I recently read The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art, the first of a trio of books written by David Lewis-Williams, Professor Emeritus and Senior Mentor in the Rock Art Research Institute at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg South Africa.
Lascaux Cave
Not only do these books describe and compare prehistoric art forms and practices from varied cultures, they also present a scientifically plausible and intriguing context for why these ancient works were created by early Homo sapiens .