In 1879, amateur archaeologist Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola and his young daughter Maria explored a dark cave in Northern Spain.
1879年，业余考古学家马塞利诺·桑斯·德·桑图奥拉和他年幼的女儿玛丽亚在西班牙北部一个漆黑的洞穴探险。
When Maria wondered off by herself, she made an amazing discovery.
当玛丽亚在洞穴里穿行时，她有了个惊人的发现。
They were standing inside a site of ancient art,
他们正站在一座古老艺术品中，
the walls and roofs decorated with prehistoric paintings and engravings, ranging from 19,000 to 35,000 years old.
墙面和屋顶都以史前壁画和雕刻为装饰，距今估计有19000年至35000年历史。
Similar marks of our ancestors have been preserved in caves all over the world.
这些与古人在世界各地洞穴中留下来的壁画类似。
The oldest we've found were made up to 40,000 years ago.
目前发现最古老的有40000年历史。
What do these images tell us about the ancient human mind and the lives of their creators?
这些壁画透露了古人什么样的心态，以及创造者是怎样生活的呢？
These early artists mixed minerals, clay, charcoal, and ochre with spit or animal fat to create paint.
这些早期的艺术家们将矿物、陶土、木炭、赭石与唾液或动物脂肪混合制成颜料。
They drew with their hands and tools, like pads of moss, twigs, bones, and hair.
他们用手和一些工具来作画，比如几片苔藓，细树枝，骨头和头发。

In many instances, their images follow the contours of the cave to create depth and shade.
在多数情况下，这些画按洞穴轮廓构图来创造深度和阴影。
The most common depictions are of geometric shapes, followed by large mammals, like bison, horses, mammoths, deer, and boars.
最常见的为几何图形，其次是大型哺乳类的图案，比如美洲野牛、马、猛犸象、鹿和公猪。
Human figures appear rarely, as well as occasional hand prints.
画中很少出现人类以及手印。
Some have theorized that these artworks are the creation of hunters, or of holy men in trance-like states.
一些人推测这些壁画出自猎人，或是在通灵状态的圣人之手。
And we've found examples created by men, women, and even children.
目前所发现的壁画作者有男有女，甚至孩童。
And why did they create this art?
但他们为何要作画？
Perhaps they were documenting what they knew about the natural world, like modern scientists, or marking their tribal territory.
可能他们想把已知的自然环境记录下来，像现代科学家一样，或是在划分部族领土。
Maybe the images were the culmination of sacred hunting rituals or spiritual journeys.
也许那些图案是神圣的狩猎仪式或宗教庆典的高潮。
Or could they be art for art's sake, the sheer joy and fulfillment of creation?
又或是为创作而创作，纯粹为了开心和享受创造的满足感？
As with many unsolved mysteries of the ancient world, we may never know for sure, barring the invention of a time machine, that is.
和其他古老的世界未解谜团一样，除非有时光机，否则我们可能永远都不知道答案。
But while the answers remain elusive, these images are our earliest proof of human communication,
虽然解释有很多种，但这些图案是我们所拥有的最古老的人类沟通证据，
testifying to the human capacity for creativity thousands of years before writing.
证明了早于文字好几千年的人类的创造力。
They are a distinct visual language that imagines the world outside the self,
它们是独特的视觉语言，勾勒了想象中的外在世界，
just like modern art forms, from graffiti and painting to animated virtual-reality caves.
一如现代艺术，从街头涂鸦、油画到虚拟实境的洞穴。