Intro to Art App New - Prehistoric Art Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering Stone Age periods, megalithic monuments, cave art, and key prehistoric sites and terms.

Angono Petroglyphs

Oldest known artworks in the Philippines; 127 figural carvings engraved on a wall of volcanic tuff; discovered 1965; declared National Cultural Treasure and listed on the World Inventory of Rock Art.

Brú na Bóinne Complex

Neolithic complex in Ireland containing Knowth, Dowth, and Newgrange; site with tombs and a high concentration of megalithic art.

Knowth

Neolithic site within Brú na Bóinne with two passageways; 17 satellite mounds and extensive rock art including spirals, crescents, and waves.

Dowth

Part of the Brú na Bóinne complex; dated 3200–2900 BCE; suffered damage during an 1847 excavation.

Newgrange

A 3300–2900 BCE passage tomb famous for its winter solstice illumination and the Spiral of Life/Triple Spiral engraving at its mouth.

Spiral of Life / Triple Spiral

A triple-spiral engraving at Newgrange; a key megalithic symbol.

Dolmen

Portal tomb formed by upright stones capped with a large slab; often earth-covered.

Passage tomb

A tomb with a long passage leading to a burial chamber; developed as an extension of portal tombs.

Gallery grave

An elongated rectangular megalithic tomb without a passage.

Stonehenge

Neolithic–Bronze Age stone circle in Wiltshire, England (c. 3000–1600 BCE); stones up to 30 ft tall; contains blue stones from Wales.

Henge

An earthwork consisting of a circular bank and ditch; term also used for circular stone rings in some contexts.

Cromlech

Another term for a circular arrangement of megaliths; often used interchangeably with henge.

Stone Age

Global prehistoric period ending with the Bronze Age (roughly 40,000 BCE–3000 BCE); includes Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic.

Paleolithic (Old Stone Age)

40,000–10,000 BCE; hunter-gatherers; development of stone tools; earliest cave art; subdivided into Lower, Middle, and Upper phases.

Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age)

10,000–8,000 BCE; transitional period with increasing communities and more advanced stone tools.

Neolithic (New Stone Age)

8,000–3,000 BCE; domestication of plants and animals; settled farming; development of crafts and jewelry.

Gobekli Tepe

9500–7500 BCE monumental megalithic complex in Sanlıurfa, Turkey; megaliths arranged in enclosures with animal reliefs.

Lepenski Vir

Mesolithic site in Serbia (circa 6300–5900 BCE) known for sculptural works, especially fish motifs.

Capdenac le Haut

Mesolithic site in France; relief sculptures common; wood sculptures produced due to abundant trees after the Ice Age.

Jomon ceramics

Japanese ceramic art dating from the 11th millennium BCE; noted for decorative impressions in wet clay.

Lascaux Cave

French cave with vivid Paleolithic paintings (15,000–13,000 BCE); original cave closed to public; Lascaux II replica nearby.

Great Hall of Bulls

Main chamber at Lascaux displaying a large herd of animals; charcoal and ochre drawings with mineral pigments.

Altamira

Caves in northern Spain (Group of 18) with Upper Paleolithic art dating 35,000–11,000 years ago; UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Apollo 11 Stones

Namibia cave art dated to 25,500–25,300 BCE; charcoal drawings discovered in 1969; among oldest known figurative works.

Venus of Hohle Fels (Schelklingen)

Oldest known figurative sculpture (38,000–33,000 BCE) from Hohle Fels cave; also called Venus of Schelklingen.

Vogelherd Mammoth

Mammoth ivory sculpture dating to about 33,000 BCE; found in the Vogelherd/Hohlenstein area; possibly worn as an amulet.

Venus figurines

Small Paleolithic female figures illustrating fertility; widespread across Europe with exaggerated hips, breasts, and abdomen.

Petroglyph

Rock engraving produced by carving, pecking, or incising the surface.

Pictograph

Rock painting created by applying pigment to the rock surface.

Megalithic Art

Art created on or within large stones (megaliths); includes spirals, crescents, and geometric patterns; prominent in Neolithic Europe.

Menhir

A single upright standing stone used in megalithic monuments.

Upper Paleolithic

Late phase of the Paleolithic (roughly 40,000–10,000 BCE) characterized by advanced tools and early symbolic art.

Lo Cueva de las Manos (Cave of Hands)

Patagonia, Argentina site dating to about 7300 BCE; cave paintings featuring hand stencils created by blowing pigment through hollow bones.