Prehistoric Art

Introduction:

The history of art is part of a larger history of ideas that change over time.  The origins of art are inextricably linked with the activities of the producing community.  In the case of Prehistory, the visual art made during these many thousands of years shows us the shift from the world of the Paleolithic hunter to that of the Neolithic farmer.  We can see this in both the subject matter and forms chosen.  Subject matter during these times reflected  activities of survival (getting of food, hunting, interest on reproduction of both human and animal) and also subjects that relate to life and beliefs (shamanistic ritual, images/objects depicting fertility/reproduction/death) that were crucial to the Paleolithic hunter and to the Neolithic community.

Paleolithic (Old Stone Age), beginning about 42-37,000 BCE and lasting until the end of the Ice Age, about 9000 – 8,000 BCE

Paleolithic people lived a relatively nomadic lifestyle and did not settle in permanent villages or towns.  Archeological evidence that people lived in the openings of caves or in open-air camps has been established. For example, evidence of mammoth bone houses  in Russia Ukraine, have been found and it is possible that other temporary, portable shelters were used by Paleolithic hunters and gatherers in other regions.

Paleolithic cave paintings have been found in Europe, mostly in southern-central France (e.g. Lascaux and Chauvet) and the northern parts of Spain (e.g. Altamira).  The paintings found date from 32,000 BCE (Chauvet) to 15,000 BCE (Lascaux). Known works of Paleolithic sculpture such as Woman from Willendorf date back as far as 30,000 BCE.

The Neolithic (New Stone Age)— ca. 7000-1500 BCE

The most significant characteristics of Neolithic society are as follows:

• An organized, ongoing system of agriculture as distinct from the gathering and hunting of the Paleolithic societies
• Animal husbandry (maintenance of herds of domesticated animals)
• Permanent, year-round settlement

In the Near East the oldest architectural remains date from around 9000-6000 BCE.  Near Eastern sites such as Jericho and Catal Huyuk were developed earlier than sites in Europe such as Skara Brae and Stonehenge.

Towns and Villages:  Both Skara Brae and Catal Huyuk are examples of Neolithic communities. The essential difference between them is the availability of building materials. Skara Brae took advantage of the large quantities of available stone to build foundations for structures. In the Neolithic settlement at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia (Turkey) the houses in this permanent settlement were built out of mud-brick and wood. Their designs often incorporated elaborate shrines.

Ceremonial and Tomb Architecture:  Large scale Neolithic architecture such as Newgrange in Ireland and Stonehenge in England is known as Megalithic (big stone) architecture due to the gigantic scale of the stones used.