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 d Audoubert, Ariége, 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, Çatal Höyük 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
Çatal Höyük Turkey ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.
Çatal Höyük 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 Çatal Höyük, Turkey ca. 5,750 B.C.E.
Human figures Deer Hunt Movement (variety of poses) Humans are dominating animals Other paintings show garments, bows, and arrows
Çatal Höyük Turkey ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.
Landscape with Volcanic Eruption Çatal Höyük, Turkey ca. 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 Dolmen several great stones set on end with a large covering slab. Menhirs single stones set on end Trilithon a structure consisting of two large vertical stones (posts) supporting a third stone set horizontally across the top (lintel)
Menhir alignments at Ménec, 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-stoneshidden-landscapes-project/