Prehistoric Art: Key Works, Functions, and Contexts (Unit 1, AP Art History)

Prehistoric Art

Art created before written historical records, relying on archaeological evidence.

Paleolithic Works

Connected with nomadic hunter-gatherers, animals, hunting, survival, portable objects, and cave art.

Neolithic Societies

Produced specialized objects, burial goods, and monumental or site-specific works.

Apollo 11 Stones

Small split stone slab showing an animal, possibly a buffalo or cow, from 25,500-25,300 BCE in Namibia.

Function of Apollo 11 Stones

Portability matters; animal imagery connects to the value and fertility of animals needed for survival.

Great Hall of the Bulls

Cave with hundreds of paintings of bulls and other prey animals from 15,000-13,000 BCE in Lascaux, France.

Function of Great Hall of the Bulls

Possible purposes include worship, animal fertility, hunting instruction, and supernatural/shamanistic ritual.

Camelid Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine

A modified sacrum bone resembling a canine from 14,000-7,000 BCE in Tequixquiac.

Function of Camelid Sacrum

Connected to hunting, protection, fertility, and identified as an early Mesoamerican artifact.

Running Horned Woman

Large stylized female figure in a cave from 6,000-4,000 BCE in Algeria.

Function of Running Horned Woman

Associated with ritual and possibly represents a female deity linked to fertility.

Beaker with Ibex Motifs

Terra-cotta vessel from 4,200-3,500 BCE in Susa, Iran, with stylized animals and geometric patterns.

Function of Beaker with Ibex Motifs

Utilitarian vessel indicating prosperity, wealth, and status, excavated from a burial site.

Anthropomorphic Stele

Upright stone slab with simplified human characteristics from around 4000 BCE in the Arabian Peninsula.

Function of Anthropomorphic Stele

Associated with burial, protection of souls, and the afterlife, serving as a grave marker.

Jade Cong

Hard jade object with a circular opening and square exterior from 3,300-2,200 BCE in Liangzhu, China.

Function of Jade Cong

Communicated class and status due to its cost and labor; found in burial contexts.

Materials of Prehistoric Art

Included stone, bone, clay, charcoal, natural pigments, and jade.

Themes in Prehistoric Art

Survival, fertility, animals, ritual/religion, burial and the afterlife, status, and the natural environment.

Naturalism in Art

Strong representation of animals appearing in profile or twisted perspective, as seen in the Great Hall of the Bulls.

Superimposition in Art

Technique where images are layered over one another, noted in the Great Hall of the Bulls.

Twisted Perspective

Artistic technique combining profile and frontal views, exemplified in the Apollo 11 Stones and Running Horned Woman.

Cave Art

Art created in caves, often depicting animals and associated with ritualistic practices.

Burial Goods

Objects placed in graves to accompany the deceased, indicating status and belief in the afterlife.

Ancestor Worship

Religious practice involving the veneration of deceased ancestors, linked to jade cong.

Stonehenge

Megalithic monument composed of massive stones, possibly for ritual, astronomy, afterlife, sacrifice, and animal fertility.

Ambum Stone

Greywacke sculpture possibly showing an echidna or a human-animal hybrid, connected to ritual and fertility.

Tlatilco Female Figurine

Small nude feminine figure with stylized features, possibly representing conjoined twins, connected to fertility and duality.

Terra Cotta Fragment

Clay fragment with face/body, extensive patterns, associated with storage and status from a seafaring community.

Naturalism

Attempting to portray objects from everyday life as they appear.

Stylized

A manner of depicting the visible world that privileges a certain look over realism.

Superimposed

One image or painting is placed over another.

Positive space

Area of an artwork occupied by mass or the subject.

Negative space

Area that is void of mass around or between subjects.

Sculpture in the round

Freestanding sculpture that can be viewed from multiple sides.

Found object

An object discovered by an artist and used or modified for art.

Anthropomorphic

Having characteristics of the human form.

Stele

An upright stone slab, often marking a grave or site.

Register

A horizontal band used to organize imagery.

Terra cotta

Hard ceramic clay used for pottery or building.

Cong

A tubular object with a circular hole through the middle.

Henge

Neolithic monument with a circular ground plan, associated with ritual/astronomical events.

Megalith / Monolith

A large single piece of stone used in monumental structures.

Mortise and tenon

A joining system in which a projecting tenon fits into a matching mortise hole.

Post and lintel

Two or more vertical posts support a horizontal lintel.

Incise

To cut into a surface with a sharp instrument.

Apollo 11 Stones vs. Great Hall of the Bulls

Both use animal imagery and connect to Paleolithic survival/fertility; Apollo 11 is portable; Lascaux is site-specific cave art.

Great Hall of the Bulls vs. Running Horned Woman

Both are cave works with ritual possibilities; Lascaux emphasizes naturalistic animals; Running Horned Woman is a stylized human-like figure.

Beaker with Ibex Motifs vs. Terra Cotta Fragment

Both are decorated ceramics with practical functions; Beaker emphasizes registers and animals; fragment emphasizes patterns and human imagery.

Anthropomorphic Stele vs. Jade Cong

Both have burial significance; Stele is a stylized human/grave marker; cong emphasizes jade, status, ancestors, and duality.

Jade Cong vs. Stonehenge

Both required major labor and may have ritual significance; Cong is a portable burial/status object; Stonehenge is monumental and site-specific.

Running Horned Woman vs. Tlatilco Female Figurine

Both use female imagery and connect to fertility; Running Horned Woman is monumental cave art; Tlatilco is a tiny sculpture associated with duality.

Fast Memory Pattern

Paleolithic: survival + animals + hunting + portable/cave art; Neolithic: increasingly settled or complex societies + specialized objects + monuments + burial + status + ritual.