Week 8 – Prehistoric art and early civilization Art

ART IN EARLY CIVILIZATION

Objectives:
✓ The students should learn the three periods of stone age.
✓ The students would be able to distinguish some fascinating facts from the mysteries of the
past.
✓ The students would be able to appreciate arts that were created by people from early
civilization.

WHAT IS STONE AGE?

STONE AGE
- The first of the three-age system of archeology that divides human technological prehistory
into three periods: Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age.
- Stone age is a term used to describe a period of history when stones were used to make
tools for survival.
- The term "conjures” an image of men and women dressed in skins, huddling before a fire
in a cave" (Fitchner-Rathus, 2013).
- Through pre-history, human would not necessarily possess the complex rational
capabilities to tell their story through written and accounts, some artifacts in the form of
cave paintings and sculptures would serve as the “storytellers”
- The art of the Stone Age represents the first accomplishment in human creativity before
the invention of writing.

This Age has been divided into three distinct periods:

1.Paleolithic Period or Old Stone Age (30,000-10,000 BCE)

- The most important discovery during this age was fire. By rubbing two dry pieces
of sticks, people were able to produce heat to warm their bodies and cook their foods.

2. Mesolithic Period Age or Middle Stone Age (10,000-8,000 BCE)

- This is a period characterized by the production of stone points and blades using
prepared core reduction techniques.
 3. Neolithic Period or New Stone Age (8,000-3,000 BCE)

- In this period, progress of men was more rapid than that of the Paleolithic Age. They
began to develop pottery, weaving, and other industries. They also improved their
rough stone tools by polshing them. Thus, this period came to be known as the
“Polished Stone Age”.

THE PRE-HISTORIC ART

PREHISTORIC ART
- Pertains to all art forms produced before the existence of any writing and record-keeping
system.
- Stone age witnessed how humans were able to lead more stable lives and eventually come
up with permanent shelters and tools for survival.
- Early humans also turned the creation of painting and sculptures that depict human, animals
and their natural habitats.
PALEOLITHIC ART (OLD STONE AGE)
WHY PALEOLITHIC ART IS A PRODUCT OF CLIMATE CHANGE?
- As climate change get colder, part of early human instinct is to look for shelters that would
provide them warmth.
- Caves become protective haven for the early humans and these caves paved the way for
the birth of their first attempts to create art.

(TRIVIA OF THE DAY!)

DID YOU KNOW?

One cave painting can be traced back to Lascaux, France and its discovery came as a
surprise. Two boys chased after their dog into a hole where their ball got stuck in. When
they followed the dog, they were astonished to discover a cave with beautiful paintings.
The cave paintings would eventually be called the "Hall of Bulls."
 HALL OF BULLS FOUND IN A CAVE IN LASCAUX, FRANCE (15,000 BCE)

MESOLITHIC ART (MIDDLE STONE AGE)

- Refers to all arts and crafts created between the end of the Paleolithic Ice Age (10,000
BCE) and the beginning of farming, with its cultivation and animal husbandry.
- Humans during this age developed engravings and ceramics to reflect their daily lives.
- The Mesolithic is the first era of the Holocene epoch, which succeeded the Pleistocene,
and it ushered in a new approach to Stone Age art.
- One of the works that reflected such beliefs would be a sculpture called the
“VENUS OF WILLENDORF” (in Vienna, Austria 25,000-28,000 B.C.E and was
discovered on 1908) associated with fertility.

It shows a woman that has oversized breast, enlarged hips, and round abdomen. The
representation may show the importance of taking care of these body parts for procreation and
consequently the survival of species.
NEOLITHIC ART (NEW STONE AGE)
- Art that has developed especially when life for the early humans has become more stable.
- From this period, they have learned how to cultivate the land and domesticate animals.
- By 4000 BCE, there were several monumental and architectural structures erected.
- One of them is the Stonehenge (meaning, STONE HANGING or GALLOWS). Some
see it as a complex calendar, while other see it as a temple. The purpose of this fascinating
edifice remains a mystery up to this day and age.
- Others ascribe some magical element to it by associating it with Merlin the Magician from
King Arthur's Story.

STONEHENGE in Southern England 2500-1600 B.C.E

(TRIVIA OF THE DAY!)

DID YOU KNOW?

(This is an image where people believed that

STONEHENGE was POSSIBLY arranged into a perfect
circle.)
 (Images of the Stonehenge, before and after restoration.)

- According to folklore, Stonehenge was created by Merlin, the wizard of Arthurian legend,
who magically transported the massive stones from Ireland, where giants had assembled
them. Another legend says invading Danes put the stones up, and another theory says they
were the ruins of a Roman temple. Modern-day interpretations are no less colorful: some
argue that Stonehenge is a spacecraft landing area for aliens, and even more say it's a giant
fertility symbol in the shape of female genitalia.
- "Stonehenge isn't a monument in isolation”. "It is actually one of a pair—one in stone, one
in timber. The theory is that Stonehenge is a kind of spirit home to the ancestors."

QUESTION?

- Were the aliens the creatures that made the Stonehenge?

- Were people just bored that time, that’s why they made the Stonehenge?
- Was it made for burial or religious activities?
- Is it because….. STONEHENGE IS ACTUALLY THE FEET?!
 EGYPTIAN ART
- Due to the indispensability and utility, Egyptians came to the notion that art was something
that can be ascribed and associated with religion.
- The Egyptian civilization can be divided into three periods:

1. Old Kingdom or Age of Pyramids

2. Middle Kingdom or Political Hierarchy
3. New Kingdom or The Golden Age

- Looking at the three periods, it can be noticed that for the Egyptians, art should be
something religious and spiritual. There may have been differences in the techniques used
and style emphasized, but there are common denominators among the artworks created
during their respective time periods.
OLD KINGDOM (AGE OF PYRAMIDS)
- It was evident that religion was bound to the afterlife.
- A concrete manifestation of this would have to be the erection of tombs. But the tombs
were not just for keeping the dead bodies of important people, particularly the pharaohs.
- They also served as a shelter for the next journey, which is the afterlife.
 - They decorated the tombs with everyday objects that would reflect day-to-day activities as
if the afterlife is a mere continuation of what transpired on earth.

The human figures seen in the tombs were represented in such a way that the profile of the head
was evident, while the pelvis, legs, and upper torso were prominent and the eyes are in frontal
view. Inside the tombs, the walls were also decorated and carved in very low relief and incised
detail.
NARMER PALLETE
- One of the cosmetic palettes found in Egypt was called the Narmer Palette.
- It was a palette that utilized and applied dark colors around King Narmer's eyes. The
palette was also a symbol that commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.
- The unification was significant because it marked the beginning of their civilization.

THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA

- One of the architectural wonders that was constructed during the Old Kingdom
 - The pyramids in Giza served as tombs since their main purpose was to provide a resting
place for the pharaohs.

The Pyramids of Giza: This view shows all three pyramid structures: the Great Pyramid, the Pyramid of
Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure
MIDDLE KINGDOM (POLITICAL HIERARCHY)
- One of the key features of the Middle Kingdom is a shift in the political hierarchy.
- Emergence of powerful group of landlords that threatened the authority and rule of the
Pharoah. Because of the struggle between these two influential sides, art has taken back
seat during this period.
- Art got back during the rule of King Mentuhotep.
- Experimentation in terms of style that transpired during this period.
- Portrait sculpture and fresco paintings were freely drawn some of the style that emerged
during this period.
- During this period, Egypt fell into the hands of Hyksos. This Asiatic Tribe introduced
Bronze Age weapons and horses to the Egyptians.
- When these foreign invaders were overthrown, the Egyptians formed the New Kingdom.
 Mentuhotep II receiving offerings; Mentuhotep II, seated, holds the crook as a symbol of
power.

NEW KINGDOM (THE GOLDEN AGE)

- Art of the New Kingdom had references from both of the preceding kingdoms.
- Monuments and sculptures were still linked with death and reverence for the deceased.
- During previous kingdoms, tombs were just used for worshipping the dead, but in the
New Kingdom, they started having mortuary temples.
- Mortuary temples (or funerary temples) were temples that were erected adjacent to, or
in the vicinity of, royal tombs in Ancient Egypt. The temples were designed to
commemorate the reign of the Pharaoh under whom they were constructed, as well as for
use by the king's cult after death.
AFTER THE NEW KINGDOM
- Egypt witnessed the Amarna Revolution led by King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti.
- During his reign, King Amentohep wanted to revolutionalize the arts and religion.
- King Amentohep change his name to Akhenaten, which came from Aten who is the sun
God.
- During this period, the only God to be revered was Aten. Egypt became monotheistic and
he ordered to tear down all monuments of other Gods.
- Most sculptures during this period had curving lines and full bodied forms.
“QUEEN NEFERTITI”
- The bust of Queen Nefertiti has a long and sensuous neck. The figure was enhanced by
applying paint to the limestone.
- There is emphasis to life-like features of the face like an elongated jaw and thick-lidded
eyes.
- Most artists created artworks tha are natural and seemingly real, highlighting the features
of their subject.
- The bust of Queen Nefertiti has a long and sensuous neck.
“KING TUTANKHAMEN”
- Probably, one of the greatest discoveries from the
Egyptians civilization was the tomb of
Tutankhamen.
- He became king at a very young age and died at the
age of 18.
- Howard Carter discovered his tomb in 1922.
- The coffin was made out of solid gold.
- His body was covered in linen and a gold mask
covered his face.

Virtual Autopsy of his body Discovery of his tomb

SUMMARY

MAN BEFORE THE DAWN OF HISTORY

The first art that we can recognize appears in association with the remains of fully modern people.
Since there are no written records about our pre-historic ancestors, we know very little about them
and how they lived. Thanks to the arts which made us depict the way of living and the cultures of
the people before the modern days. With these, we are able to improve our quality of life and we
are able to change how we view the world as an ordinary place to live, into a magnificent one.
Art history provides a means by which we can understand our human past and its relationship to
our present, because the act of making an art is one of humanity’s most ubiqitous activities
(University of Bristol).
REFERENCES:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/stonehenge-
1?fbclid=IwAR34VLYvvvtiOQOTUNWUoT1vCNkyBKRZsYryerQ5F9W7YR2EBuXenTbdK
9I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbHRjiHEUmA&t=2003s
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Menes
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/ancient-mediterranean-ap/ancient-
egypt-ap/a/palette-of-king-narmer?fbclid=IwAR2vbmHQ3y7OMoRoayTi78yTeaI200l8eNv-
HFmx1KlM_ZPTwHr_1F5ej98
https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-inside-the-great-
pyramid?fbclid=IwAR0FR38YtDNdUkng4MsRcYKIPMroWBnPBvXUummbOwwzvoPNfgfIL
zEoFow