PREHISTORY

How did prehistoric man manage to leave behind such a rich cultural heritage of rock art? Answer: by
developing a bigger and more sophisticated brain. Brain performance is directly associated with a
number of "higher" functions such as language and creative expression.
The consensus among most most paleontologists and paleoanthropologists, is that the human species
(Homo) split away from gorillas in Africa about 8 million BCE, and from chimpanzees no later than 5
million BCE. (The discovery of a hominid skull [Sahelanthropus tchadensis] dated about 7 million
years ago, may indicate an earlier divergence). The very early hominids included species like
Australopithecus afarensis and Paranthropus robustus (brain capacity 350-500 cc).
About 2.5 million years BCE, some humans began to make stone tools (like very crude choppers and
hand-axes), and newer species like Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis emerged (brain capacity 590-
690 cc). By 2 million years BCE more species of humans appeared, such as Homo erectus (brain
capacity 800-1250 cc). During the following 500,000 years, Homo erectus spread from Africa to the
Middle East, Asia and Europe.
PALEOLITHIC PERIOD
(c.2,500,000 - 10,000 BCE)
Traditionally, this period is divided into three sub-sections: the Lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic and
Upper Paleolithic, each marking advances (especially in tool technology) among different human cul-
tures. In essence, Paleolithic Man lived solely by hunting and gathering, while his successors during the
later Mesolithic and Neolithic times developed systems of agriculture and ultimately permanent settle-
ments.
Survival wasn't easy, not least because of numerous adverse climatic changes: on four separate occa-
sions the northern latitudes experienced ice ages resulting insuccessive waves of freezing and thawing,
and triggering migrations or widespread death. In fact, the development of human culture during Pale-
olithic times was repeatedly and profoundly affected by environmental factors. Paleolithic humans were
food gatherers, who depended for their subsistence on hunting wild animals, fishing, and collecting
berries, fruits and nuts. It wasn't until about 8,000 BCE that more secure methods of feeding (agricul-
ture and animal domestication) were adopted.
STONE TOOLS – THE KEY TO CIVILIZATION, CULTURE AND ART
Stone tools were the instruments by which early Man developed and progressed. All human culture is
based on the ingenuity and brainpower of our early ancestors in creating ever more sophisticated tools
that enabled them to survive and prosper. After all, fine art is merely a reflection of society, and prehis-
toric societies were largely defined by the type of tool used. In fact, Paleolithic culture is charted and
classified according to advancing tool technologies.Incidentally, many of the earliest archeological finds
of Stone Age artifacts were made in France, thus French place-names have long been used to chart the
various Paleolithic subdivisions, despite the huge regional differences that exist.
IMPORTENT SITES AND WORKS
The Löwenmensch figurine or LION-MAN OF THE HOHLENSTEIN-STADEL is a
prehistoric ivory sculpture that was discovered in the Hohlenstein-Stadel, a German cave in
1939. The German name, Löwenmensch meaning "lion-human", is used most frequently
because it was discovered and is exhibited in Germany.The lion-headed figurine is the
oldest-known zoomorphic (animal-shaped) sculpture in the world, and the oldest-known
uncontested example of figurative art. It has been determined to be between 35,000 and
40,000 years old by carbon dating of material from the layer in which it was found, and
thus, is associated with the archaeological Aurignacian culture. It was carved out of woolly
mammoth ivory using a flint stone knife. Seven parallel, transverse, carved gouges are on
the left arm.
 IMPORTENT SITES AND WORKS
VOGELHERD(GERMANY) FIGURINES
The Vogelherd figurines are some of the world’s oldest-known works of figurative art, artefacts "made
from the ivory of woolly mammoths" and "finely carved and exquisitely detailed". The 1931 excavation
yielded 11 figurines, found in the Aurignacian layers.Interpretations of the carvings have been made in
the context of these animals' great importance for paleo-human survival and related hunting rituals and
they may have served a purpose in pre-historic beliefs, cults and shamanistic practices.
Exceptionally accurately shaped, perfect in form and remarkably
expressive. Due to the curved neck, it is usually thought to represent a
stallion with an aggressive or imposing bearing. Only the head is
completely preserved. Due to the flaking of external ivory layers, the
width has been reduced and the legs have broken off. There are en-
graved symbols, including cross marks and angular signs, on the back
of the neck, as well as on the back and the left chest.
Sculpture of a horse
Length: 4.8 cm (ca. 30,000 – 29,000 years old)
The entirely intact woolly mammoth figurine displays skilfully detailed
carvings. It is unique in its slim form, pointed tail, powerful legs and
dynamically arched trunk. It is decorated with six short incisions, and the
soles of the pachyderm's feet show a crosshatch pattern.

Sculpture of a Mammoth
Length: 4 cm (ca. 33,000 ace)

Found in 1931 with an incomplete head and thought to be a relief. The missing
piece was found during the excavations between 2005 and 2012 and were
successfully reattached, thus confirming that the figurine is in fact a three-
dimensional sculpture. It is decorated with approximately 30 finely incised
crosses on its spine
Sculpture of a cave lion
Length: 5.6 cm (ca. 40,000 years old)

BISON LICKING INSECT BITE is a prehistoric carving by an

unknown artist of the Upper Paleolithic, found at Abri de la
Madeleine near Tursac in Dordogne, France, the type-site of the
Magdalenian culture, which produced many fine small carvings in
antler or bone.Created sometime between 20,000 and 12,000 BP
(15,000 BP according to the museum),This is a sculpcture in the
round ,the artist rendered this bison in motion using releif sculpture
techniques that incorporate the natural feature of the horn
VENUS FIGURES

INTERPRETATION AND PURPOSE

Similar sculptures, first discovered in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, are traditionally
referred to in archaeology as "Venus figurines", due to the widely-held belief that depictions of nude
women with exaggerated sexual features represented an early fertility fetish, perhaps a mother
goddess. The reference to Venus is metaphorical, since the figurines predate the mythological figure
of Venus by many thousands of years. Some scholars reject this terminology, instead referring to the
statuette as the "Woman of" or "Woman from Willendorf". Christopher Witcombe criticizes the
term: "the ironic identification of these figurines as 'Venus' pleasantly satisfied certain assumptions at
the time about the primitive, about women, and about taste".

THE VENUS OF HOHLE FELS (also known as the Venus of

Schelklingen; in German variously Venus vom Hohlen Fels,
vom Hohle Fels; Venus von Schelklingen) is an Upper Pale-
olithic Venus figurine made of mammoth ivory that was located
near Schelklingen, Germany. It is dated to between 35,000 and
40,000 years ago,belonging to the early Aurignacian, at the very
beginning of the Upper Paleolithic, . This female figure is the
oldest undisputed example of a depiction of a human being yet
discovered. The Venus figurine is housed at the Prehistoric
Museum of Blaubeuren (Urgeschichtliches Museum
Blaubeuren).

THE VENUS OF WILLEDORF (AUSTRIA)The figure is believed to have

been carved during the European Upper Paleolithic, or "Old Stone Age", a
period of prehistory starting around 30,000 BCE. A wide variety of dates have
been proposed. Following a revised analysis of the stratigraphy of the site
where the statuette was discovered, carried out in 1990, the figure was esti-
mated to have been carved between 24,000 and 22,000 BCE.More recent
estimates push the date back slightly to between about 28,000 and 25,000 BCE.

MOTHER GODDESS OF LAUSSEL(FRANCE)Laussel Cave was discov-

ered in 1911, and scientific excavations have not been conducted since that
time. The Upper Paleolithic venus was dated by stylistic means as belonging
to the Gravettian or Upper Perigordian period, ca. 29,000 to 22,000 years
ago.The 45 centimeter (18 inch) high image is of a woman with large breasts,
belly and thighs, explicit genitals and an undefined or eroded head with what
appears to be long hair.Her left hand rests on her belly, and her right hand
holds what looks to be a large horn--perhaps the core of a horn of a buffalo
(bison). The horn core has 13 vertical lines etched onto it: the undefined face
appears to be looking at the core.
A "venus"is an art history term for a relatively life-like drawing or sculpture
of a human being--man, woman or child--found in many Upper Paleolithic
contexts. The stereotypical (but by no means the only or even the most
common) venus figure consists of a detailed drawing of a woman's lush and
Rubenesque body but lacks details for her face.
CAVE PAINTINGS
LASCAUX(FRANCE)between 16000 and 12000 bce
The art at Lascaux was both painted on and engraved into the uneven
walls of the cave, the artists working with the edges and curves of the
walls to enhance their compositions. The resulting impressive displays
depict mainly animals, but also a significant amount of abstract sym-
bols, and even a human. Of the animals, horses dominate the imagery,
followed by deer and aurochs, and then ibex and bison. A few carni-
vores, such as lions and bears, are also present. The archaeological
record of the area shows that the depicted animals reflect the fauna
that was known to these Palaeolithic humans.
The entrance of the cave leads away from the daylight and straight into
the main chamber of the cave, the Hall of the Bulls. Aptly named, this
space contains mostly aurochs, a now extinct type of large cattle. In a
round dance, four large bulls tower above fleeing horses and deer, the
relief of the walls serving to emphasise certain parts of the paintings.
The animals are shown in side-view, but with their horns turned, giving
the paintings a liveliness indicative of great skill. So far, these animals
are easily identifiable, but others are less clear-cut. See, for instance,
the seemingly pregnant horse with what looks like one horn on its
head. Another mysterious figure is depicted with panther skin, a deer’s
tail, a bison’s hump, two horns, and a male member. Creative minds
have suggested it may be a sorcerer or wizard, but what it really
represents is hard to determine.From the finds originating from the
cave, we know that the deeper parts of the cave were lit by sandstone
lamps that used animal fat as fuel, as well as by fireplaces. Here, the
artists worked in what must have been smoky conditions, using miner-
als as pigments for their images. Reds, yellows, and blacks are the
predominant colours. Red was provided by hematite, either raw or as
found within red clay and ochre; yellow by iron oxyhydroxides; and
black either by charcoal or manganese oxides. The pigments could be
prepared by grinding, mixing, or heating, after which they were trans-
ferred onto the cave walls. Painting techniques include drawing with
fingers or charcoal, applying pigment with 'brushes' made of hair or
moss, and blowing the pigment on a stencil or directly onto the wall
with, for instance, a hollow bone.
ALTAMIRA CAVE is 270 metres long and consists of a series of
twisting passages and chambers. The main passage varies from two to
six metres in height. Archaeological excavations in the cave floor
found rich deposits of artefacts from the Upper Solutrean (ca 18 500
years ago) and Lower Magdalenean (between ca 16 500 and 14 000
years ago). Both periods belong to the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age.
In the millennia between these two occupations, the cave was evi-
dently inhabited only by wild animals. Human occupants of the site
were well-positioned to take advantage of the rich wildlife that grazed
in the valleys of the surrounding mountains as well as the marine life
available in nearby coastal areas. Around 13,000 years ago a rockfall
sealed the cave's entrance, preserving its contents until its eventual
discovery, which occurred after a nearby tree fell and disturbed the
fallen rocks.
Human occupation was limited to the cave mouth, although paintings
were created throughout the length of the cave. The artists used
charcoal and ochre or haematite to create the images, often diluting
these pigments to produce variations in intensity and creating an
impression of chiaroscuro. They also exploited the natural contours in
the cave walls to give their subjects a three-dimensional effect. The
Polychrome Ceiling is the most impressive feature of the cave, depict-
ing a herd of extinct Steppe Bison (Bison priscus) in different poses,
two horses, a large doe, and possibly a wild boar.
Dated to the Magdalenean occupation, these paintings also include
abstract shapes in addition to animal subjects. Solutrean paintings
include images of horses and goats, as well as handprints that were
created when artists placed their hands on the cave wall and blew
pigment over them to leave a negative image. Numerous other caves
in northern Spain contain Palaeolithic art, but none is as complex or
well-populated as Altamira.
THE ADDAURA CAVE is an important site of prehistoric art
located on the northeast side of Mount Pellegrino on the outskirts of
Palermo, in Sicily. In fact, the site is a network of three natural
grottos: Addaura Cave I, Addaura Cave II, and Grotta Niscemi. The
site's importance is based upon its spectacular rock engravings the
earliest of which date to the final phase of Magdalenian art, around
11,000 BCE. The rock carvings depict one of the most enigmatic
scenes ever to appear in Paleolithic art - an apparent ritualistic
sacrifice or punishment, featuring more than a dozen human figures
in acrobatic or dance-like postures.