Prehistoric Art in Europe Stone Age Prehistoric Art in Europe

Paleolithic Art: Neolithic Art: TIME PERIODS 30,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE in the Near East 8000 BCE to 3000 BCE in the Near East 30,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE in Europe 4000 BCE to 2000 BCE in Europe

KEY IDEAS Earliest surviving works of art are cave paintings and portable sculptures of humans and animals. Little is known about the original intention or meaning of prehistoric works. Buildings such as Stonehenge show the ability of prehistoric people to build elaborate religious structures using the post-and-lintel system of construction. Much of what we know about prehistoric people is based on the art

PREHISTORIC BACKGROUND Paleolithic people were hunter-gatherers people used caves and other natural shelters as homes people were unsettled (moved frequently)

PREHISTORIC BACKGROUND Neolithic people cultivated the earth and raised livestock people lived in organized settlements people divided labor into occupations people constructed the first homes

PREHISTORY FACTS Prehistory = Prehistoric = all human existence before writing Even before writing, people were: -carving objects -painting images -creating structures/shelter Homo sapiens sapiens (our subspecies) evolved about 120,000 to 100,000 years ago. (wow!)

PREHISTORY FACTS We can only make hypotheses about prehistoric art The paintings, sculptures, and structures that have survived are only a fraction of what must have been created over a very long period of time. Prehistoric art is one of the most speculative areas of art history.

SIDE NOTE Accepted Terminology Previously Accepted BCE = Before Common Era BC = Before Christ CE = Common Era AD = Anno Domini = In the year of our lord

THE END. BYE. Hand Stencils from Argentina, c.11,000 – 7,500 BCE