Pre-Historic
ART
Part I:
Paleolithic Art
PREHISTORY
refers to the time before people
developed a writing system.
Paleolithic:
From the Greek:
“Paleo” meaning old
“Lithos” meaning stone
The historical period believed to have lasted from
30,000BC to about 10,000BC
(Old Stone Age=Paleolithic: from 30,
000 B.C to about 10, 000 B.C)
Makapansgat, South Africa
Ca. 3,000,000 BCE
http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/#/fr/02_00.xml
Lascaux Cave, France c. 15, 000BC
One of the most famous sites of Prehistoric cave paintings.
The “Chinese Horse” of Lascaux
Twisted
perspective:
A composite
view of many
sides in one
image
Pech Merle, France
Bison with turned head
‘Venus’ of Willendorf
*Dates
from 24,00BC22,000BC
.
*Discovered in Austria in
1908
*Use of “Venus” term
much debated
*Purpose unknown
Stonehenge, England: c. 2000BC
Stonehenge Photos & Video Click Here or copy and paste this link!
http://saragant.blogspot.com/search/label/Stonehenge
Cromlech:
A circle of monoliths, also called a henge.
Megalith:
A large monument created from huge stone
slabs
Post and Lintel construction:
The earliest form of construction, consisting of
massive vertical posts that support
crossbeams, or lintels.
Part II:
Ancient Near
East
Mesopotamia had its origins in the
eastern part of the fertile crescent.
The fertile crescent flourished
between the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers.
Civilizations developed in river
valleys. Gifted and creative people
built houses and agricultural
communities around markets then
temples.
The Sumerians settled here around
4500BC. The Sumerians
developed an early form of writing
known as cuneiform, (writing with
wedge shaped characters) which
involves pictures and writing. The
Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the first
works of literature, was written in
cuneiform. The Sumerians
developed the first city- states.
Cuneiformpicture writing
Stylus- writing
instrument made
out of stone or
reed
Ziggurat: a stepped mountain made of
brick-covered earth
Ziggurat at Ur- of ancient Sumeria, 2100BC
The priest was the
only one in the
community that could
communicate with the
gods. The stepped
platform brought the
heavens and the gods
much closer.
Ur was a wealthy citystate known to contain
many luxuries,
including gold helmets,
jewelry and musical
instruments. The
Standard of Ur is a box
of unknown function
made of inlayed shell,
lapis lazuli (the blue
stone) and red
limestone. It contains a
war side and peace
side. Each side is
visually divided into
three ground lines
called registers.
Registers are ground
lines used for
organizing space.
Standard of Ur 2400 BC
The figures rest on this line. Unlike the cave paintings that had a haphazard
organization of space, these are methodically organized on registers. Like
cave paintings that used a conceptual rather than optical approach to
showing the figures, these figures are all seen in profile, as a way of
describing the figure. They are stylized with short, squatty proportions and a
large frontal eye (an eye that looks as it was on a face that is facing you, but
found on a profile face). Large numbers are shown not as individuals, but by
repetition of shapes. Notice the horses and soldiers on the war side.
Votive statues from Tel’ Asmar. Votive statues prayed at all times to
make up for the fact that it is not humanly possible to pray
constantly. Cylindrically shaped statues, they have large wide open
eyes and a respectful stance that allows the statue to meet his/her
gods in constant, reverent wakefulness.
Votive Statue
Seated
Gudea
Bull-headed Lyre 2400 BC Ur
cemetary, Iraq
Stele with Code
of Hammurabi
1792-1750BC
(From Babylon)
The oldest known written code
of Law. The law code dictated
penalties for everything from
adultery and murder to cutting
down a neighbor’s trees.
Stele: Inscribed
stone pillar
Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, 2250 BC
Akkadian Period
Head of Sargon 2200BC Found in Ninevah
Palace complex at Persepolis, founded by Darius the Great 518BC
The Ishtar Gate at Babylon
Reconstruction Glazed Brick
Total Height–47 Ft, Width-32 Ft
Neo-Babylonian
7th–6th Centuries BC
Dedicator: Nebuchadnezzar II
Language: Akkadian
Date of Excavation: 1899-1914
Staatliche Museen , Berlin
Dept. of the Near East
END