Prehistoric Art

Prehistory definition

Prehistory is defined as the time-period before any writing systems were developed.

Paleolithic era:

100,000 (or earlier) to 12,000 years ago – small nomadic groups, hunter-gatherers, rough stone tools.

Mesolithic era:

12,000 years to 10,000 years ago – transitional period, end of ice age, change in societal behavior.

Neolithic era:

10,000 years to 4,500 years ago – settlements, agriculture, farming, better made tools, pottery.

Prehistoric Art

- to about -4500 B.C.

Some of these artworks might have served as a way to depict spiritual beliefs, possibly used in rituals, ceremonies, aids in storytelling, and passing of knowledge about environment and survival. Some of them might have been made out of curiosity, experimentation with materials, and perhaps even for aesthetic reasons.

Petroglyphs

are images carved on the surface of a rock. The images, or petroglyphs are created through incising, abrading, polishing, drilling, and scratching the surface layer of the rock.

The airbrushes were made from

two segments of bones from the leg or wing of a large bird (a raptor or a wading bird).

We don’t know much about the prehistoric brushes as they were probably made from

decomposable materials (quills, plant branches, tree sticks etc.).

Fertility figurines,

also known as Venus figurines, are a specific category of ancient artifacts that hold symbolic significance, particularly during prehistoric times.