Jean Auel - THE SHELTERS OF STONE

Ayla – of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, formerly Ayla of the Lion Camp of the Mamutoi, Daughter of the Mammoth Hearth, Chosen by the Spirit of the Cave Lion, Protected by the Cave Bear, Friend of the horses, Whinney and Racer, and the four-legged hunter, Wolf

Jondalar – of the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii, Ayla's intended, son of former leader, brother of leader, called Jondé by his sister Folara

Zelandoni (Zolena) – Current Zelandoni, former lover of Jondalar

Thonolan – Jondalar's younger brother, killed on Journey

Folara – Jondalar's younger sister

Marthona – Jondalar's mother, former leader, also mother of Joharran, Folara

Willamar – Marthona's mate, Trade Master, Traveler

Tivonan – Willamar's apprentice trader

Joconan – Marthona's first mate, dead, man of Joharran's hearth

Joharran – Jondalar's older brother, leader of Ninth Cave

Proleva – Joharran's mate

Jaradal – Proleva's son, Joharran's hearth child

Levela – Proleva's younger sister, Jondecam's mate

Jondecam – Levela's mate, nephew of Kimeran and son of Zelandoni of the Second Cave

Velima – Мother of Proleva and Levela

Solaban – Hunter, adviser, and friend of Joharran

Ramara – Solaban's mate

Robenan – Ramara's son

Rushemar – Hunter, adviser, and friend of Joharran

Salova – Rushemar's mate

Marsola – Salova's daughter

Marona – Jondalar's former girlfriend

Wylopa – Marona's cousin

Portula – Marona's friend

Lorava – Portula's younger sister

Ramila – Folara's friend

Galeya – Folara's friend

Charezal – New member of Ninth Cave, stranger to Jondalar

Shevonar – Man who dies while hunting

Relona – Shevonar's mate

Ranokol – Shevonar's brother

Brukeval – Jondalar's distant cousin (part Clan)

Madroman – Formerly called Ladroman, acolyte of Fifth Cave

Laramar – Man who makes barma

Tremeda – Laramar's mate

Bologan – Son of Tremeda, eldest, twelve

Lanoga – Daughter of Tremeda, ten

Lorala – Daughter of Tremeda, about six months

Stelona – Older woman who nurses Lorala

Thefona – Third Cave's best lookout, best vision

Thevola – Maker of rawhide panels

Lanidar – Boy of the Nineteenth Cave with deformed right arm, twelve

Mardena – Lanidar's mother

Denoda – Mardena's mother

Janida – Peridal's mate

Peridal – Janida's mate

Matagan – Young man who was gored by a woolly rhinoceros

Tishona – Marsheval's mate

Marsheval – Tishona's mate

Palidar – Tivonan's friend

Whinney – Ayla's horse, dun-yellow mare, Przwalski horse

Racer – Jondalar's horse, bay (brown) stallion, Cherski horse (rare)

Wolf – Ayla's wolf

Manvelar – Leader of Third Cave, Two Rivers Rock

Morizan – Son of Manvelar's mate, son of his hearth

Kareja – Leader of Eleventh Cave, River Place

Dorova – Kareja's mother

Brameval – Leader of Fourteenth Cave, Little Valley

Kimeran – Leader of Second Cave of the Zelandonii, Elder Hearth, brother of Zelandoni of the Second Cave, uncle of Jondecam

Denanna – Leader of the three holdings of the Twenty-ninth Cave, Three Rocks, and specifically of the South Holding, Reflection Rock

Tormaden – Leader of the Nineteenth Cave of the Zelandonii

Zelandoni-of the Eleventh Cave, River Place, homosexual man

Marolan-man who is the Eleventh's friend and mate

Zelandoni-of the Third Cave, Two Rivers Rock, older man

Zelandoni-of the Fourteenth Cave, Little Valley, middle-aged woman

Zelandoni-of the Second Cave, Elder Hearth, older sister of Kimeran, mother of Jondecam

Zelandoni-of the Seventh Cave, Horsehead Rock, white-haired grandfather of Zelandoni Second, and Kimeran

Zelandoni-of the Nineteenth Cave, white-haired older woman

Zelandoni-of the Fifth Cave, Old Valley, middle-aged man

Zelandoni-of the Twenty-ninth Cave, Three Rocks, and mediator between the three assistant zelandonia and three leaders of the three separate locations of the Twenty-ninth Cave

Assistant Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth Cave, Zelandoni of Reflection Rock (South Holding), middle-aged man

Assistant Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth Cave, Zelandoni of South Face (North Holding), young man

Assistant Zelandoni of the Twenty-ninth Cave, Zelandoni of Summer Camp (West Holding), middle-aged woman

First Acolyte of the Second Cave (almost Zelandoni), young woman

Jonokol – First Acolyte of the Ninth Cave, artist, young man

Mikolan – Second Acolyte of the Fourteenth Cave, very young man

Mejera – Acolyte of the Third Cave (formerly Fourteenth Cave), very young woman

Madroman – Acolyte of the Fifth Cave (formerly Ladroman of the Ninth Cave), young man

Dalanar – Man of Jondalar's hearth, Marthona's former mate, founder of the Lanzadonii

Jerika – Dalanar's mate, co-founder of Lanzadonii

Ahnlay – Jerika's mother, died

Hochaman – Man of Jerika's hearth – Great Traveler

Joplaya – Jerika's daughter, daughter of Dalanar's hearth

Echozar – Joplaya's half-Clan mate

Andovan – Man who helped raise Echozar

Yoma – Echozar's mother, Clan woman

I am more grateful than I can say for the assistance of many people who have helped me to learn about the ancient world of the people who lived when glaciers advanced far south of today's margins and covered a quarter of the earth's surface. However, there are some details which I have chosen to use, particularly with regard to certain theories and the timing of certain sites and events, which may not be accepted by the majority of the professional community at this time. Some may be oversights but others were chosen deliberately, usually because it felt more accurate to this subjective novelist who must write about people with an understanding of human nature and logical motivation for their actions.

Most especially, I want to thank Dr. Jean-Philippe Rigaud, whom I met on my first research trip to Europe at his archeological excavation namedFlageolet in southwest France, once a hunting camp on a hillside that overlooked a broad grassy plain and the migrating Ice Age animals it supported. Though I was just an unknown American novelist, he took the time to explain some of the discoveries of that site, and he helped to arrange a visit to Lascaux Cave. I was brought to tears when I saw that sanctuary of prehistoric splendor painted by those early modern humans of Upper Paleolithic Europe, the Cro Magnons- work that can still stand against the finest of today.

Later, when we met again at La Micoque, a very early Neanderthal site, I began to get more of a sense of the unique time at the beginning of our prehistory when the first anatomically modern humans arrived in Europe and encountered the Neanderthals who had been living there since long before the last Ice Age. Because I wanted to understand the process that is used to learn about our ancient ancestors, my husband and I worked for a short time at Dr. Rigaud's more recent excavation, Grotte Seize. He also gave me many insights into the rich and expansive living site, which today is named Laugerie Haute, but that I have called the Ninth Cave of the Zelandonii.

Dr. Rigaud has been of help throughout the series, but I appreciate his assistance with this book in particular. Before I started writing The Shelters of Stone, I took all the information I had gathered about the region and the way it was then and wrote the entire background setting in terms of the story, giving the sites my own names and describing the landscape so that when I needed the information it was easily available in my own words. I have asked many scientists and other specialists uncountable questions, but I never asked anyone to check my work before it was published. I have always taken full responsibility for the choices I made in selecting the details that were used in my books, for the way I decided to use them, and the imagination I added to them – and I still do. But because the setting for this novel is so well known, not only to archeologists and other professionals, but to the many people who have visited the region, I needed to be sure that my background details were as accurate as I could make them, so I did something I had never done before. I asked Dr. Rigaud, who knows the region and understands the archeology, to check over those many, many pages of background material for obvious errors. I didn't fully realize what a huge job I had asked of him, and I thank him profoundly for his time and efforts. He paid me the compliment of saying that the information was reasonably accurate, but he also told me some things I didn't know or hadn't understood, which I was able to correct and incorporate. Any mistakes remaining are entirely mine.