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来源：CNN space and science
Prehistoric humans turned their campfires into makeshift movie theaters
By Katie Hunt,
史前人类将篝火酿成暂时片子院
凯特•亨特
Early humans living in what's now France carved art on rock tablets and placed them by the flickering light of a fire to give the illusion of movement -- an early form of animation, according to new research.
Researchers from the University of York and Durham University in the United Kingdom studied 50 stone plaquettes held in the British Museum that were engraved by hunter-gatherers about 15,000 years ago.
生活在如今法国的早期人类在石片上雕琢艺术，然后把它们放在闪烁的火光下，以产生运动的错觉——那是一种早期形式的动画片，根据一项新的研究说。
来自英国约克大学和杜伦大学的研究人员研究了收躲在英国博物馆的50块石片，那些石片是由大致15,000年前的打猎摘集者雕琢的。
The plaquettes were made of limestone and excavated from a rock shelter in Montastruc, France, in the 19th and early 20th century. They feature different animals -- mostly commonly horses, reindeer, red deer and bison, but also wolves and ibex.
The researchers identified patterns of pink heat damage around the edges of some of the stones, providing evidence that they had been placed in close proximity to a fire.
To understand exactly why, the researchers conducted their own experiments in a makeshift prehistoric camp and used virtual reality software. They recreated the engraved tablets as they would have looked originally -- with clear white lines -- and placed them around a fire.
那些石片是由石灰岩做成的，于19世纪和20世纪初，从法国墨塔斯特鲁克的一处岩石掩蔽所发掘出来。它们以差别的动物为主题——一般大都是马，驯鹿，赤鹿和野牛，还有狼和野山羊。
研究人员确定了一些石片边沿粉红色热烧坏的容貌，那供给了证据：它们曾放置在靠近火的处所。
为了切当理解原因，研究人员在一处暂时史前营地做了试验。而且利用了模仿现实软件。它们从头雕琢了几块看上往很原始的石片——清晰的白线——把它们放在火旁
They said pattens of heat damage suggest they were placed near hearths to appear to move and flicker in the firelight. The interaction between engraved stone and the roving light of the fire made the forms appear dynamic and alive, the study said.
"We conducted this experiment at night as well. So we had the full effect -- the flickering firelight -- it was quite an exciting experience I think to see these engraved forms kind of jump to life a little bit before our eyes," said Izzy Wisher, a doctoral student at the department of archeology at Durham University and coauthor of the study that published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE on Wednesday.
他们说热烧坏的容貌表白它们曾放置在火炉旁，以看上往会在火光下挪动并闪烁。被雕琢的石片和闪烁火光的互动使得那些形式动感十足，活灵敏现。
“我们还在晚长进行了那项尝试，如许，我们有了一个完全的效果——闪烁的火光——我想，那是一种很令人兴奋的体验：看到面前那些被雕琢的形式一下一下跳动得像活物一样。”杜伦大学考古系博士生，礼拜三颁发在科学期刊PLOS ONE上的研究合著者艾兹•惠希尓说
"And also to then observe that the heating patterns produced by that activity matched most closely with the Montastruc examples -- that was very exciting as well."
The engraved plaques may have also had a practical purpose -- the stones may have marked the outline of the hearth. But the researchers said their study indicated they weren't solely functional, plus the same function could have been achieved by limestone that wasn't engraved.
“然后，还看察到那次活动产生的加热容貌与墨塔斯特鲁克的例子最相婚配，那也令人兴奋得很。”
雕琢的石片也可能用于一种适用目标——石片可能标记着火炉的轮廓。但研究人员说，它们不单单是功用性的，那些没有被雕琢的石灰岩也能够获得同样的功用
The study said that human neurology is particularly attuned to interpreting shifting light and shadow as movement and identifying visually familiar forms in such varying light conditions.
The flames and placement of a series of plaquettes would have made the engraved animals "pop to life" as if animated, Wisher said.
该研究表白，人类神经病学出格习惯于把挪动的光影阐明为运动，并且在如斯多变的照顾前提下确定视觉上熟悉的形式。
惠希尓说，火焰和一系列石片的放置会使雕琢的动物“像活物般动起来，”似乎付与了生命。
"These are societies that are really focused on animals. Their whole lives are spent tracking animals, hunting animals, thinking about animals, processing animal hides for clothing. So it's probably not a stretch to say that their stories would have also involved animals," said Wisher.
"(It's) exciting to think about this art as being part of those stories that they're telling by the fireside and as they're talking about what they've been up to that day or telling stories about particular animals that those animals are also then springing to life in front of the fire."
“那些是实正存眷动物的群体，他们一辈子都在逃踪动物，猎杀动物，想着动物，加工动物外相做裁缝服。所以说他们的故事也与动物相联，那可能是不为其过的，”惠希尓说。
“那是很令人兴奋的，想到那种艺术，做为他们在火炉边讲述的那些故事的一部门：当他们议论那天的所获所得，或者，讲述那些特定的动物时，其时，那些动物在火前同样像活物一样跳动起来。”