AP AH Content Area 1

75,000 BCE

“before writing”

40,000-90,000 BCE

earlier people that traveled alot (temporary homes)

used simple tools

8,000 to 2,300 BCE

settled people

had permanent homes near resources and crops which allowed them to use advanced tools

Apollo 11 Stone

Nambia, Africa

c.25,500-25,300 bce.

Charcoal on stone

Paleolithic

Profile- easily identified as an animal

Naturalistic proportion- looks like an animal (assumed to be a dog)

Charcoal used to create strong value contrast

Implied lines- not fully draw but can still be seen

Found in a rock shelter that humans occupied over 100,000 years ago

Non-native materials found- destination cave (hunters)

Above what was once a river (mode of transport?)

Running Horned Woman

Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria

6,000-4,000 bce

Pigment on rock

Paleolithic

Composite view- horns in frontal view, body in profile

Arm and leg placement suggest motion/movement

Repetition of dots on body (paint/scars)

White parallel lines follow movement (raffia?)

Large figure overlaps small

Featureless face

Can be a ritual/ceremony (raffia, body paint/scar, decorative horns)

Overlapping could’ve been intentional/added at a later date (large figure)

Featureless face and location (potential sanctuary) may indicate representation of deity or priestess

Camelid Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine

Tequixquiac, Central Mexico

14,000-7,000 bce

Bone

Paleolithic

Abstract representation of canine

Minimal manipulation using contours of bone- one natural form used to take the shape of another

Bone texture used to contrast- rough ears, smooth head

Engraved designs

Sacrum- “sacred bone” at the base of the spine

Camelid- member of camel family (extinct)

Spirit of animal contained in sacrum

Connected to reproductive organs

Foundation of body (fertility)

Bone strength connected to resurrection

Found during draining project

Jade Cong

Liangzhu Culture, Ancient China

c. 3,300- 2,200 bce.

Carved jade

Neolithic

Abstract pattern- various lines and faces (man-like figure and mysterious beast)

Smooth texture

Circular hole is placed within a square

Carved by sand- difficult and time consuming

Found in graves, buried in large numbers

Face pattern may refer to spirits or deities

Human relationship to nature/spiritual world

Circle (bi)- sky/heavens

Square-earth

Great Hall of Bulls

Paleolithic Europe, Lascaux, France

15,000-13,000 bce

Rock painting

“Parietal” art- painting and engravings found in caves

Texture- smooth limestone above meets rough surface below

Curving wall suggests space

Animals overlap (movement)

Implied horizontal line- follows direction of animals

Composite pose

Cave only visited for ceremonies

Bone- used to blow pigment

Connection between environment and art

Theory:

Stars- dots match star clusters

Narrative- human-animal interaction (shaman communicating w spirits)

Hunting magic- hunters believed they can beat their prey by drawing them

Beaker with Ibex Motifs

Susa, Iran

4200-3500 bce

Painted terra cota

“Mobiliary” art- small portable sculpted objects

Animals:

pure silhouette

profile view

distorted (movement)

Framed in contrast to cave paintings

Pattern repeated

Ibex’s horn- focal point (draws importance)

Not much known about origin (found at cemetery) or purpose

Neolithic

Theory:

Daily use/Ritual/Clan-related

Patterns may symbolize settlement by men

Connection between environment and art

Bears stamp of individual craftsman

Anthropomorphic Stele

Arabian, Peninsula

Fourth millenium bce

Sandstone

Abstract human figure

Double bladed dagger hanging from belted robe

Awl holding double cords together

Stylized

Found in a small village near Ha’il (extensive trade routes)

Religious or burial purpose

Gravemarker

Tlatlico Female Figurine

Central Mexico

900 bce

Ceramic

Bicephalic (2 headed)

Bifurcated face (3 eyes, 2 mouths, 2 noses)

Contains features of Tlatlico women (exaggerated ratio):

Narrow waist

Broad hips

Detailed hairstyle and body paint

Found buried with people

Clay incised with a sharp tool and pinched (no molds)

Idea: duality (life and death)

Tlatlico people are well experienced in art

Big hips = fertility

Male figures = rare

Stonehenge

Neolithic Europe

Wiltshire, UK

1600 bce

Sandstone

Henge- circle of stones surrounded by a ditch

Rough cut sarsen (sandstone) and smaller “blue stones” (volcanic rocks)

Trilithon- three stone construction

Post-and-lintel- two uprights (posts) support a horizontal element (lintel)

Mortise-and-tenon joints- legos

Three phases of building

Stones transported through logs (rope to pull up)

Theories:

Solar/lunar calendar- “Heel stone” (stone outside the entrance of stonehenge) marks where the center of complex lines with the sun

Sun perfectly aligns to center of main stone during sunrise of summer solstice and sunset of midwinter solstice

Ceremonial site- Bluestones transported are being used for cremation or burial

Non native animal bone debris- sacrificed

Aubrey holes (ditches) emptied in 2nd phase- burial sites (?)

There was a settlement close by- cemetery’s usually near

Healing site- “Pilgrimage”

Bluestone = “healing” illnesses

Ambum Stone

Enga Province, Papua New Guinea

1500 bce

Greywacke

Negative space between nose, body, and arms + elongated face features = curvilinear movement

Heavy bottom adds visual weight

Stylized eyes, ears, and nostrils = relief

Shoulder blades and umbilical cord (?)- good understanding of anatomy

Baby echidna (hunted for food)/anteater

Mortar and pestle- negative space = handle

Basis:

Animal forms often used as pestles at this time

Greywacke- difficult to sculpt and very durable

Called “bones of the ancestors”- later on buried

Pig sacrifices needed to please ancestors- wards off danger and promote fertility and strength of tribe and land

Broke by museum- revealed plant fiber used for radiocarbon dating

Terra Cotta Fragment

Lapita, Reef Islands, Solomon Islands

1000 bce

Terra Cotta (incised)

Detailed repeating geometric patterns with anthropomorphic face (incised)

Consistent lines and curves create structure

Whitish dusting of patterns contrast reddish clay (earthenware)

Pot sherds= fragments of pottery

One of the first examples of Lapita’s (seafaring people) pottery art

Lapita art best known for its stamped ceramics

Not used for cooking, but for serving food

Larger vessels = storage

Mead’s Grammar System- categorize design elements, motifs, zone markers, and design fields found on Lapita pottery