Anthropology 1AA3 – Critical Analysis Two The goal of a prehistoric archaeologist, according to Scupin and DeCorse (2013: 5), is to decipher the beliefs and mentality of societies past, particularly of the first inhabitants of Europe and America, through its material culture, such as the rock art discovered at Lascaux. This cave, located in the south of France, contains what is considered one of the oldest artistic depictions of wild animals and art; it has aroused the interest of many scientists, philosophers and historians, all of whom wish to make sense of these enigmatic images (Lippit 2002: 20). With the multitude of minds working to decode these images, it is not surprising that there are a variety of unique interpretations of these paintings today. Most explanations are formulated from extrapolating an analysis conducted on a specific scene into a larger picture and seeking to understand the ethos of the species painting it. More specifically, the study of the "crash scene" has led to two important explanations, that these paintings represent life's challenges or have religious significance regarding healing or hunting. However, both articles indirectly agree that these paintings represent the beginning of humanity's self-awareness. To begin, it is important to understand how anthropologists interpret rock art. First, they attempt to decipher glyphs or written letters by comparing them to today's languages ​​to deduce their meaning. This is, for example, what happened at Lascaux; Lechler (1951:166) noticed that one of the letters closely resembles a Hebrew letter, and another used it to say that it symbolized the entrails. It can be seen that anthropologists carefully analyze potential symbols...... middle of paper ......l. 2013 Introduction to anthropology. In: Sex, Food and Death. Anthropology 1AA3, second edition customized for McMaster University. Toronto: Pearson Education.2013 Illness and Death. In: Sex, Food and Death. Anthropology 1AA3, second edition customized for McMaster University. Toronto: Pearson Education.2013 Humans and the Environment. In: Sex, Food and Death. Anthropology 1AA3, second edition customized for McMaster University. Toronto: Pearson Education.Lechler, George1951 The interpretation of the “accident scene” at Lascaux. Man 51; 165-167. doi: 10.2307/2794817Lippit, Akira MIzuta2002 “Archétexts”: Lascaux, Eros and the anamorphic subject. Discourse, 24(2);18-29. URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41389642