AP Art History - Global Prehistory U. 1

Lapita (Terra cotta fragment)

• Lapita
  Solomon Islands.
  c. 1,000 B.C.E.

• Made from terra cotta.

• Subject Matter: A terra-cotta fragment refers to a broken piece of pottery made from clay that has been fired at low temperatures. These fragments can provide valuable insights into ancient cultures through their decoration, shape, and context.

• Purpose: Used to cook and/or store food stuffs

• Form: Use of curved stamped patterns: dots, circles, hatching -Outlined forms -> comb-like tool to stamp clay

Camelid Sacrum

• Camelid Sacrum
  Tequixquiac, Mexico.
  c. 14,000–7000 B.C.E.

• Bone

• Made from a pelvis.

• Subject Matter: Shows proof of animals in their environment, in this case, the Camelide family before they went extinct.

• Purpose: The camelid sacrum was likely used in rituals in which animal spirits would be revived, which speaks to the spiritualism of early humans

• Form: Hard and most likely very dense.

• Holes that were cut into the end of the bone represent

  nostrils

  • The careful attention to detail and perfect symmetry demonstrates the artist’s hand and the importance of the work

  • Done using the subtractive technique of removing

  material to create a sculpture

• Representation of an animal in the Camelide family.

The Running Horned Woman

• The Running Horned Woamn
  Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria.
  c. 6,000-4,000 BCE.

• Pigment

• Subject Matter: The Running Horned Woman is believed to have been used in religious rituals and ceremonies, possibly as an embodiment of a goddess or other supernatural being. The horns on the headdress may also symbolize power and authority.

• Purpose: The running horned woman represents the embodiment of spirituality

• Form: The horns are in composite view

  • There is a strong contrast between

  light and dark areas

  • It was created using natural

  pigments on rock

  • No ground line

  • Ambiguous depiction of space'

• Some scholars have interpreted the woman as a horned deity instead of a human wearing ceremonial headgear. The meaning of most African rock art remains uncertain

Tlatilco

The Ambum Stone

Apollo 11 Stones

• Apollo 11 Stones
  Nambia, Africa.
  c. 25000-25300 B.C.E.

• Charcoal on stone.

• Made with charcoal and quartz.

• The oldest known of any kind from the African continent.

• Subject Matter: Shows documentation of extinct species like Dinasour, shown on the stone. Shows evidence that homosapiens existed.

• Purpose: The purpose of these stones was so that the Nomadic people had control over animals. (Shamanistic)

• Form: Black drawing to indicate it was drawn by charcoal. It is old and rocky, meaning it was covered by debris for a long time.