Global Prehistory Artworks: Paleolithic to Bronze Age Key Analyses

Apollo 11 Stones

Artist: Unknown, Period: Paleolithic 25,000-25,300 BCE, Culture: Namibia, Material: Charcoal on Stone

Great Hall of the Bulls

Artist: Unknown, Period: Paleolithic 15,000-13,000 BCE, Culture: Lascax, France, Material: Rock Painting

Camelid Sacrum in the shape of a Canine

Artist: Unknown, Period: Mesolithic, Culture: Tequixquiac, Central Mexico, Material: Bone

Running Horned Woman

Artist: Unknown, Period: Neolithic, Culture: Tassili n'Ajier, Algeria, Material: Pigment on Stone

Function of Apollo 11 Stones

Man is capable of symbolic thought.

Context of Apollo 11 Stones

Made when man was nomadic, discovered by WE Wendt.

Context of Great Hall of the Bulls

Original cave remade due to opening the cave up to the public.

Function of Great Hall of the Bulls

Made after a successful hunt (ritual).

Materials used in Great Hall of the Bulls

Used ochre and charcoal.

Technique used in Great Hall of the Bulls

Scaffolding was used, burning animal fat as a light source.

Cultural significance of Camelid Sacrum

The people of Mesopotamia thought the sacrum was a sacred bone.

Materials used in Camelid Sacrum

Triangle one at the base of the spine of a camel, llama, alpaca.

Technique used in Camelid Sacrum

Sharp tool to carve out the nostril.

Context of Running Horned Woman

Ritual related to rain/grain falling-agriculture and harvest.

Symbolism in Running Horned Woman

Dots on her body representing scarification-markers like changes in life, marriage etc.

Visual Analysis of Apollo 11 Stones

Two stones, feline animal, human hind legs, curved horns - Oryx?

Visual Analysis of Great Hall of the Bulls

Some animals are linear, some colored in, twisted perspective - side view of the body, full head.

Visual Analysis of Camelid Sacrum

Carved from bone, shaped like a canine.

Visual Analysis of Running Horned Woman

Running woman depicted with ritualistic elements.

Date of Apollo 11 Stones

Buried 25,000 years ago.

Date of Great Hall of the Bulls

Created between 15,000-13,000 BCE.

Date of Camelid Sacrum

Period: Mesolithic.

Date of Running Horned Woman

Period: Neolithic.

Hierarchy of scale

People in the background are smaller; important person is depicted larger.

Beaker with ibex motifs

Neolithic painted terracotta artifact from Susa, Iran, created by an unknown artist.

Registers

Separations on the art piece, with specific depictions in each register.

1st register

Features birds with very long necks.

2nd register

Depicts a long and thin dog in motion.

Goat with exaggerated horns

Serves as a clan marker, stylized and handmade, found at a burial site.

Anthropomorphic stele

Neolithic sandstone sculpture from the Arabian Peninsula, depicting a male figure with no arms or feet, wearing a necklace and a belted robe.

Aul

A diagonal necklace worn by the anthropomorphic stele.

Trade route

Linking east to west, the Arabian Peninsula was fertile and lush during the Neolithic period.

Jade Cong

Neolithic jade artifact (3,300-2,200 BCE) from Liangzhu, China, symbolizing earth and heaven, characterized by a circular and square shape.

Sanding abrasive technique

Method used in the creation of jade cong.

Stonehenge

Neolithic sandstone structure located in Wiltshire, UK, created by an unknown artist.

Megalithic architecture

Architecture involving large stones, including menhirs, henges, and trilithons.

Menhirs

Tall stones used in megalithic architecture.

Henge

A circular ditch associated with megalithic architecture.

Aubreyholes

56 pits found at Stonehenge.

Trilithon

A structure consisting of a post and lintel in megalithic architecture.

Mortise and tenon joint

A type of joint used in megalithic architecture.

The Ambum Stone

Bronze Age zoomorphic sculpture from Ambum Valley, Papua New Guinea, made of greywacke.

Tlatilco female figurine

Bronze Age ceramic sculpture from Central Mexico (1200-900 BCE), emphasizing facial features and exaggerated hips.

Funeral object

The Tlatilco female figurine was used for afterlife rituals.

Lapita Terracotta Fragment

Bronze Age pottery shard from the Solomon Islands, characterized by geometric and anthropomorphic designs.

Design Grammar

The method of creating patterns on pottery, often involving stamping or fine tools.