TheherdsofbullsandhorsesdepictedrunningalongthewallsoftheLascauxcavesinFranceareamongthemostmagnificentexamplesofprehistoricarteverdiscovered．Butratherthandisplayinghuntingscenes，newevidencesuggeststhattheimag
The herds of bulls and horses depicted running along the walls of the Lascaux caves in France are among the most magnificent examples of prehistoric art ever discovered．
But rather than displaying hunting scenes，new evidence suggests that the images actually represent the frightening sounds which came from the mouths of the caves．
US researcher Steven Waller believes that the echoes（回声） of clapping outside the cave would have sounded like hundreds of animal feet drumming on the ground．He proposes that the caves were preserved for their sound properties，which prehistoric peoples mistook for supernatural noises．
Ancient stories explained echoes from the mouths of certain giant caves as replies from spirits，so our ancestors chose to decorate these caves with paintings believing that they were inhabited by spirits and gods．
Beside animal sounds，many ancient cultures attributed thunder in the sky to‘thunder gods，'so it makes sense that some lasting echoes within the caves were interpreted as thunder and inspired paintings of those thunder gods on cave walls．
The idea is also supported by audio theory，which shows statistically significant similarities between the rock are sites and modern sound reflection equipment．
As for the presence of the famous Stonehenge（巨石阵） in Britain，Mr．Walker also suggests it may have been the sound of the prehistoric monument，rather than the sight，that inspired its creation．
He claims that its architects may have been trying to recreate a sound-effect similar to the ritual sound made during religious dancing．
People taking part in a religious dance around a pair of pipes would have heard the music grow quieter as they moved past certain pipes due to a natural phenomenon known as an‘interference pattern．'If they were blindfold，it would have created the illusion that the sound was intermittently being reduced by invisible gods as they danced．According to Dr．Walker，the ef