The Rouffignac Flutings – Philippe de Felice

Central France has a wealth of prehistoric art, including the famous caves of Lascaux and Chauvet. One of the more mysterious examples of Ice Age art is the long serpentine tracings made on the ceilings of caves at Rouffignac, in the Dordogne area. Seemingly without function or meaning, these “flutings”- tracings made with the points of fingers- have puzzled archaeologists for many years. Recent research indicates that they may be evidence of rituals performed by hunter-gatherers who inhabited Europe in the Upper Palaeolithic (50,000 and 12,000 BCE). Philippe de Felice analyses the evidence and offers a startling suggestion as to the purpose of the Rouffignac flutings.

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Philippe de Felice Bio

Philippe de Felice is of Swiss origins and was born in Zurich in 1954. He received a cosmopolitan education in Swiss, French and English schools, and then studied at Florence University and Oriel College Oxford (where he graduated with First Class Honours in History and French in 1976). He later qualified as a Barrister and followed a career in international law, working on aid projects for the United Nations, on EU affairs for the Commission and the UK government, and most recently in private practice.

He has travelled widely in Asia, Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

He now lives in London with his wife and three children. Entertaining Mona Lisa is his first collection of stories. He is currently working on a novel and a series of studies on how humans have chosen to express themselves throughout the ages, from prehistoric caves to the internet era.