# Quote — Richard E. Leakey, Origins Reconsidered

> The first era of the Upper Paleolithic, the Aurignacian, is notable for several reasons, one of which is the absence of painted caves. ...One of the most evocative pieces from this era, from the Abri Blanchard in southwestern France, is a flute. Music must have been an integral part of Upper Paleolithic life too.

- Author: [Richard E. Leakey](https://www.leafyquotes.com/richard-e-leakey.md)
- Book: [Origins Reconsidered](https://www.leafyquotes.com/richard-e-leakey/origins-reconsidered.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Richard_Leakey#Origins_Reconsidered:_In_Search_of_What_Makes_Us_Human_(1992)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/richard-e-leakey/origins-reconsidered/the-first-era

## More from this book

> The question... is whether Upper Paleolithic art bears the telltale signs of Lewis-Williams' three stage neuropsychological model, and could thus be shamanistic art.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/richard-e-leakey/origins-reconsidered/the-question-is-whether.md)

> Dots are just one example of an element in Lascaux art, and in all cave art... This is a profusion of nonrepresentational, geometric patterns. In addition to dots, there are grids and chevrons, curves and zigzags, and more. ...The coincidence of these geometric motifs with representational images is one of the most puzzling aspects of Upper Paleolithic art. ...images, six different kinds in all, are shimmering, incandescent, mercurial—and powerful. Called entoptic images—which means "within vision"—these phenomena are products of the basic neural architecture of the human brain.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/richard-e-leakey/origins-reconsidered/dots-are-just.md)

> Next to the discovery of the Turkana boy, the visit to Lascaux ranks as one of the great moments of my life.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/richard-e-leakey/origins-reconsidered/next-to-the.md)