Prehistoric Art - Weebly

Prehistoric ArtPaleolithic through Neolithic

Prehistoric or Stone Age art is first known period ofprehistoric human culture, during which work wasdone with stone tools. The period began with theearliest human development, about 2 millionyears ago. It is divided into three periods:1. Paleolithic – Old Stone Age2. Mesolithic – Middle Stone Age3. Neolithic – New Stone AgeHead of a Woman (Siberia)Carved in mammoth ivory, 3 inches longMalta, Central Siberia, middle periodThe Hermitage, St. Petersburg Alexander Marshack

Prehistoric Art - Paleolithic(2 million years ago-13,000 BC.)Paleolithic or "Old Stone Age" is aterm used to define the oldestperiod in the human history.Paleolithic means old stone agefrom the Greek paleos old andlithos stone. It began about 2million years ago.

Thirty radiocarbon datings made in the cave haveshown that it was frequented at two differentperiods. Most of the images were drawn during thefirst period, between 30,000 and 32,000 BP inradiocarbon years. Some people came backbetween 25,000 to 27,000 and left torch marksand charcoal on the ground. Some humanfootprints belonging to a child may date back tothe second period.Chauvet Cave (ca. 30,000 B.C.)

France, c.15,500 ux/en/

Painted in yellow on the cave ceilingLascaux, France, early period, 15,000-13,500 BC(Dun Horse)

Bisons, from the Caves at Altamira, circa 15000 BC (Cave Painting)

The Venus of Willendorf wascarved from oolitic limestone,and was covered with a thicklayer of red ochre whenfound. The figurine wasunearthed during the Wachaurailway construction in 1908.Venus of Willendorfc. 24,000-22,000 BCE4 3/8 inches (11.1 cm) highBeing both female and nude, she fitperfectly into the patriarchalconstruction of the history of art. As theearliest known representation, shebecame the "first woman," acquiring asort of Ur-Eve identity that focusedsuitably, from a patriarchal point ofview, on the fascinating reality of thefemale body. Christopher L. C. E. Witcombe

Skara BraeScotland3200 BC and 2200 BCE

Ubirr (ca. 40,000?–present)Ancient Aborigines of AustraliaThe art of the Australian Aboriginesrepresents the longest continuouslypracticed series of artistic traditionsanywhere in the world. The site of Ubirr inArnhem Land, northern Australia, containsone of the most impressive assemblagesof Aboriginal rock painting, ranging fromthe earliest periods to works created withinliving memory. A favored camping placeduring the annual wet season, the rockfaces at Ubirr have been painted andrepainted for millennia. The sequence ofrock art at Ubirr and other sites in ArnhemLand has been divided into three periods:Pre-Estuarine (ca. 40,000?–6000 B.C.),Estuarine (ca. 6000 B.C.–500 A.D.), andFresh Water (ca. 500 A.D.–present).These classifications are based on thechanging style and iconography of theimages.

Stonehenge – England - 3200 BCEModern theories speculate that the stones were dragged by roller andsledge from the inland mountains to the headwaters of Milford Haven.There they were loaded onto rafts, barges or boats and sailed along thesouth coast of Wales, then up the Rivers Avon and Frome to a point nearpresent-day Frome in Somerset. From this point, so the theory goes, thestones were hauled overland, again, to a place near Warminster inWiltshire, approximately 6 miles away. From there, it's back into the poolfor a slow float down the River Wylye to Salisbury, then up the SalisburyAvon to West Amesbury, leaving only a short 2 mile drag from WestAmesbury to the Stonehenge site.

The Jiahu archaeological site in eastern China.Jiahu (ca. 7000–5700 B.C.)Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology ofHenan Province, Zhengzhou, ChinaSix complete bone flutes excavated from Jiahu.Fragments of thirty flutes were discovered inthe burials at Jiahu and six of these representthe earliest examples of playable musicalinstruments ever found. The flutes werecarved from the wing bone of the red-crownedcrane, with five to eight holes capable ofproducing varied sounds in a nearly accurateoctave.

Images of handprints are commonall over the world. These are fromthe North American Anasazi tribe.(These images were createdmuch later than the Europeancave paintings – 1500 BCE.)Link to handprints from all over the x.php

The Cosquer Cave: The HandsFifty-five hand prints have beenfound in the cave, giving a movingdocumentation of human life in thePaleolithic era. They were drawn asnegative (stencils) and as positive(hands coated with pigment andthen applied to the rock) images.

Neolithic (c. 5,000 - 1,500 BC).CycladicHarpistPlayerAegean Art, c.2800-2300 BC.

"Neolithic" refers to the "new stone age," generallyreflecting the use of stone tools with some use ofmetals and with people settling into permanentcommunities, the development of agriculture, andanimal rts1303/Neolith1.htm

What are the key characteristics of Neolithic art? It was still, almost without exception, created for somefunctional purpose. There were more images of humans than animals, andthe humans looked more, well, human. It began to be used for ornamentation. In the cases of architecture and megalithic constructions,art was now created in fixed locations. This wassignificant. Where temples, sanctuaries and stone ringswere built, gods and goddesses were provided with knowndestinations. Additionally, the emergence of tombsprovided unmoving, "visit-able" resting places for thedearly departed - another first.

Painting, in Western Europeand the Near East, left the cavesand cliffs for good, and becamea purely decorative element.The finds of Çatal Hüyük, anancient village in modernTurkey, show lovely wallpaintings (including the world'searliest known landscape),dating from c. 6150 BC.

SaharanNeolithicpaintingsseem tocome to lifein usualscenes ofEritreanpastoral life

Statuary (primarily statuettes), made a big comeback afterhaving been largely absent during the Mesolithic age. ItsNeolithic theme dwelt primarily on the female/fertility, or"Mother Goddess" imagery (quite in keeping withagriculture, this). There were still animal statuettes,however these weren't lavished with the detail thegoddesses enjoyed. They are often found broken into bits perhaps indicating that they were used symbolically inhunting rituals.Additionally, sculpture was no longer created strictly bycarving something. In the Near East, in particular,figurines were now fashioned out of clay and baked.Archaeological digs at Jericho turned up a marveloushuman skull (c. 7,000 BC) overlaid with delicate, sculptedplaster features.

Stone Age SculptureTurriga Mother GoddessThis mother goddess wasfound in Senorbi, aTurriga locality in theisland of Sardinia, Italy,in the ruins of a neolithic village. It's formclearly representsfertility and is veryreminecent of theCycladic art fromGreece.

Male and female figures from Cernavoda,Romaniaca. 3500 B.C.E.

Male figurine,clay. From theSamarran site(northern Iraq),c.6000 bce.Statuette(motherAlabastergoddess?) fromstatuette from'Ain Ghazalthe Samarran(Jordan). Reedsite, c.6000s coated withbce. Eyes inlaidplaster andwith bitumin.decorated withred paint andbitumin

Neolithic pottery with incised designAs for pottery, it began replacing stone and woodutensils at a rapid pace, and also become more highlydecorated.

Paradimi.Neolithic vasefrom Paradimi.Clay, onehandled jug withbiconical bodyand tall neck.Dated to ca.4.000 B.C.

Spherical vase fromDimini, Late Neolithic.The combination of spirals,curved lines, and polygonsdecorating the vase arecharacteristic of LateNeolithic pottery.

Sub-NeolithicBowl, Dimini,Thessaly.3000 BC.

Polished RedBowl.Neolithic.Sesklo Culture,Thessaly. 3000BC.

The "new" arts to emerge from this era were weaving,architecture, the construction of megaliths and increasinglystylized pictographs that were well on their way to becomingwriting.The earlier arts of statuary, painting and pottery stuck with (andstill remain with) us. The Neolithic era saw many refinements toeach.

Catalhoyuk, near the modern city of Konya. is the first planned urban developmentin the world dating back to 7,000 B.C. and covering an area of 32 acres. Eachhouse shared common walls with its neighbors and its entrance was on the roof.The walls, made out of mud-brick and presenting a solid, windowless aspectwherever they faced the city’s outside, formed an effective, continuous defensiverampart. Inside, the house walls were covered with paintings that depicted richscenes of nature and wildlife. Painted relief sculptures, especially in the form of theMother Goddess, were popular. Her popularity pointed to a possibly matriarchalsociety.

The neolithic village of Skara Brae lies on theshore of the Bay of Skaill on the west coast ofOrkney's Mainland.Stunningly preserved structures containing stonefurniture (dressers, beds, cupboards) dating backto 3200BC can be seen here.

“Art history" typically begins to follow a prescribed course: Iron andbronze are discovered. Ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia andEgypt arise, make art, and are followed by art in the classicalcivilizations of Greece and Rome. After this, we hang out in Europefor the next thousand years, eventually moving on to the New World,which subsequently shares artistic honors with Europe. This route iscommonly known as "Western Art", and is often the focus of any arthistory/art appreciation syllabus. It is both acceptable (if not ideal)and the route we will take here - for the time being.However, the sort of art that has been described in this article as"Neolithic" (i.e.: Stone age; that of pre-literate peoples who hadn't yetdiscovered how to smelt metals) continued to flourish in theAmericas, Africa, Australia and, in particular, Oceania. In someinstances, it was still thriving in the previous (20th) century. Sonoted. There are many terms for this kind of art, non-western beingthe most predominant. I prefer ethnographic, a less frequently usedterm, but one that is more respectful and accurate.

Vocabulary:1.2.3.4.petroglyph - a design chiseled or chipped out of a rock surfacepictograph - a design painted on a rock surfacerock art panel - a group of pictograph and/or pictograph figuresnomadic - having no fixed home and wanders from place to place in search offood5. ritual - set form or way of conducting a ceremony6. prehistoric - before written history7. murals - picture painted on a wall8. excavations - holes made by digging or hollowing out9. polychrome - decorated in a variety of colors10. incised - carved or engraved11. hominid - member of a family of two-footed, erect mammals, of which modernman is the only survivor12. Homo sapiens - scientific name for modern humans13. Paleolithic - period of early human culture in which chipped or flaked stonetools were made and used14. Pleistocene - most recent ice age15. Neanderthal - extinct species of prehistoric man who lived in caves in Europe,North Africa, and western and central Asia

Prehistoric Art - Paleolithic (2 million years ago-13,000 BC.) Paleolithic or "Old Stone Age" is a term used to define the oldest period in the human history. Paleolithic means old stone age from the Greek paleos