1 Prehistoric

Chapter 1
Prehistoric Art in Europe

Dating Conventions and Abbreviations
B.C.=before ChristB.C.E.=before the Common Era
A.D.=Anno Domini(in the year of our Lord)C.E.=Common Era
c. or ca.= circa
C.=century

Outline of Prehistoric Period
Paleolithic
Lower
Middle
Upper
Neolithic

Paleolithic Age
“Old Stone Age” - 2,500,000 – 10,000 BC
Technological advancement from spear to bow/arrow = better hunting
Appearance of Homo sapiens sapiens(-120,000)
Cro-Magnon Man
Europe
Stone Ax = chop down trees & make boats
Hunting large animals required 4-5 “bands” of people working together
Chief status for leader
Cave Paintings

Homo Sapiens Sapiens

Shelter or Architecture?

Architecture of Mammoth-Bone Houses
Mammoth bone dwelling
from Ukraine
ca. 16,000-10,000 B.C.E.

Artifacts or Works of Art?

Lion-Human
from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany
ca. 30,000-26,000 B.C.E.
mammoth ivory
11 3/8 in. high

Sculpture
Oldest surviving art objects
Made from bone, ivory, stone, or antlers
Either engraved (by incising an outlined figure with a sharp tool), carved in deep relief or fully rounded three-dimension
Lion-Human is half man, half beast

Female Figurines

Venus of Willendorffrom Willendorf, Austria
ca. 28,000-25,000 B.C.E.
limestone
4 1/4 in. high

“Venus” of Willendorf

Other Female Beauties
Woman of Lespugue
from cave of Les Rideaux, France
ca. 20,000 B.C.E.
mammoth ivory
5 3/4 in. high

Various European “Venus” figures

Modern Exaggeration

The Meaning of Cave Paintings
The first “paintings” were probably made 15,000 years ago
Pictures of bison, deer, horses, cattle, mammoths & boars are in the most remote recesses of the caves, from the entrance
Scholars proposed the social function of art lead to totemistic rites and increase ceremonies used to enhance fertility

The Meaning of Cave Paintings
Archeologists speculate the animal images were meant to guarantee a successful hunt
Drawing a picture of it gave you power over it?
Sympathetic magic
Artwork has been depicted with realistic features that enables scholars to identify animals

Chauvet Cave paintings
Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, Ardèche, France
ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.E.
pigment on stone

Not intended for long-term use?
Used for rituals?
Pech-Merle Cave paintings
Lot, France
ca. 22,000 B.C.E.
pigment on stone

Lascaux Cave paintings
Lascaux, Dordogne, France
ca. 15,000-13,000 B.C.E.
pigment on stone

Twisted Perspective – horns, eyes & hooves are shown as seen from the front, yet heads & bodies are rendered in profile

Prehistoric Art Tools
Cave artists used charcoal to outline the walls; sometimes they incised the wall with sharp stones or charcoal sticks
The “paints” used were ground minerals like red & yellow ochre
The minerals were applied directly on the damp limestone walls

Altamira Cave paintings
Santander, Spain
ca. 12,000-11,000 B.C.E.
pigment on stone

Bison Ceiling
Artists used the irregularities of the cave to create sculptural effects by painting over them

Neolithic Revolution
End of Ice Age (100,000 – 8000 BCE) brought ability to search for new food
Systemic Agriculture – Making the conscious decision to plant & grow food
Domestication – Raising goats, sheep, pigs & cattle
Development of permanent, year-round settlements (and eventually, civilization)

Skara Brae Architecture
Neolithic settlement in northern Scotland
3100 and 2600 BCE
Corbeling – layers of stones are piled on top of each other to form walls without mortar

Megalithic Architecture
“Large stone” (mega + lithos)
Powerful religious or political figures and beliefs was the impetus for these massive building projects
2 types:
Dolmen – large, vertical stones with a covering slab like a giant table (mounded over with dirt to form a cairn)
Menhir – single stone set on its end
Positioned:
Henge– circular arrangement of stones
Alignment – in rows

Stonehenge
Salisury Plain, Wiltshire, England
ca. 2,550-1,600 B.C.E.sarsen and bluestone

Stonehenge: England’s First Rock Group
Series of concentric circles & circular shapes
Outer circle of 13 foot high gray sandstones, called sarsen stones, topped by a continuous lintel
They weigh up to 26 tons each!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DewEKz9TzmM

Built it and They Will Come?

How Did They Do That?!
Lacked bronze or iron tools and, possibly, the wheel
Transported the stones by barge or sled
Heel stone standing upright, weighs 35 tons and was brought in from 23 miles away
Raising of the stones was done in stages by prying the ends up and inserting timber beneath
Added layer after layer and then removed the elevated scaffolding

Banksy
Stonehenge Port-A-Potties
Glastonbury, England
2008
metal and plastic
Jim Reinders
Carhenge
Alliance, Nebraska
1987
metal

Could Coral Castle Provide an Answer?

Menhir alignments at Ménec,
Carnac, France
ca. 4,250-3,750 B.C.E.

various Menhirs
Ireland, Scotland, England, France

Dolmens
Ireland, Scotland, England, France

Essential Questions
What is prehistory?
What are the problems and challenges of making meaning of prehistoric art?
How is prehistoric art useful in understanding the human condition?

1 Prehistoric

by John Ricard on Sep 02, 2009

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