Prehistoric Architecture (b)

A vocabulary set of terms related to ancient burials, cave shelters, Artefacts, pigment use, cave art, and early architectural behavior in prehistoric societies.

Khosvec Cave burial site

Oldest known burial site for Homo sapiens near Galilee, Israel, with 15 skeletal remains, ochre pigments, and decorated shells and antlers; dating to about 100,000 BCE; suggests Homo sapiens and Neanderthals may have coexisted in the region.

Homo sapiens–Neanderthal coexistence

Idea that Homo sapiens and Neanderthals may have lived in the same region for a period in the Levant, inferred from the Khosvec Cave findings dating to 100,000 BCE.

Warwickshire Cave Shelter

A well-preserved cave shelter in the Australian Outback (Northern Flinders Ranges), discovered in 2011, offering shelter from climate and access to hunting grounds; rich archaeological context.

Excavation at Warwickshire Shelter

Two trenches; ~3 tonnes of soil sieved; ~3 m3 sediment excavated; yielded ~4,300 stone artefacts, ~3 kg bone, plus charcoal, ochre, eggshell, and plant remains.

Earliest occupation of Australian arid interior

Evidence from Warwickshire Shelter dating to ~49,000 years ago, pushing Aboriginal occupation in the Flinders Ranges and South Australia back by ~30,000+ years.

Diprotodon

A large Australian megafauna herbivore; Diprotodon bone (juvenile radius) found with artefacts dating to >46,000 years ago, indicating human interaction.

Megapode eggshell fragment

Eggshell fragment from an extinct megapode bird, dated to about 44,000 years ago, found with other artefacts.

Bone tools (40–38 ka)

Bone tools dated between 40,000 and 38,000 years ago; includes a bone point from a fibula used as an awl/needle for skinning and bag-making.

Red ochre residues

Earliest evidence of ochre use in Australia and SE Asia dating 49–45 thousand years ago; residues detected on stone tools via residue analysis.

White gypsum pigment

Evidence of white gypsum pigment dating 40–33 thousand years ago, indicating pigment use in early Australia.

Hafted tools

Evidence of flakes attached to the end of wooden sticks (hafted tools) dated 38–35 thousand years ago, showing advanced tool construction.

Diprotodon bone in Warricki deposits

Juvenile Diprotodon radius fragment found with artefacts dating >46,000 years ago, suggesting humans brought the bone into the shelter.

Bone point from yellow-footed rock-wallaby

A bone point likely made from the fibula of a yellow-footed rock-wallaby, used to pierce animal skin and aid in making kangaroo skin bags.

Mammoth bone houses (Ukraine)

Early architectural structures in present-day Ukraine built from mammoth bones, dating back to ~16,000 BCE, showing human modification and shelter use.

Chauvet Cave

Cave complex in France with paintings dating 35,000–31,500 BCE and 29,000–26,000 BCE, illustrating early artistic and ceremonial activity; featured in Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

Lascaux Hall of the Bulls

Chamber in Lascaux, France, featuring animals including aurochs; representations range from life-size to larger-than-life, with a notable 18-foot-long depiction.

Aurochs

Extinct cattle species depicted in Lascaux’s Hall of the Bulls; examples are shown at large scales (up to about 18 feet long) in cave art.

Altamira

Cave complex in present-day Spain; another key site of prehistoric cave art, illustrating early symbolic expression.

Residue analysis

Analytical technique using high-powered microscopy to identify ochre pigments and other residues on artifacts, informing use and manufacture.