots on the top right corner of the view window. This will slide up a sub-menu where you will choose the quality setting of your video stream. Choose "2880s." Note that if you are not streaming over Wifi, YouTube will only allow "720s" quality.
4. Tap on the “Cardboard viewer” icon on the bottom row of the video window (it looks like a mask). This will present the video full screen in prep for the Cardboard viewer.
5. The screen is now divided into 2 halves, separated by a thin white line that runs halfway up the screen. Make sure to rotate your phone so that this thin line is coming from the bottom of the screen. This ensures proper stereoscopic depth.
6. Insert your phone into the Cardboard viewer and press play. The video will begin. Enjoy!
If you do not have access to a Cardboard or smart phone, you can watch on your browser. Use your mouse to drag and explore the space above, below, and behind you. Enjoy!
Cave paintings stand as an early testament to the visual sensibilities of the human mind. Although their explicit purpose is still unknown, there are many ways to think about cave painting in the context of human creation. This article places them in the broad context of art and diagrams, and this piece imagines cave paintings like comic strips our ancestors illuminated image by image with their torches. Or, can we think of cave paintings as ancient graffiti? Finally, this article offers a meditation on what the earliest art forms tell us about human nature.
The cave in which Marcelino and Maria discovered the paintings is called Altamira, and attracts visitors from around the world today. Learn about its history and explore some other famous caves around the world here. For many years, the only examples of cave painting were in Europe. However, new findings are challenging notions of where this cultural activity may have originated.
About TED-Ed Animations
TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »
Meet The Creators
- Educator Iseult Gillespie
- Director Lippy
- 360 VR Video Idle Hands
- Compositor Jon Francis
- Art Director Rich Prahm
- Composer Stephen LaRosa
- Sound Designer Weston Fonger
- Collaborator Amy Adkins
- Associate Producer Jessica Ruby
- Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
- Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
- Narrator Addison Anderson
