Figure 1: Location map (Image: C. Defrasne)
Figure 2: The paintings at the Abri Faravel. Two groups of roughly parallel lines, and two animals facing one another. (a) Normal light image; (b) Zoom of paintings – colours enhanced with DStretch with the YBR matrix (Photo and enhancement: C. Defrasne)
Figure 3: The Faravel plateau viewed from the north – location of the Abri Faravel indicated with an arrow (Photo: K. Walsh)
Figure 4: View and situation of the Abri Faravel from the south-east - – location of the Abri Faravel indicated with an arrow (Photo: Loïc Damelet, CNRS/Centre Camille Jullian)
Figure 5: A collage of views of the Abri Faravel rock shelter (Photo: K. Walsh)
Figure 6: View of the paintings from the interior of the rock shelter with the rock art colours enhanced with DStretch (Photo: Loïc Damelet, CNRS/Centre Camille Jullian; enhancement: C. Defrasne)
Figure 7: The execution of the white light scan of the paintings (Photo: K. Walsh)
Figure 8: The execution of the laser scan of the rock shelter and its landscape (Photo: K. Walsh)
Figure 9: Distribution map of the archaeological sites in the high altitude area of southern Ecrins. Faravel is centre-right of map (Image: V.Dumas, F. Mocci and K. Walsh)
Figure 10: GIF animation of today's plateau and then hypothesised Mesolithic to Neolithic tree line (Photo and virtual reconstruction, K. Walsh)
Figure 11: Neolithic polished stone axe found close to the Faravel rock shelter (Photo: Guillaume Contini)
Figure 12: Final recording of the paintings. Figures enhanced with DStretch are placed back on the original photograph.
(a): Zoom onto figurative elements, including the possible anthropomorph in the top-left corner (Photo: L. Damelet; enhancement: C. Defrasne)
Figure 13: Complete plan of the 'ceiling' of the Abri Faravel with the paintings, key micro-topographical features and calcite precipitation (Image: C. Defrasne).
Figure 14: The painted marks on the lower interior face of the rock shelter (top - general view of the interior face of the rock shelter; middle – normal light zoom onto painted marks; bottom –DStretch enhanced zoom onto painted marks) (Photo and enhancement: C. Defrasne).
Figure 15: The site and paintings at Balm d'la Vardaiola (Piedmont, Verbano Cusio Ossola region). Assigned by the excavators to the Neolithic. (By permission Ministero del Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo - Soprintendenza Archeologia del Piemonte); (DStretch enhancement with the YBR matrix undertaken by authors). (Copyrighted images not to be copied or exploited without prior permission)
Figure 16: The paintings from Bessans (the Rocher du Château). Top: view of the cliff (Rocher du Chateau); Bottom: Zoom onto part of the panel - colours enhanced with DStretch with the LRE matrix (Photo and enhancement: K. Walsh)
Figure 17: Bronze and Iron Age engraved panels at Naquane, Roccia Grande (Photo: C. Defrasne)
Figure 18: Image of the paintings from Pierre Escrite (Chasteuil, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence) (courtesy of Philippe Hameau, LAPCOS, Département de Sociologie-Ethnologie de l'Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis) (DStretch enhancement undertaken by authors)
Figure 19: The deer hunting scene (corridor 1, zone 2, and group 8) in the Porto Badisco cave (Otranto, Lecce, Puglia, Italy). (a) General view of cave interior; (b) Detail of 'hunting' scene. (Su concessione del Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo - Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Puglia - Archivio fotografico/By permission of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and Tourism - Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Puglia - Stock Photo. (Copyrighted images. Not to be copied or exploited without prior permission)
Figure 20: Rock art from Astuvansalmi (Finland) - colours enhanced with DStretch and the LRE matrix (Photo: K. Walsh)
Figure 21: Late Minoan larnax from Chania (Crete, Greece) (Photo: K. Walsh)
Figure 22: Diagram representing the relationship between the motifs at the Abri Faravel, the comparable analogues and the possible contexts for the production and engagement with art at Faravel (Image: K. Walsh)
Figure 23: The Abri Faravel, late winter – note how the zone below the under hang is protected from the snow (Photo: Jean-Philippe Telmon, Parc National des Ecrins)