1) Paleolithic art dates from 40,000-8,000 BCE and includes cave paintings and portable sculptures. Cave paintings from the Lascaux Caves in France dating to 15,000-13,000 BCE feature realistic images of animals painted using natural pigments. 2) Neolithic art emerged around 8,000 BCE as people transitioned to settled agricultural societies. Neolithic architecture included megaliths and structures like Stonehenge built from large stones without mortar. 3) Theories suggest Paleolithic cave art was used for hunting rituals, animal worship, or shamanism but the true purpose remains unclear.

1. Prehistoric ArtCave Conjecture

2. Paleolithic ArtPaleo (Greek) = OldLithic (Greek) = StonePaleolithic = Old Stone Age 40,000 BCE – 8,000 BCE in Near East40,000 BCE – 4,000 BCE in Europe

3. Prehistoric SculptureAll prehistoric sculpture is portable. Why?

4. Shelter or Architecture?

5. Young men gather around a vessel of bright pigment in preparation for body painting in this scene by artist Reeda Peel. In prehistoric times, ocher pigment had many uses, whether for body adornment, massive scenes on cave walls, or small painted pebbles—"portable art.“ Investigators found decorated stones and evidence of pigment production.

6. Woman “Venus” of Willwndorfc. 28,000 – 21, 000 BCElimestoneEmphasized reproductive parts4 3/8” Meant to be heldDeemphasized face, arms, legsNo feet

9. Prehistoric PaintingCharacteristicsImages of animals dominate with black outlinesrealistically representedImages Of humansstick figureslittle detailHandprintsnegative prints left hand

10. LascauxCaves15,000-13,000 BCE, Dordogne, Francehttp://www.lascaux.culture.fr/#/fr/00.xml

11. Lascaux CavePaint is made of natural productsCharcoal, iron ore, plants bound with animal fat650 paintingsCows, bulls, horses, and deerFigures are overlappingNegative handprints: signatures?

12. Negative Handprints

13. Cave ArtCaves were not dwellingsPrehistoric people lived migratory lives following herds of animalsPaintings placed deep inside the cave

14. Cave Art TheoriesUsed to ensure a successful hunt?Ancestral animal worship?ShamanismA religion based on the idea that forces of nature can be controlled by a highly regarded religious figure called a shaman

15. NeolithicNeo (Greek) = NewLith (Greek) = StoneNeolithic = New Stone Age8,000 BCE – 3,000 BCE in the Near East4,000 BCE – 2,000 BCE in Europe

16. Neolithic PeopleCultivated landRaised livestockLive in organized settlementsCreated occupations = division of laborBuilt the first homes

17. Neolithic ArchitectureShelters were huts built with animal bonesPlaces of worship were built to last!

18. Neolithic ArchitectureMenhir = large individual stone placed on end alone or in rows

19. Neolithic ArchitectureMegalith = Menhirs cut into rectangles used for constructionby adam.holmquist

20. Neolithic ArchitecturePost-and-lintel architecture = the most basicPost = two uprightsLintel = horizontal on top

21. Mortise and Tenon

22. Neolithic ArchitectureCromlech = A circle of megaliths with lintels placed on topStructures were aligned to important dates: solstices, equinoxes, and lunar.The most well known cromlech?

23. Neolithic ArchitectureStonehenge, c. 2100 BCE,Wilshire, England