Art history (1) prehistoric

prehistoric

the period ranging from 20,000 to 6,000 BC before written record

paleolithic, mesolithic, neolithic

what three periods is the prehistoric era divided into

nomadic hunter/gatherers who followed food supplies and hunt in large groups

paleo (old) lithic (stone)

paleolithic

extermination of large animals such as mammoths, small group/individual hunts

mesos (middle) lithos (stone)

mesolithic

first permanent settlements, development of agriculture and animal husbandry

first evidence of religious beliefs

neo (new) lithos (stone)

neolithic

• small portable sculptures featuring animals and hybrid creatures, and venus figures

• cave paintings

two predominant artifact types found during the paleolithic period

primitive reliefs

the ability to work safely and undisturbed in a secure cave, may account for the early appearance of prehistoric relief sculpture

venus figures

considered to have totemic or fertility significance

de-emphasized elements like the face, arms, hands, legs, and feat

what makes us sure the venus figures were not portraits?

emphasized elements are reproductive features - breasts, genitalia, hips

what makes us think venus figures were used in relation to fertility?

religious practices in animistic societies ie societies that believed that objects, ancestors, plants, and animals have a distinct spiritual presence

shamans/spirit doctors channel the unseen forces into this world, often through trances

shamanism

artifacts for permanent location settling would be larger and not portable whereas artifacts in nomadic cultures would be small figures and easily portable. these woild be things like venus figures

How would nomadic culture or a culture settled in a permanent location affect the size of Paleolithic and Neolithic Artifacts?

venus of berekhat ram - north israel

venus of tan-tan - morocco

venus of willendorf - austria

de-emphasized face, hands, arms, legs, feet

emphasized reproductive features - fertility

ivory figure - lion man

lion head partly human body - germany, 40,000 years old

made of mammoth tusk

composite creature, perhaps a spirit doctor

warty pig

could be the earliest known representational work of art in the world

uncovered in maros-parngkep caves

oldest in indonesia and western europe

found in difficult to reach areas

caves revisited for many centuries

not settlements

about paleolithic cave paintings

hand stencil in the chauvet caves

discovered in 1994

63% of the animals represented in the cave are bears, lions, mammoths, and rhinos - they did not hunt these

horse heads in chauvet cave

chauvet cave animals (bulls?)

lionesses and rhinoceri in chauvet cave

605 out of 900

most characteristic parts of the animals are depicted

how many animals have been identified in lascaux?

one of the earliest caves found

discovered in 1940 by boys who lost their dog

calcite roofed nu nonporous rock provides a dry place to feature art. used charcoal and ocher to paint

lascaux

bull is lascaux

example of twisted perspective

where the bodies of an animal are depicted in profile while we see the horns from a frontal view

twisted perspective

lascaux, hall of bulls

lascaux, hall of bulls

lascaux, hall of bulls

lascaux, great black bull

paintings and engravings found on cave walls and ceilings

parietal art

lascaux, horses

lascaux, red cow and first chinese horse

lascaux, shaft of the dead man

human figure with bird head - could be a shaman

bird on stick = spear thrower

bull wounded by spear

concept that presupposed that an image and what the image represents are linked

if one manipulates an image, one manipulates reality

explains the number of pregnant animals in paleolithic caves - continuous supply of food

successful hunting scenes assure a good hunt

sympathetic magic

the breath from people caused fungi to infest the walls and damage the art. a replica was created about 200 yards away from the original. it was open in 1948 and closed in 1963

why was lascaux closed to the public

historical geographic area encompassing the eastern Mediterranean including the islands. many neolithic artifacts were uncovered here

levant

potbelly hill, turkey

believed to be the oldest ceremonial site

three phases of construction, layers three two and one

round buildings with t shaped pillars set into thick interior walls. each building contains two larger pillars facing each other in the center. they were carved with reliefs of mammals. benches for sitting

no evidence of habitation

large scale objects and carvinfs imply religious function

transitional site marking shift from nomadic paleolithic and the development of permanent habitations

gobekli tepe

gobekli tepe

layer three gobekli tepe

pillar from gobelki tepe layer three with relief carvings of a bull, fox, and crane

a sculpture that is attached to a bg. not fully 3d

relief

t-shaped pillars w/ jaguar

other with birds and insect

gobelki tepe

lion/tiger reliefs

gobelki tepe layer 3

discovered in 1958 in turkey

one of the largest cities

gender equality

grain and legume production

sheep and cattle herding begin

houses decorated with murals

excavations have revealed bull heads and many mother goddess figures

catal huyuk

reconstructed house in catal huyuk

reconstructed shrine room at catal huyuk

bull heads from catal huyuk - suggest connection between religion and bulls

murals of animals in houses at catal huyuk

hunting scene

mother goddess from catal huyuk

found in grain bin, head restored. 16.5cm without head - protect or multiply the grain

seated on a throne with armrests made of lionesses

throne could be a sign of a deity or someone on a different plane of existence 

system of construction where 2 vertival elements (posts) are capped by a horizontal element (lintel)

post and lintel

held posts together 

mortise and tenon

a pair of upright stones with a lintel stone spanning their tops

trilithon

large stone structure

megalithic

stonehenge

henge - circle

england, salisbury plane

consisted of 4 rings, 2 circular and 2 horseshoe shaped, and ave marked by the heel stone and its companion, two station stones, 2 barrows (burials) and an altar stone

stonehenge

mortis

tenon

only exist in wales (125 miles away)

unknown how they were moved 

bluestones

lentils were carved on an outward incline so they appear straight from the ground

slight convexity to posts to compensate for the concavity the viewer experiences if they were straight (entasis)

a fallen sarsen with distinctive ridges from the shaping process

burial site

astronomical function

land of the dead

function of stonehenge

oriented to capture the sun’s rising over the heel stone and altar stone during the summer solstice 

astronomical function of stonehenge

nearly all buried there were adult males aged 24-40, in good health, and with little sign of hard labor or disease

implies stonehenge was a mark of elite status and these remains may be some of the first political leaders of great britain

burial site function of stonehenge

durrington walls

aligned to the winter solstice sunrise, summer solstice sunset

land of the living

durrington walls

adena/mississippian

1,300 ft 20 ft wide 3-5 ft high

effigy mound 

serpent were associated with earth and fertility crop

aligned with the summer solstice sunset and winter solstice sunrise

head - east

tail - west 

7 coils in between

serpent mound

cermonial mound built in the shape of animals by native north american people

effigy mound

serpent mound

objects found in graves near serpent mound

euphrates

invented writing in 3100

invented irrigation and methods of flood control

bronze

composed epic of gilgamesh

consisted of independent city-sates: uruk and ur

fertile land

sumer

each city state dedicated to a deity to whom a temple was built 

gov and religion not separated

the large-scale irrigation systems and labor required for extensive farming was managed by a centralized authority

sumer political/religious composition

The early development of this centralized authority, over large numbers of people in an urban center, is really what distinguishes Mesopotamia and gives it a special position in the history of Western culture.

Here, for the first time, thanks to ample food and a strong administrative class, it develops a very high level of craft specialization and artistic production.

why is mesopotamia called the cradle of civilization

the earliest writing we know of dates to 3000 bc and was likely invented by the sumerians. earliest tablets represented the work of administrators, large temple institutions, recording the allocation of rations or movement of goods.

used to keep records of grain, sheep, and cattle entering or leaving stores and farms. also used to write stories, myths, and personal letters

writing with a reed stylus on a clay tablet to make wedge shaped marks

cuneiform

remains of anu ziggurat uruk

reconstruction drawing anu ziggurat and white temple uruk

raised the temple closer to the heavens where the god’s lived

protected the temple from flooding

demonstrated dominance in the life of the city

limited access to priestly classes only 

what was the function of ziggurat

white temple

dating to the late 4th millennium

dedicated to the sky god anu

three entrances, none facing the ziggurat ramp so people would have to walk around it

votive statues from square temple, eshnunna

tample likely dedicated to the god abu

range in size from 9-28 inches

from latin meaning vow

something dedicated to a deity

commissioned by individuals

variation in size represents wealth and social status

votive

mortals who stand in perpetual worship of the god of the temple - some statues were inscribed on the back or bottom with a personal name and prayer

adorants

carved vase uruk

found in temple dedicated inanna

made of alabaster

the warka vase

temple of inanna

upper register - marriage between inanna and husband

three ft high over 600 pounds

depicts religious festival to honor

4 registers

stolen in 2003 and was returned several months later

goddess of fertility, love, and war

inanna

afterlife described on literary clay tables

only king and nobles buried in cemeteries 

common people buried in family tomb in their homes

grave goods ensured a comfortable afterlife

common for royalty to be buried with servants horses etc

sumarian grave goods

death pit

open square pit serving as a graveyard for the bodies of armed men and women and young girls

gold bull amulet

crafted of gold over a bitumen core and was found loose in soil near a tomb

the beard indicates divinity

treasure of ur

tumbler

made of gold and silver alloy called electrum

grave good

treasure of ur

queen’s lyre

lapis lazuli shell and red limestone mosaic decoration set in bitumen

ram in thicket

sumerian found in a tomb

gold, silver, lapis, shell, bitumen, copper alloy, and red limestone

the ram is described as a goat and it reaches up in a pose often adopted by goats

head + legs = gold leaf

ears = copper

horns and fleece = lapis

body = shell

genitals = gold

the standard of ur

shell, limestone, lapis, bitumen

mosaic scenes

made up of 2 long flat planels of wood and two short sides and is covered in bitumen

thought to be military standard

violence and grandeur of sumerian kingship

one side shows a war scene - donkeys, stripped soldiers (prisoners), king figure centralized

one shows men bringing animals as tribute or treasure - victory and celebration, man playing lyre

historical narrative 

hierarchy - wealthiest most powerful figures at the top and common laborers at the bottom

3 horizontal bands read from left to right 

a small pierced object like a long round carved in reverse and hung on stringers of fiber or leather

unique record of individuals from this era

each seal was owned by one person and used by them as a signature

some seals were valued for their beauty or the magic they were thought to possess

cylinder seal

cylinder seal

calcite

owned by a woman named sasa akkadian

the iconography. each character, gesture, and decorative element, can be read and reflected back on the owner which reveals their social rank and sometimes the name of the owner.

the images carved on the seals also reflect the pervading artistic styles of the day and the particular region of their use

why are art historians interested in cylinder

stele of hammurabi

theocrat

shamash - babylonian sun god also justice and equality and judge of gods and men

hammurabi - theocrat and the laws come from the gods

vertical stone monument or marker often inscribed with text or with relief carving

stele

dominated mesopotamia

entirely military

after opponents were conqured they were tortured 

assyrian

lamassu

winged human-headed bull

inscription in cuneiform on lamassu

bull-headed lyre

royal cemetery ur tomb