Unit 1: prehistory

RAHHHHH WE DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABT THEM!! (listen to 10 drunk cigarettes)

Apollo 11 stones

small stone split in half found on the coast of africa- feline head and animal body

Apollo 11 stones (form descriptors)

• two dimensional

• strict profile

• colored in charcoal

2 pieces in the lascaux cave

hall of bulls/ bird headed man and wounded bison

hall of bulls form descriptors

• large scale paintings

• narrative art

• natural material (ochre)

• groundlines

• lascaux, france

bird headed man and wounded bison

• equal size = respect

• rare stick figure who’s lying on the ground (likely dead)

• bird symbolism= possible spirit animal(?)

camelid sacrum in the shape of a canine

previously painted bone carved to resemble a canine which represented a reverence for the animal world

camelid sacrum in the shape of a canine form descriptors

• subtractive sculpture

• carvings and incisions

running horned woman

deity bringing showers of grain with sacrification marks which suggest tribal traditions

running horned woman form descriptors

• twisted perspective

• illusion of movement

• hierarchy scale

Beaker with Ibex motifs

A funerary beaker divided into registers depicting long necked birds on the upper frieze, narrow dogs below the frieze, and an ibex framed by a symbol that may have represented agricultural fields. The ibex may have been a clan symbol.

Beaker with Ibex motifs form descriptors

• simple geometric forms

• stylized representations of natural subjects

• abstraction

• exaggerated bird necks and narrowed hound bodies

• repition convering movement

• thin, fragile walling

Anthropomorphic Stele

A stone column depicting a human figure with a simplistic face and dagger hanging from their belt. It waws a funer

Anthropomorphic Stele form descriptors

• abstract facial features

  • oval shaped eyes

  • triangular nose

• carved from sandstone using bas relief

Jade Cong

artifact with tubular interior and square exterior. The disks symbolize the heavens, while the cong represents the earth. These elements combined represent the connection between worlds. The figures donning masks carved into the edges may represent spirits or dieties. This was likely made for an elite to have safe transition into the afterlife.

Jade cong form descriptors

• cut and incised through abrasion

• abstract masks carved through small lines

• made of jade, which is hard to work with

Stonehenge

3 rings of trilithons which are all equidistant. The sun shines directly in between a pair of stones during the summer solstice, showing the creators had organizational skills. The creators also had to know some physics in order to lift and transport said stones. It was likely intended as a burial site for the elite.

Stonehenge form descriptors

• trilithons constructed bu post-lintel technique

• arranged in concentric

• megaliths were bluestones (sandstone + limestone)

The Ambum Stone

A statue of an echidna curled into fetal position. It was found alongside animal-shaped pestles, and was likely another pestle or a ritual object.

Ambum Stone form descriptors

• carved from greywacke using high relief

• smooth, shiny exterior

• 8 inches talll

Tlatilco Female Figurine

A nude female figure created to promote survival in societies with high infant mortality. Bicephalic figure promotes ideas of duality with a body (big hips annd cinched waist), and elaborate ideas.

Tlatilco Female Figurine form descriptors

• handcrafted, clay shaped by hand

• exaggerated proportions

• no detail on hands or feet

• details on face added through incising

• paint chips all over her

Terra Cotta Fragment

Pottery fragments found with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic figures bearing tattoos designs and cloth from Polynesia. The fragments weren’t durable- weren’t used to cook.

Terra Cotta fragment form descriptors

• reddish terracotta clay

• simple and complex patterns incised/stamped into wet clay before fired

• sharp and natural tools used for fine designs.