1. Prehistoric Art Day 3
Depicting Humans & Architecture

4. Stonehenge Wiltshire, UK 2500 BCE Sandstone

7. Prehistoric Architecture Vocabulary
Menhir
Megalith
Henge

14. 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

16. 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

17. Mortise and Tenon

18. 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

19. Stonehenge Vocabulary

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

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

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

27. 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

28. Three Phases of Construction
oric-art/neolithic-art/a/stonehenge

31. 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.

38. So how was it made?.. Possible Ideas

39. The One I like!

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

43. 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

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

46. 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

47. 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

48. 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

49. 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.

50. 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.

53. Anthropomorphic Stele Arabian Peninsula 4,000 BCE Sandstone

55. 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

57. 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

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

61. 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

62. 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

64. 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

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

69. 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

70. 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

72. Write Down 3 Interesting Facts

73. 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

74. 1500 miles by ocean… each way!