Chapter One - Prehistoric Art

Key themes for this chapter:

- What is “art” and what is “cultural artifact”? - Portrayals of the human figure and animals forms in prehistoric art - Materials and construction methods of art and architecture - Recurring motifs in prehistoric visual culture - Domestic vs. sacred art and architecture

Prehistoric Europe.

Spotted Horses and Human Hands. Horses 25,000–24,000 BCE;hands c. 15,000 BCE. Individual horses over 5’ in length.

Wall Painting With Horses, Rhinoceroses, and Aurochs. c. 32,000–30,000 BCE.

Bison. Altamira, Spain. c. 12,500 BCE. Length approx. 8'3".

Bison. c. 13,000 BCE. France. Unbaked clay. Length 25” and 24”.

Lion-Human. c. 30,000–26,000 BCE. Height 11 5/8”.

Woman from Willendorf. c. 24,000 BCE. Height 4 3/8”.

Woman from Dolní Vestonice. 23,000 BCE. 4 1/4 1 7/10”.

Woman from Brassempouy. Probably c. 30,000 BCE . Height 1 1/4”.

Reconstruction Drawing of Mammoth-Bone Houses. c. 16,000–10,000 BCE.

Reconstruction of Lepenski Vir House/Shrine. 6000 BCE.

Human-Fish Sculpture. c. 6300–5500 BCE.

Çatalhöyük, Turkey. 7400–6200 BCE.

Early Construction Methods (Line Drawing).

Neolithic Building Methods. 6000 BCE.

Stonehenge. c. 2900–1500 BCE.

Plan of Stonehenge and Its Surrounding Settlements.

Reconstruction Drawing of Durrington Walls. 2600 BCE.

Early Pottery from Japan's Jomon Culture. 12,000 BCE.

Early Pottery: Franchthi Cave, Greece. 6500 BCE.

Gold Scepters. 3800 BCE.