Prehistoric Art Day 3 Depicting Humans & Architecture

Stonehenge Wiltshire, UK 2500 BCE Sandstone

Prehistoric Architecture Vocabulary Menhir Megalith Henge

Prehistoric Architecture The most famous structures were built for worship not habitation Sometimes, Menhirs were erected singularly or in long rows Menhirs cut into rectangles, and used in construction= Megalith a circle of megaliths= Henge Built to align with important calendar dates structures used two upright stones, supporting a horizontal beam= Post and Lintel Construction

Problems with Post and Lintel The problem with stone pillars topped with a flat lintel is that it cannot bear much weight. As seen in the figure above, when a large force is applied downward, the lintel beam is alternately compressed on the upper side and pulled outwards on the bottom. Rock is very incompressible but often has small imperfections that allow cracking on the bottom, leading to failure

Mortise and Tenon

Stonehenge Wiltshire, UK 2500 BCE Sandstone perhaps took 1000 years to build, gradually redeveloped by each succeeding generation post-and-lintel construction; lintels grooved in place by mortise and tenon system of construction large megaliths in center are over 20 ft tall and form a horseshoe surrounding a central flat stone some stones weigh over 50 tons hundreds of other stones (of unknown purpose) are around the site. Some stones taken from 200 miles away

Stonehenge Vocabulary

Stonehenge Vocabulary TRILITHON The formation of two upright stones capped by a horizontal lintel. There are five trilithons in the center of stonehenge

Stonehenge Vocabulary BLUE STONES Igneous rocks that are foreign to the chalk geology of Salisbury Plain. They come from wales

Stonehenge Vocabulary SARSEN STONES A type of hard silicified sandstone found scattered naturally across chalk areas of southern England.

Stonehenge Wiltshire, UK 2500 BCE Sandstone Generally thought to be oriented towards the sunrise on the summer solstice; may also predict eclipses new theory posits that Stonehenge was the center of ceremonies concerning death and burial one of MANY henges in Southern England

Three Phases of Construction https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/prehist oric-art/neolithic-art/a/stonehenge

It is an established fact that Stonehenge was an astronomical observatory for both solar and lunar observations. One of its functions was the determination of the summer solstice date using the summer solstice sunrise. At the 21st of June the rising sun in the North East shines its light in between the Heel Stone onto the Alter Stone at the center of the Trilithons or horseshoe of Stonehenge.

So how was it made?.. Possible Ideas

The One I like!

Tlatilco Female Figurine Central Mexico, Site of Tlatilco 1200 BCE Ceramic

Tlatilco is noted for its pottery Tlatilco Female Figurine Central Mexico, Site of Tlatilco 1200 BCE Ceramic Tlatilco is noted for its pottery Many shapes and forms: male, female, couples, genre scenes, ball playing games, animals, imaginary creatures, etc. female figures show elaborate details of hair styles, clothes, and body ornaments Many show… “deformities”, two headed females, possibly indicating conjoined twins Possibly theories: shows congenital defects shows dualism found that is found in later Mesoamerican cultures flipper like arms, huge thighs, pronounced hips, pinched waists, unclothed except for jewelry

Location Came from a farming areas near water bodies Specialized in growing maize (corn) Tlatilco flourished 2000- 3000 years before the aztec came to power Most figurines date to 1200-1400 BCE

Discovery During the beginning of 20th century many graves were discovered by brick makers who were mining clay in the region Once discovered these miners would sell objects they discovered, including figurines, to collectors Later archaeologists were able to excavate several complete burials. These burials contained lots of different objects. The objects found in the highest quantities were these figurines

Male Figures are Rare Very few figure are male When depicted male figures typically are in costume, or even wear masks It is speculated that males seemed to be valued in ritualistic roles

Craftsmanship Unlike later Mexican figurines, these figurines were made only by hand, without the use of molds Made using hand building techniques & carving The details of the figures are non-naturalistic Scholars doubt there were full time artists in these communities, but the skills required to make these pieces must have been passed down through generations

From the UMFA Small terracotta female figure with wide exaggerated hips. Small arms and breasts. Almond shaped eyes, arched eyebrows, large earrings and coils applied as hair. Hair and center of earring painted with red paint. slight traces of yellow paint on her body.

From the UMFA Seated terracotta whistle figure with club-like ball appendages as feet. One arm is missing. Torso is absent, head rests on hips. Applied coils of clay for features; almond shaped eyes, slit mouth, round ears (pierced) and a conical shaped hat. Holes at top and near feet serves as blow holes for the whistle.

Anthropomorphic Stele Arabian Peninsula 4,000 BCE Sandstone

A Vast Area with Similar Artifacts More than sixty low-relief sculptures with these human qualities have been discovered in the Arabian Peninsula This area is large. It is nearly 1500 miles from Jordan to Yemen. In prehistoric time these area was more like a savannah than a desert and encouraged migration

Anthropomorphic Stele Arabian Peninsula 4,000 BCE Sandstone One of the earliest known works from Arabia found in an area with extensive trade routes religious or burial significance belted robe from which hangs a double bladed knife or sword Anthropomorphic: resembling a human form, but is not human

What does it mean? Anthropomorphic In simple terms this means “human-like” or having human characteristics

Revealing History Historians originally believed that the earliest carved depictions of the human form in the Arabian peninsula came in the 7th century CE with the rise of Islam. This stele effectively dismisses those ideas

Interpretation “Archaeologists believe that the Ha’il stele was probably associated with religious or burial practices, and was likely used as a grave marker in an open-air sanctuary. While we do not know who produced the stele (just imagine a specialist stone carver working among mobile pastoral herders), we continue to be intrigued by the quality of the carving and its minimalist, yet expressive, representation of the human figure” -Kahn Academy

LETS READ. WAHOO ;) 1. The Stele from Ha’il 2. Arabia’s Prehistory 3 LETS READ! WAHOO ;) 1. The Stele from Ha’il 2. Arabia’s Prehistory 3. Figural Representation 4. Crossroads of Trade 5. An Interpretation

Terra cotta Fragment Lapita, Solomon Islands 1,000 BCE Incised Terra Cotta

Lapita culture known for its pottery Terra cotta Fragment Lapita, Solomon Islands 1,000 BCE Incised Terra Cotta Lapita culture known for its pottery Characteristic use of curved stamped patterns: dots, circles and hatching outlined forms; used a comb like tool to stamp designs into clay one of the oldest human faces in Oceanic art

The term Lapita refers to an ancient Pacific culture that archaeologists believe to be the common ancestor of the contemporary cultures of Polynesia, Micronesia, and some areas of Melanesia

Write Down 3 Interesting Facts

The Lapita by Sea Obsidian has been found at these excavation sites The obsidian is not found locally This gives us an insight into the nautical life style of these people

1500 miles by ocean… each way!