This document provides an overview of prehistoric art and architecture from the Paleolithic to Neolithic periods. It discusses cave paintings found at Chauvet Cave and Lascaux Cave in France dating back 30,000-10,000 years which depicted animals and handprints. Female figurines from this era, often referred to as "Venus" figures, are also summarized. Finally, some of the earliest structures built by prehistoric humans are outlined, including Jericho with its stone walls from 9,400 BC and megalithic sites like Stonehenge, Newgrange and Bryn Celli Ddu from 3,000-3,150 BC.

1. Let’s start at the beginning. It’s a very
good place to start.
PREHISTORIC ART
AND ARCHITECTURE

2. Prehistoric (stone age) Period by Age
Paleolithic-old stone
age 2,500,000 – 10,000
BC
Neolithic-new stone age
4,000 – 2,000 BC
 Paleo (old)
 Lith (stone)
 Lower 2,500,000-
200,000 BC
 Middle 200,000 –
40,000 BC
 Upper 40,000 – 10,000
BC
 Hunter gatherers
 Pre-existing shelters,
i.e., caves
 Nomadic
 Neo (new)
 Lith (stone)
 Farmers
 Built shelters and
settlements
Mesolithic 10,000 –
4,000
•Meso (middle)
•Lith (stone)

3. Part I: Painting
The Caves. Let’s all spelunk?!

4. Two of the best preserved caves are found in France.
Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave (Shaw vey) and
Lascaux (lass co)
Last call for Lascaux ! Chauvet is to the righT
Don’t fall in!

5. Chauvet Caves
Enter if you dare!
The caves of Chauvet were
discovered on December
1994

6. Chauvet Caves –
30,000 and 33,000 years ago.
These caves hold the earliest known and best preserved figurative cave
paintings in the world.
UPPER PALEOLITHIC

7. CHAUVET CAVES
The cave
paintings
were created
by two
different
groups a few
thousand
years apart.
1. What do
you think the
drawings
represent?
2. Whey do
you think they
painted
them?

8. What animal are represented here?

9. What about here? Oh my!

10. That’s a load of bulls

11. Why red dots?

12. I guess they needed a hand…or
many.

13. So, wanna take a tour?
Sadly, only
200 people
a year are
allowed visit
each year
and they
have to
have a
reason to
get in, for
example,
archeologis
t, historian,
etc.
Fortunately,
they just
opened a
replica

14. Artists have painstakingly recreated
the caves.
Hey J’Bob! Great work!

15. Walk on by!

16. Why do you think they build this and
why does it look this way?

17. Break time!
Opinion Debate: The pug. Cute or
ugly? Discuss.

18. Marcel Ravidat
He was an 18
year old boy
playing in the
hills of Lascaux,
France one
September day
in 1940 and
found an
entrance to a
cave. Being a
smart person,
he went and got
some people to
help him. He’s
smart because
he didn’t go in
alone and end
up on the
missing
persons’ list.
THE CAVES OF LASCAUX

19. Here is the entrance to Lascaux
today. A wee bit safer.
U
P
P
E
R
P
A
L
E
O
L
I
T
H
I
C

20. Great barrel vaulted ceiling!

21. The Hall of Bulls.
Why would it be called The Hall of Bulls?

22. It’s full of bulls…and horses.

23. The artists weren’t just full of bull.
What do these images represent?

24. BREAK time!
Who should get their own movie?:
Wonder Woman
Xena:
Warrior
Princess
Batgirl
Discuss

25. Compare and contrast the two cave
paintings.
CHAUVET CAVES
LASCAUX CAVES

26. Some questions to ponder and
discuss:
 What do you think the purpose of these paintings
are?
 What did they use to make them?
 Why are they so well preserved after thousands
of years?
 How do you think the people who made these
lived?
 Are these paintings similar to anything you have
seen?
 Do these images give you some interesting
decorating ideas?

27. WHAT THEY USED:
REDAND
YELLOW
OCHRE

28. Part II: Sculpture – Her name is
Venus or is it?

29. Numerous sculptures depicting
female figures have been located
throughout the world. These
figures are often of the female
form. Usually depicted as large-
figured with swollen breasts. They
are often called Venus figures.
Who was Venus?
What were the purpose of
these figures?

30. VENUS OF TAN TAN VENUS OF BEREKHAT
RAM
 230,000 b.c.
 Found in Syria
 500,000 – 300,000
b.c.
 Found in Morrocco
LOWER
PALEOLITHIC

31. VENUS OF LAUSSEL
 25,000 BC
 Found in
Southwestern France
UPPER
PALEOLITHIC

32. VENUS OF HOLE FELS (hollow
rock0
•40,000-
35,000 BC
•Found in
Schelklinge
n, Germany
•Made of
woolly
mammoth
tusk
•2.4 inches
tall
UPPER
PALEOLITHIC

33. WOMAN (Venus) OF
WILLENDORF
•24,000-
22,000 BC
•Found in
Lower
Australia
•Made from
limestone
•4.3 inches
UPPER
PALEOLITHIC

34. The fertility figures are often
referred to as Venus figures.
However, the name Venus has
become controversial and many
are now called women figures.
 Why do you think the name Venus would be
controversial?
 What other name would you give these
figures?

35. BREAK TIME!
LET’S LET EVERYTYHING SOAK IN

36. Part III: ARCHITECTURE
 Where do you think prehistoric people lived? They
decorated caves. So caves, right?
 Why build stuff when there are perfectly good
dark, damp and stuffy holes in the ground? A little
paint, some throw pillows, a comfy log? Living is
easy!
 If you are hunting and gathering to survive, what
kind of life would you live?
 If you planted crops to survive, how would life be
different from those out there shooting deer and
filling baskets?
 Other than shelter, what other types of structures
would be important to you?

37. Jericho - West Bank near the Jordan
river

38. Jericho - c. 9400 b.c.
A city of about
2,000 people.
It was buried
under ground for
many years and
had something
that was unique to
structures that
came before…

39. All are welcome…ugh, wait.
The WALLS OF JERICHO

40. The Tower of Jericho

41. The Tower of Jericho
How do you
think this was
built?

42. STONEHENGE: 3,000-2,000 b.c.
Wiltshire, England

43. NEWGRANGE: It’s older than
Stonehenge - c. 3150 b.c.
County Meath,
Ireland

44. The entrance to
Newgrange
An interior view
What is that?

45. The Triple Spiral Design
 The triple spiral
design is found in
places around
Ireland. It was a
Pre-Christian
design.
 What do you think
it means?
 It has since taken
on a new
meaning. What
do you think that
could be?

46. BRYN CELLI DDU
(Mound in the Dark)
Model showing
the interior
What do you think
this structure
would have been
used for?

47. KITS COTY HOUSE
•Possibly
used as a
tomb.
•Made of
large
stones.
•This is
called a
megalith.
What does
megalith
mean?

48. TARXIAN TEMPLES•Located
in Tarxian
Malta (an
island south
of Cicely)
•Consists
of three
temples

49. THINK AND DISCUSS:
 COMPARE THE STRUCTURES WE
JUST SAW.
 HOW DO YOU THINK THEY WERE
BUILT?
 HOW ARE THE BUILDINGS WE
BUILD TODAY DIFFERENT? WHAT
MATERIALS DO WE USE?
 HOW HAS TECHNOLOGY CHANGED
HOW WE BUILD TODAY?