Prehistoric Art and the Dawn of Civilization

Course Scope and Objectives

• The study of art history begins with the oldest artwork, focusing on mythic and hard work, and progresses chronologically.

• The historical trajectory proceeds from prehistoric art into Mesopotamia, followed by Egypt, the Aegean, the classical world (Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome), and eventually into the broader field of art appreciation.

• Artistic study is an evolving story where art builds upon previous art, creating a continuous lineage of creative expression.

• Instructional materials may include extra enrichment beyond the textbook to provide a more comprehensive feel for the artwork, though students are only held responsible for material explicitly in the textbook, such as quizzes and assignments.

Theoretical Framework and Chronology

• Prehistory is a field of study characterized by significant uncertainty and gray areas. While textbooks often present information as fact, interpretations are constantly revised as new discoveries are made.

• Dates within prehistoric timelines are interpretations based on current scientific methods and should not be viewed as absolute or unquestionable constants.

• Different academic and cultural fields—including archaeology, geology, etymology, and religious perspectives—offer competing interpretations of the past.

• Scientific evidence can be found to support both a young earth and an old earth. Because of these competing views, terms like hypothesis, theory, current skyaway map, or model are preferred when discussing historical timelines.

• An eccentric and multifaceted approach to thinking is essential for understanding early history. For some, historical perspective begins with Genesis $1:1$: "In the beginning, God created the heaven and earth."

• The transition into Mesopotamia stabilizes dates significantly compared to the Paleolithic era; for instance, the historical figure Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned in both Mesopotamia records and the Bible.

The Paleolithic Era: Old Stone Age

• The term Paleolithic translates to "Old Stone Age."

• The people of this period were nomadic hunters and gatherers.

• Imagery from this period is dominated by animals, and it predates the existence of written language.

• Humans of this era carved small, portable sculptures from materials like mammoth ivory. This required significant intelligence and time, as ivory is a difficult material to carve.

• The human impulse to make images stems from a need to create order in a world that is dangerous, chaotic, and unpredictable—facing floods, famine, war, disease, and political instability.

• Art served as a tool for survival, a method of decoration, and a way to communicate what the gods wanted or how the universe functioned.

Media and Artistic Techniques of Early Humans

• Prehistoric paint was created using natural metals, ores, ground-up rocks, and animal fat.

• Charcoal was a primary medium, created by burning wood. This same material can be purchased in art supply stores today or manufactured personally by burning wood to draw with.

• Red ochre is a very soft material that functions like a crayon or a pastel piece of chalk. Evidence of humans using ochre includes engraved crosshatched lines, indicating intentional decoration following a common pattern.

• Natural resources like elderberries provide pigments; for example, the regina red color from elderberries is difficult to remove from the skin once applied.

• Handprints on cave walls serve as an early form of signature or a statement of existence ("I lived, I was here"). This is analogous to the "Elroy was here" graffiti left by American soldiers in Germany during World War $II$.

• Early humans were the first airbrush artists. They would place their hand against a wall and blow pigment through a hollow bone to create a silhouette.

• Fire was utilized for warmth and light deep within caves. Small lamps were crafted to burn animal fat to provide illumination in the darkness.

Interpretations of Cave Art

• Scholars debate who created cave paintings. Some suggest they were created by groups of men and children, as evidenced by small handprints on the walls.

• An alternative theory identifies the creator as the shaman or religious leader. While the clan lived near the cave entrance, the shaman would descend into the depths to experience hallucinogenic trances and draw visions.

• Cave art likely served several non-exclusive purposes:

  • Spiritual rituals and shamanic activity.
  • Establishing group identity and community bonds through shared symbols.
  • Hunting magic: creating images to influence or honor the hunt of herds that traveled freely through a world without fences.
  • Communication and early visual language used for storytelling and sharing survival knowledge.
  • A thinking tool to help early humans plan, remember, and understand their environment.

Major Paleolithic Cave Sites

• Alaska cave (France):

  • Discovered in $1940$ by teenagers after an $18$-year-old's dog, named Robot, fell into a hole.
  • Contains the Hall of Bulls, a room with a spiritual, cathedral-like atmosphere.
  • Features $600$ paintings and $1400$ engravings across the interior walls.
  • Includes anatomically correct bison and bulls up to $18\,\text{feet}$ long, drawn from memory.
  • Depicts animals such as horses, deer, orx (ibex-type deer), felines, and rhinoceroses. The presence of rhinoceroses in France has led to the theory that animals migrated after a great flood, similar to the narrative of Noah.
  • The walls have deteriorated due to $CS_2$ exhaled by visitors, leading to the creation of a replicas on-site for public viewing.

• Altamira Cave (Spain):

  • Discovered in $1868$ by an amateur archaeologist and his five-year-old daughter.
  • The daughter was the first to notice the bison paintings on the ceiling.
  • The artwork features multi-colors and black engravings.

• Shevet cave (France):

  • Discovered in $1994$, this is a relatively recent find.
  • It contains hundreds of images of lions, horses, and rhinoceroses.
  • The art is primarily monotone, utilizing hand-shading rather than the multiple colors seen in Altamira.
  • It was perfectly preserved because a rockfall sealed the cave, keeping the paint intact.

Representative Artifacts of the Old Stone Age

• Lion-headed human: A portable ivory sculpture representing a mythic, supernatural being. It reflects an early interest in animal-headed humans, a theme that persists in modern culture through talking animals in children's literature and films like Guardians.

• Bird-headed Cuban (Bird-headed Human): Located in a shaft in the Alaska cave. It depicts a bison whose intestines are coming out, a man with a bird-headed mask and a penal sheath (or erection), a bird on a shaman stick, and a rhinoceros with a raised tail and black dots suggesting defecation. No single explanation fits all these details, but it indicates an early narrative style.

• Venus of Willendorf:

  • Discovered in $1907$ by JoJo Sanbonti in Austria and currently kept under high security as it is worth millions of dollars.
  • A hand-sized ($portable$) limestone sculpture with exaggerated features: large breasts, a wide belly, and no feet.
  • The head has rows that may represent braided hair or a knitted cap, but the face has no features.
  • Theories suggest she was a fertility charm, a symbol of shared cultural values in matriarchal societies, or a record of what nomadic people considered beautiful.
  • One feminist theory posits that the figure was a way for women to understand their own bodies during the dangerous process of childbirth.
  • Historically, a "plumb" woman was believed to deliver healthier babies, ensuring the continuance of the species.

• Spear Thrower Handle: A delicately carved antler that served as a functional and decorated tool for the hunt. This tradition of decorating weaponry continued throughout history with the creation of ornate swords and daggers.

The Neolithic Era: New Stone Age

• The Neolithic period introduced major shifts: the domestication of animals, farming, and agriculture.

• Domesticated animals included cattle, ducks, sheep, goats, and rabbits.

• Technological advancements included the creation of pottery for food storage and the weaving of fabrics.

• Societies transitioned from a nomadic existence to a sedentary lifestyle, living in established villages.

• Patel VW (Turkey):

  • A settlement where homes were built tightly together.
  • Entrances were located on the roofs for protection.
  • Families buried their dead beneath the floors of their homes. Houses were periodically torn down and rebuilt on top of the old structures.

• Neolithic Art (Women and Cattle): Stylized figures, potentially women, shown watching over or plowing fields with cattle. This reinforces the economic and spiritual importance of cattle to the community.

Megalithic Structures: Stonehenge

• Stonehenge was constructed between $3,000$ and $1,500\,\text{BCE}$ in Salisbury Plain, England.

• It consists of megaliths arranged in a circular plant. Individual stones weigh up to $18\,\text{tons}$.

• The stones were transported over $200\,\text{miles}$ from the Pasale Mountains in Wales.

• The structure was used for rituals, burials, and astronomical observation, specifically aligning with the yearly solstice.

• Construction occurred in three distinct phases over $1,500$ years, with each phase involving the dismantling of the previous structure.

• Despite popular myths linking Stonehenge to UFOs or the magician Merlin from King Arthur's court, scholarly research continues to seek the truth of its origins.

• The Druids did not build Stonehenge. Historical records place Druids in the area no earlier than the $3\text{rd}$ century $BC$, more than $1,000$ years after Stonehenge was at its zenith.

• Anthropologist Lionel Sims suggests Stonehenge represents a milestone on the road to the modern world, built to worship a force far older than just the sun.

Introduction to Mesopotamia

• Mesopotamia means "land between the rivers."

• The region is situated between the Tigers River and the Fraser River, known as the Fertile Crescent.

• By approximately $3,500$ to $3,000\,\text{BCE}$, agricultural efficiency allowed for urban centers supporting upwards of $40,000$ people.

• Early Mesopotamian civilizations were characterized by separate social classes, organized governments, religion, large-scale architecture (Ziggurats), metal production, irrigation, and written language.

• The bull remained a central symbol of strength, fertility, and natural energy, appearing on architectural columns and in biblical narratives (the golden calf), and continuing into the Aegean and Greek cultures.

Questions & Discussion

• Question: What does Paleolithic actually mean?

• Answer: Old Stone Age.

• Question: Which ancient period first said, "You know what? Chasing mammoths is exhausting. Let's grow some veggies and stay put"?

• Answer: The Neolithic period.