Prehistoric Art & Early civilizations

Early civilizations: Mesopotamia and the Persian Empire

Characterictics - Paleolithic Era

• Nomadic lifestyle, hunter-gatherers.

• Art was spiritual/magical, often found in caves.

• Focused on animals and fertility.

Techniques - Paleolithic Era

• Natural pigments like ochre and charcoal.

• Used brushes made from hair or sticks, and hands.

• Engraving, carving, and painting.

Lascaux

• Famous cave paintings (~17,000 BCE).

• Depicts animals like bulls, horses, and deer.

Altamira

• Polychrome cave paintings

• Noted for bison imagery and use of natural contours.

Chauvet

• One of the oldest caves (~30,000 BCE).

• Realistic depictions of animals, overlapping images for movement.

Bhimbetka

• Rock shelters with prehistoric paintings.

• Shows early human life and hunting scenes.

Willendorf woman

• Small fertility figurine (~28,000 BCE).

• Exaggerated female features, symbol of fertility.

Lion Man

• Ivory sculpture of a human-lion hybrid.

• Possibly religious or mythological.

Terra Amata - The Beginnings of Architecture

• Early evidence of human dwellings (~400,000 BCE).

• Circular huts showing the beginning of architecture.

Characteristics - Neolithic Era

• Settled farming communities.

• Art includes pottery, architecture, and figurines.

• Focus on daily life and ritual.

Lepenski Vir

• Settlement with trapezoidal houses (~7000 BCE).

• Includes fish-like sculptures and planned architecture.

Çatal Hüyük

• Large Neolithic city (~7500 BCE).

• Murals, shrines, and early urban planning.

Skara Brae

• Stone-built houses (~3000 BCE).

• Preserved furniture and domestic spaces.

Stonehenge

• Megalithic stone circle (~2500 BCE).

• Likely used for rituals or astronomical observation.

Cromlech, Dolmens, Lintel, Menhir

Attributes of a civilization

• Urban settlements

• Full-time specialists not involved in agricultural activities

• Class structure

• Monumental public building

• Writing (Cuneiform: a logo-syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages)

Early civilizations: Mesopotamia

• considered the cradle of civilization, where urban societies, writing, and monumental architecture first developed

• Use of registers in narrative reliefs (e.g., Warka Vase).

• Rich materials like lapis lazuli, gold, shell in luxury objects (Ram in a Thicket).

 City of Uruk

One of the first major cities

• Site of the White Temple, Stone Cold Temple and Uruk Vase

• associated with early writing and religious architecture (Ziggurats: A type of temple, consisted of a pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top.

• Beginnings of Mosaics and Registers

Royal Cemetery of Ur

Burial site with rich grave goods; famous for the Standard of Ur, Queen Puabi's headdress, and Ram in a Thicket.

Akkadian Empire - Head of Ruler

• Centralized power and realistic portraiture began to emerge.

Assyrian civilization - Sarjon Palace

• Military empire

• Known for statues and reliefs in palaces

• Architecture showed strength and intimidation.

Babilonian civilization

• Famous for the Ishtar Gate, and Queen of the Night

• Combined religion, architecture, and vibrant glazed brick.

Early civilizations: Persian Empire

• known for its vast territory, administrative efficiency, and sophisticated art and architecture.

• Use of glazed ceramic bricks, Reliefs, architectural developments, gold armlets and luxury objects (e.g., from the Oxus Treasure) show wealth and craftsmanship.

Persepolis: Palace of Darius

• Ceremonial capital

• included a hypostyle hall and stone reliefs of tribute bearers

• symbolized imperial control and grandeur.

Elements of a Column

• Volute: A spiral or scroll-like ornament, decorative, not structural.

• Shaft: The long, vertical part of the column between the base and the capital; usually cylindrical.

• Base: The bottom support of the column that rests on the ground or platform; not present in Doric columns.

• Capital: The topmost part of a column; transitions from the shaft to the structure it supports; decorated differently in Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian styles.

Susa: Palace of Darius

• Known for colorful reliefs

• important for its glazed brickwork

• use of symbolism in Persian propaganda.