PALEOLITHIC
AND
NEOLITHIC
CAVE AND ROCK ART
PALEOLITHIC (OLD STONE AGE)
NEOLITHIC (NEW STONE AGE)
Paleolithic Cave Art
35,000 BC – 14,000 BC
Southern Europe
• Chauvet , France
• Lascaux, France
• Les Tres Friers,
France
• Altamira, Spain
Chauvet Cave, France
32,000 B.C.
Carbon 14 dating of charcoal and
animal bones established age of
Cave Art sites.
 Paint made out of charcoal , rocks and
minerals mixed with animal fat.
 Black made from charcoal or Black Hemalite
 White made from chalk.
 Yellow , red and brown made from Ocher
Shaman painted at Les Trois Friers
Cave Art had a religious purpose.
Ice Age Southern Europe
Ice Age: 100,000 BC – 10,000 BC
Ice Age (The earth was colder)
Muskox:
Chauvet Cave
Horses:
Chauvet cave
Cave Bear and Leopard
Chauvet Cave
Cave Lions:
Chauvet Cave
Wooly Rhino, Bison, Mammoth
Chauvet Cave
Running Bison and Fighting Rhinos
Chauvet Cave
Aurochs: Ancestor of all Cattle
Mammoth
Altamira, Spain
14,000 BC
Altamira: High Point of Cave Art
Highly Detailed
Dramatic Action
“In 20,000 years, we have
learned nothing!”
Pablo Picasso
Saharan Rock Art
8,000 BC to 4,000 BC
Saharan Desert 2010 AD
The Saharan 8,000 BC
The Saharan was a Steppe
(Savannah) in the Ice Age.
Neolithic Rock Art
8,000 BC- 2,000 BC
People and domestic animals appear
Hippos: Tassili d’ Ajjer
Saharan Desert
Elephant: Libya
Giraffes and Elephants
Tassili d’ Ajjer
Herding Domestic Cattle
Tassili d’ Ajjer
African villagers
Tassili d’ Ajjer
Tassili d’ Ajjer: Villagers, Jellyfish,
Domestic Goat, Man riding Camel
Cave of Swimmers, Egypt
Tassili d’ Ajjer: Herding
Domestic Camels
Southern African Rock Art
25,000 BC - Present
The White Lady (2,000 BC)
The Dancers
South Africa: Herd of Cattle
South Africa: Domestic Cattle
Aborigine Rock Art, Australia
30,000 BC - Present
Stencils
People
Aborigine: Kangaroos
Aborigine painted characters from
their religion.
Early style: pre 4,000 BC
X-Ray style 4,000 BC- Present
Long Necked Turtles
Aborigine: Modern Ships
Rainbow Snake Legend