An experimental investigation into the oxygen consumption of upper palaeolithic illumination technology: a response to Kedar, Kedar, & Barkai
Time and Mind August 11, 2025 A. Whitehead, Christopher L. Scott, Jennifer C. French 1 citation
Upper Palaeolithic parietal art deep in caves required artificial lighting. Kedar, Kedar, & Barkai proposed that oxygen consumption by lamps, combined with poor ventilation, caused hypoxia-induced altered states of consciousness that influenced ritual and art. This experimental study tested fat-burning lamps and found they extinguish at 17% oxygen, well above the hypoxia threshold. Exhaust gases—carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide—were also produced at rates too low to induce altered states. The results do not support the hypoxia hypothesis.