Prehistoric Art and History Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering prehistoric art, archaeological periods, religious beliefs, famous figurines, cave sites, and megalithic architecture.

Animism (Animismus)

The belief originating from the Latin word anima (soul) that everything in nature possesses a soul.

Totemism (Totemismus)

The belief system based on a spiritual kinship and connection between humans and specific animals or natural objects.

Fetishism (Fetišismus)

The belief that inanimate physical objects possess magical or supernatural powers.

Paleolithic Period (Paleolit)

The Old Stone Age, spanning from approximately $3\text{ million years BCE}$ to $10\,000\text{ BCE}$.

Mesolithic Period (Mezolit)

The Middle Stone Age, spanning from approximately $10\,000\text{ BCE}$ to $7\,000\text{ BCE}$.

Neolithic Period (Neolit)

The New Stone Age, spanning from approximately $8\,000\text{ BCE}$ to $4\,000\text{ BCE}$.

Homo sapiens

The human species existing from $200\,000\text{ BCE}$ to the present day.

Věstonická venuše (Venus of Věstonice)

A ceramic Paleolithic figurine dated to $29\,000 - 25\,000\text{ BCE}$, discovered on July 13, 1925 at Dolní Věstonice by Karel Absolon's team, measuring $11.5\,cm$ in height.

Karel Absolon

Archaeologist ($1877 - 1960$) at the Moravian Museum in Brno who led excavations at Dolní Věstonice, Pekárna cave, and the Moravian Karst.

Bizon olizující si ránu (Bison Licking Its Flank)

A Paleolithic carved reindeer antler sculpture dated to $20\,000 - 15\,000\text{ BCE}$, discovered at Abri de la Madeleine in Dordogne, France.

Paleolithic Realism (Paleolitický realismus)

An artistic practice in which the artist allows the natural contours, texture, and shape of the raw material to guide the final form of the creation.

Hlava z Brassempouy (Head of Brassempouy)

A Paleolithic mammoth ivory sculpture dated to $25\,000\text{ BCE}$, discovered in 1892 in the Brassempouy cave, France.

Šaman z Brna (Shaman of Brno)

A $20\,cm$ tall mammoth ivory figurine dated to $25\,000\text{ BCE}$, discovered in 1891 during sewer construction at the intersection of Francouzská and Přadlácká streets in Brno.

Franco-Cantabrian Region (Franko-kantaberská oblast)

A key region in southwestern Europe famous for prehistoric cave art, containing major sites such as Altamira, Lascaux, Niaux, and Chauvet.

Altamira

A famous cave art site in Spain discovered in 1879 by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola and his daughter Mária.

Lascaux

A major cave art location in France discovered in 1940 by four boys and a dog named Robot.

Chauvet

A prehistoric painted cave site in France discovered in 1994.

Manism (Manismus)

Ancestor worship that emerged alongside more complex religious cults during the Neolithic era.

Menhir

A single upright standing megalithic stone, such as those found at Carnac in Brittany, France ($5\text{th millennium BCE}$).

Dolmen

A single-chamber megalithic monument, such as those at Kilclooney or Poulnabrone in Ireland ($4\text{th millennium BCE}$).

Kromlech (Cromlech)

A circular arrangement of standing megalithic stones, best exemplified by Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, Great Britain ($2\,300\text{ BCE}$).

Petroglyphs (Petroglyfy)

Prehistoric images or patterns created by carving, incising, or engraving into rock surfaces.

Archeopark Pavlov

An archaeological site and museum opened in 2016, designed by Radko Květ's architectural firm.