Unit 2: Art of the Stone Age

What is the Stone Age?

The period before written history

Where does much of the evidence for early art come from?

Africa, Europe, and Asia

What types of art did early humans create?

Paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and tools

Why is prehistoric art difficult to understand?

The meaning and purpose of much of it are unknown

what are the three main periods of the Stone Age?

Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

What was the Paleolithic period?

40,000-8,000 BCE; people were mainly hunter-gratherers

What was the Mesolithic period?

10,000-8,000 BCE; a transition toward farming and domestication

What was the Neolithic period?

8,000-3,000 BCE; farming, domesticated animals, and permanent settlements became common

What does Blombos Cave show?

Early symbolic behavior through abstract designs and shell beads

What is the significants of the Sulawesi cave art?

It dates to about 43,900 BCE and includes a warty pig and hunting figures

What were Nassarius shells possibly used for?

Personal ornaments or beads.

What is Lascaux famous for

Cave paintings of horses, bulls, deer, and other animals

What is significant about Chauvet Cave?

It contains detailed animal paintings over 30,000 years old

What techniques were used in cave art?

Pigments, outlines, shading, and engraving

How were animals often represented?

In profile or by using natural shapes of the cave walls

When was the Woman of Willendorf made?

Around 24,000–22,000 BCE

What is the Woman of Willendorf made of?

Limestone

What is emphasized in the sculpture?

The body rather than facial features

Do we know exactly what the sculpture was used for?

No, its exact purpose is unknown

What is relative dating?

Comparing objects and styles to determine their age

What is stratification?

Using archaeological layers to help determine age; deeper layers are generally older

How did permanent settlements affect art?

They led to new types of art, architecture, and pottery

What was Jericho?

An early permanent settlement with mud-brick homes, walls, and a tower

What were plastered skulls?

Skulls covered with plaster to recreate facial features, possibly connected to ancestors

What was Çatalhöyük?

A dense Neolithic settlement with wall paintings, sculptures, and figurines

What was pottery used for?

Storage, cooking, and ceremonies

When was Stonehenge built?

Around 3,000 BCE

Where is Stonehenge located?

England

What is Stonehenge?

A large megalithic monument

What did building Stonehenge require?

Planning, cooperation, and significant labor

Do we know exactly what Stonehenge was used for?

No, its exact purpose is unknown

Where is Tassili n’Ajjer?

Modern Algeria

What is Tassili n’Ajjer known for?

Prehistoric rock paintings and engravings

What is the Running Horned Woman?

A prehistoric human figure with horns, dated around 6,000–4,000 BCE

Sulawesi warty pig
rock panel at Leang Tedongnge in Sulawesi, Indonesia
43,900 BCE

Sulawesi, Indonesia
facing several smaller therianthrope figures
43,900 BCE

Left wall of the Hall of Bulls, Lascaux II
16,000-14,000 BCE

The Lion Man from Stadel Cave
40,000-35,000 BCE

Woman of Willendorf
24,000-22,000 BCE
Limestone

Russia
22,000 BCE

Laussel Woman with bison horn
25,000 years ago
Laussel, France

Jericho
Tell es-Sultan

Tower of Jericho

Plastered human skull

Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük

Horned Running Woman
6,000-4,000 BCE
Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria

Seated Woman
Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria

Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England
2550–1600 BCE