APAH unit #1: global prehistory

Apollo 11 Stones

• Paleolithic

• Nambia, southern Africa

• Charcoal on stone

Venus of Willendorf

• Paleolithic

• Willendorf, Austria

• Subtractive method

• Fertility and childbearing

• May have been held during labor

Lascaux Caves

• Paleolithic

• Dordogne, France

• Sacred space

• Artistry begins to become more of a specialized skill

• 600+ paintings

Bison with the Turned Head

• Paleolithic

• Dordogne, France (near Lascaux Caves)

• Carved from reindeer antler with small tools (culture had social-stratification)

Camelid Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine

• Paleolithic

• Tequixquiac, Mexico

• Bone from extinct camel (natural form used to make another natural form)

• Carved by tools (social-stratification)

• Religious purposes (hunting + worship)

Running Horned Woman

• Paleolithic/Neolithic

• Tassili’ nAjjer, Algeria

• Rock painting

• 15000+ drawings

• Composite view of body; dots reflect ritualistic makeup

Beaker (Bushel) with Ibex Motifs

• Neolithic

• Susa, Iran

• Terracotta

• Funerary purpose, many found in burial sites

• Might have held ashes

• Believed to be a clan symbol between the horns, maybe identifying the deceased into their family

Anthropomorphic Stele

• Neolithic

• Sandstone

• Arabian peninsula (found near ancient trade routes)

• Most likely funerary purposes (gravestone) but could be religious

Jade Cong

• Neolithic

• Liangzhu, China

• Four corners have mask like appearance

• Jade appears at burial sites of elites (funerary)

Stonehenge

• Neolithic

• Wilshire, England

• Sacred

• Sandstone

• 1000+ years to build

• Post and lintel construction

• Mortise and tenon

• Ring of megaliths, horsehoe shape in center

• Oriented to sunrise on longest day of the year (predict eclipses)

• Center of ceremonies concerning death hand burial (human remains found close by)

Ambum Stone

• Neolithic

• Papua New Guinea

• Greywacke stone

• Composite human/animal figure (anthropomorphic)

• Could be anteater embryo in fetal position

Tlatlico Female Figure

• Neolithic

• Central Mexico

• Clay/Pottery

• Stylized hair

• Bi-facial (birth defects theory)

• Could have shamanistic/religious function

Terracotta Fragments

• Neolithic

• Solomon Islands

• Lapita culture (known for pottery)

• Oceanic art (oldest human face)

• Stamping patterns

• Could be used to symbolize cultural history