Prehistoric Art
Paleolithic
Old Stone Age = Paleolithic period (Greek
paleo = old and lithos = stone)
Works from this period vary greatly
Focus on animal representation with some
human representation
Human with Feline Head
from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany
ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.E.
mammoth ivory
11 5/8 in. high
Venus of Willendorf
from Willendorf, Austria
ca. 28,000-25,000 B.C.E.
limestone
4 1/4 in. high
Venus of Willendorf
28,000-25,000 BC
Limestone carved with simple tools
Found in Austria
Old Stone Age preoccupation with women and importance of fertility
Venus of Hohle Fels
38,000-33,000 BCE
Found in
Wurttemberg,
Germany
2.4
Sculpted from a
woolly mammoth
tusk
What differences do
you see?
Woman of Lespugue
from cave of Les Rideaux, France
ca. 20,000 B.C.E.
mammoth ivory
5 3/4 in. high
Various European Venus figures
Bison reliefs
from a cave at Le Tuc dAudoubert, Arige, France
ca. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E.
clay
each approximately 2 feet long
Bison Reliefs cont.
15,000-10,000 BCE
Each are about 2 feet long
Sculptor pressed clay to rock and used
both hands to form the shape
Used fingers for shapes and a tool to
create the smooth body
Among the largest sculptures of the
Paleolithic era
Mesolithic Period Middle Stone Age (Greek mesos = middle
and lithos = stone)
Between Paleolithic and Neolithic
Remains from this period are few and far between
Characterized by small tools, fishing tackle, and wooden objects (canoes and bows)
Domestication of animals and the beginning of agriculture.
Neolithic
New Stone Age (Greek neo=new and
lithic=stone)
Human beings began to settle in homes
and domesticate animals
Many groups changed from hunters to
herders to farmers and to townspeople
Turkey, atal Hyk
Most extensively excavated Neolithic sites
Urban living
Houses were constructed of mud brick
with painted floors and walls (decorated
with mural paintings and relief)
Living buried the dead beneath the floors
Area flourished between 7000-5000 BCE
atal Hyk
Turkey
ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.
atal Hyk
Turkey
ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.
Deer Hunt
What do you notice about
this painting in relation to the
Paleolithic cave paintings?
Deer Hunt
detail of a wall painting from
Level III
atal Hyk, Turkey
ca. 5,750 B.C.E.
Deer Hunt
Human figures
Movement (variety of poses)
Humans are dominating animals
Other paintings show garments, bows, and
arrows
atal Hyk
Turkey
ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.
Landscape with Volcanic Eruption
atal Hyk, Turkeyca. 6150
watercolor copy of a wall painting
Megaliths As early at 4000 BCE Neolithic populations
began to create monumental architecture with massive stones
Due to the size and mass of the stones, historians call these monuments megaliths.
Megaliths literally means great stones
Megalithic the culture that produced these monuments/megaliths
Henge - arrangement of huge stones in a circle
Types of Megalithic Structures
Dolmenseveral great stones set on end
with a large covering slab.
Menhirssingle stones set on end
Trilithona structure consisting of two large
vertical stones (posts) supporting a third
stone set horizontally across the top (lintel)
Menhir alignments at Mnec,
Carnac, France
ca. 4,250-3,750 B.C.E.
various Menhirs
Ireland, Scotland, England, France
Dolmens
Ireland, Scotland, England, France
Stonehenge
Salisury Plain, Wiltshire, England
ca. 2,550-1,600 B.C.E.
sarsen and bluestone
Stonehenge
Salisury Plain, Wiltshire, England
ca. 2,550-1,600 B.C.E.
sarsen and bluestone
Stonehenge Stones are 24 feet tall and made of sarsen (a
form of sandstone) and smaller blue stones(various volcanic rocks)
Some weighed up to 50 tons
What is it?
The creation of an ancient race of giants
Conjured by Merlin the Magician who transplanted it
from Ireland
Stonehenge today is regarded by
archaeologists as an accurate solar calendar
Journal #4
How will improving technology continue
to influence archeological findings?
Think positive and negative
How does all of this research change
how we view and interact with ancient
monuments/art?
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/stonehe
nge-mystery-radar-finds-more-stones-
hidden-landscapes-project/
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/stonehenge-mystery-radar-finds-more-stones-hidden-landscapes-project/
