 Analyze the art forms on the next three pages:

- What materials are they made of?

- Describe the figures.
- Define the development of the arts.

 What does the following affixes mean?

- Paleo-
- Meso-
- Neo-
- -lithic

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

 What is the first of the three-age system of archeology
which depicted the technology used by men?
 What are the three periods of the above?
 Define the art forms from each period.

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 Venus of Hohle
Fels: Oldest known
Venus figurine.
Also the oldest
known, undisputed
depiction of a
human being in
prehistoric art.
Made of mammoth
tusk and found in
Germany

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

Venus of Laussel, an Upper Paleolithic
(Aurignacian) carving:

2
An engraved shale pendant unearthed in Star Carr, England in 2015 is
believed to be the oldest Mesolithic art form on the island of Great
Britain.

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

Dance of the Cogul: A Mesolithic Art Painting found in the Caves of Cogul

3
 Female figure from Tumba Madžari, Republic
of Macedonia:

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

Full-statue human figure
plaster model found in Ain
Ghazal, which depicted free-
standing two-headed detailed
male and female faces.

4
In the late 19th century, a Danish scholar, Christian J. Thomsen came up
with a framework of the human technological history and came up with their
respective terminologies. The three consecutive periods are: the Stone Age,
the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. His idea was based on the layers of
artifacts found in archeological sites.

The deepest layer had stone-made tools, on top of which were bronze artifacts,
and the iron-made artifacts were found closest to the surface.

Though there were some criticisms in the use of terminologies due to limitation
of the study in Europe, it is still being used due to its simple logical
explanation.

The Stone Age started at around 30,000 BCE and ended by 3,000 BCE. It
showed the creativity of humans before the advent of writing. It is divided into

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

three periods: the Paleolithic (paleo- means old. –lithic means stone) Period or
Old Stone Age, the Mesolithic (meso- means middle) Period or Middle Stone Age
, and the Neolithic (neo- means new) Period.

The Paleolithic Period started around 30,000 BCE and ended at around 10,000
BCE. It is characterized by basic stone tools and stone arts. The most
common art forms are cave paintings and sculptures of women with
exaggerated body parts which were believed to depict fertility and sexuality
(shown on page 2).

Other samples of Paleolithic arts are found on the next page.

5
The Lascaux (laskow) cave (right) in Lascaux, France was
discovered in 1940 and contains fine Paleolithic wall
paintings and engravings dated around 13000-8500 BCE. It
contained around 2000 figures with three main categories:
humans, animals, and abstract signs.

Modern entrance of
the Lascaux cave

The most popular

part of the cave is
the Great Halls of

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

the Bulls in which
bulls, equines, and
stags were painted.

This mammoth ivory statuette is a

notable exception to the lack of facial
features being carved in Paleolithic
Europe, but is an example of a
furthering sophistication of carving.
Being one of the most realistic human
sculpture of the Paleolithic age, this Head of a woman from the Grotte du Pape,
Brassemouy, France, ca. 25,000-20,000
male or female representation could
BCE. Ivory, 1 1/2″ high.
be proof of Homo sapiens‘ closer
observation and appreciation of the human form and the natural world at this
time. It was discovered in 1892 alongside 11 other ivory figurines.

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Mesolithic Period started at around 20.000 BCE and ended by 8,000 BCE. A
number of notable Mesolithic rock art sites exist on the Mediterranean coast of
Spain. The art consists of small painted figures of humans and animals, which
are the most advanced and widespread surviving from this period in Europe
and possibly worldwide. Notably, this collection is the largest concentration of
such art in Europe.

During the Mesolithic period, humans developed cave paintings, engravings,

and ceramics to reflect their daily lives.

 The use of small chipped stone tools called microliths and retouched
bladelets are the key factor to identify the Mesolithic as a prehistoric
period.
 Mesolithic people likely continued the art forms developed during the
Upper Paleolithic Period, including cave paintings and engravings , small
sculptural artifacts , and early megalithic architecture.

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

 The most extensive collection of Mesolithic rock art has been found on the
Mediterranean coast of Spain. These paintings consist of human and
animal figures in scenes of hunting and early agricultural activities, such
as collecting honey.

An engraved shale pendant unearthed in Star Carr, England

in 2015 is believed to be the oldest Mesolithic art form on
the island of Great Britain. Engraved jewelry from this
period outside of Scandinavia is extremely rare.

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The human figure is frequently the main theme in painted scenes. When in the
same scene as animals, the human runs towards them. Hunting scenes are the
most common, but there are also scenes of battle and dancing, and possibly
agricultural tasks and managing domesticated animals. In some scenes
gathering honey is shown, most famously at Cuevas de la Araña en Bicorp.

The painting known

as The Dancers of
Cogul (right) is a
good example of the
depiction of
movement in static
art. In this scene,
nine women are
depicted, something
new in art of this
region, some painted
in black and others

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

in red. They are
shown dancing
around a male figure with abnormally large phallus, a figure that was rare if
not absent in Paleolithic art. Along with humans, several animals, including a
dead deer or buck impaled by an arrow or atlatl, are depicted.

8
The Neolithic or New Stone Age was a period in human development from
around 10,000 BCE until 3,000 BCE. Considered the last part of the Stone
Age, the Neolithic period is signified by a progression in behavioral and cultural
characteristics including the cultivation of wild and domestic crops and the use
of domesticated animals.

The ancient Near East was home to the earliest civilizations within a region
roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East, including Mesopotamia ,
ancient Egypt, ancient Iran, the Levant, and the Arabian peninsula. Sites in
these locations dating to approximately 9500 BCE are considered the beginning
of the Neolithic period.

Neolithic culture in the Near East is separated into three phases: Neolithic 1
(Pre-Pottery Neolithic A), Neolithic 2 (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B), and Neolithic 3
(Pottery Neolithic).

Neolithic art is created by societies who ended the semi-nomadic lifestyle of

hunting and gathering food in favor of farming and animal husbandry.

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

Hence, ancient pottery including terracotta sculpture was the major art form of
the Neolithic, although human creativity of the age expressed itself in a good
many different types of art, including prehistoric engravings and hand stencils,
as well as a variety of mobiliary art (sculpted statuettes, personal adornments).
In addition, the construction of religious temples, shrines and tombs to serve
the new sedentary culture led to the development of megalithic art and a form
of monumental stone architecture using megaliths (petroforms).

Ram In The Thicket (c.2650-2550 BCE)

University of Pennsylvania Museum
of Archeology and Anthropology;
and British Museum, London.
Found in the Great Death Pit in Ur,
it is roughly 18 inches (45cm) tall,
and is made of gold, silver, copper,
lapis lazuli, red limestone, shells
and bitumen. The statuette is one of
the greatest sculptures from the
ancient culture of Mesopotamia.

9
The Neolithic 1
phase likely began
with a temple in
southeastern Turkey
at Gobekli Tepe
circa 10,000 BCE.
The structure is as
the oldest known
human-made place
of worship. It
features seven stone
circles covering 25
acres that contain
limestone pillars
carved with
animals, insects,
and birds, believed
to serve as roof
supports. The
complexity of the
temple and the
effort involved in its construction imply it was built by long-term settlers. The major
advances of the Neolithic 1 phase revolve around developments in farming practices,
such as harvesting, seed selection, and the domestication of plants and animals.

STONE AGE ARTS: Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic

At the oldest layer of Gobekli Tepe, T-shaped mud brick
pillars are decorated with abstract , enigmatic
pictograms and carved animal reliefs. The pictograms
may represent commonly understood sacred symbols
known from Neolithic cave paintings elsewhere. The
reliefs depict mammals such as lions, bulls, boars,
foxes, gazelles, and donkeys; snakes and other
reptiles; arthropods, such as insects and arachnids;
and birds, particularly vultures. The deceased were
likely exposed for consumption by vultures and other
carrion birds.

Sources:
Lumen Boundless Art History https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-arthistory
Stone Age Facts for Kids https://kidzfeed.com/stone-age-facts-for-kids/
Neolithic Art http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/prehistoric/neolithic-art.htm
Ancient to Medieval Art https://klimtlover.wordpress.com/art-before-history/paleolithic-art/
Stone Age by Christian Violatti, 18 July 2014 https://www.ancient.eu/Stone_Age/

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