ART IN CONTEXT: The Prehistoric and Ancient World to 1200 BCE

ART 121 Lecture 10

Introduction to the

Art History Unit

The History of Art

This unit of the course will focus on how CONTEXT, that is the

original environment, affects the form and content of a given work

of art and vice versa.

Factors an art historian takes into account when trying to “read” a

work include:

Form AND Function of the artwork

Available media and technology

Religious beliefs

Economic situation

Political factors

Unit 3 of ART 121 will present works in chronological order

and trace the major artistic developments to today.

History of Art Quizzes/Exams

You will be expected to know the following information for the Slide ID quizzes/exams

Title

Artist

Culture

Dates on selected works

Media (Painting, relief sculpture, etc.)

Any info discussed in class and on the review sheets

THIS IS A LOT OF INFORMATION. If you haven’t yet developed decent study habits for this course its not too late to start!

Part 1: Art Before History

Paleolithic Era: 35,000 BCE- ca. 8,000 BCE in the Middle East

Neolithic Era: 8,000 ca. – 3500 BCE in the Middle East

Timeline:

Prehistory

•120,000 BCE: Fully modern humans

emerge in Africa

•100,000 BCE: Humans begin to

migrate; oldest evidence of art found

•40,000 BCE: Earliest sculpture

•30,000 BCE: Cave paintings in Europe

•20,000 BCE: Invention of pottery, China

•10,000 BCE: Oldest known religious

structure in Turkey

•8000 BCE: Agriculture invented in the

Middle East

•4,000 BCE: Megaliths in England and France

Humanity needs to be creative…

Stone bowl used to grind ochre into pigment for painting.

Discovered in the Blombos Caves in the Horn of Africa.

Ca. 100,000 to 70,000 BCE.

Timeline:

Prehistory

•120,000 BCE: Fully modern humans

emerge in Africa

•100,000 BCE: Humans begin to

migrate; oldest evidence of art found

•40,000 BCE: Earliest sculpture

•30,000 BCE: Cave paintings in Europe

•20,000 BCE: Invention of pottery, China

•10,000 BCE: Oldest known religious

structure in Turkey

•8000 BCE: Agriculture invented in the

Middle East

•4,000 BCE: Megaliths in England and France

Humanity needs to be creative…

One of over 8000 pieces of yellow ochre recovered from

the Blombos Caves in the Horn of Africa. Ca. 100,000 to

70,000 BCE.

Currently the oldest known drawing in the world!

Timeline:

Prehistory

•120,000 BCE: Fully modern humans emerge

in Africa

•100,000 BCE: Humans begin to migrate;

oldest evidence of art found

•40,000 BCE: Earliest sculpture

•30,000 BCE: Cave paintings in Europe

•20,000 BCE: Invention of pottery, China

•10,000 BCE: Oldest known religious

structure in Turkey

•8000 BCE: Agriculture invented in the

Middle East

•4,000 BCE: Megaliths in England and France

The earliest surviving sculpture found

in modern day Germany. The subject

matter? A female nude….

“Venus” of Hohle Fels, Mammoth ivory, ca. 40,000 –

35,000 BCE. Approx. 2 inches tall. Discovered in 2011.

Currently the oldest (undisputed) Paleolithic sculpture.

Woman of Willendorf, Limestone

with red ochre, ca. 23,000 BCE.

Approx. 4 inches tall.

Timeline:

Prehistory

•120,000 BCE: Fully modern humans emerge

in Africa

•100,000 BCE: Humans begin to migrate;

oldest evidence of art found

•40,000 BCE: Earliest sculpture

•30,000 BCE: Cave paintings in Europe

•20,000 BCE: Invention of pottery, China

•10,000 BCE: Oldest known religious

structure in Turkey

•8000 BCE: Agriculture invented in the

Middle East

•4,000 BCE: Megaliths in England and France

Earliest surviving drawings/paintings found

in 50+ underground caves in modern

France and Spain.

Oldest cave art:

Chauvet Cave, France,

ca. 30,000 BCE.

The Hall of the Bulls, Lascaux Caves, France. Ca. 15,000 – 13,000 BCE.

Timeline:

Prehistory

•120,000 BCE: Fully modern humans emerge in

Africa

•100,000 BCE: Humans begin to migrate; oldest

evidence of art found

•40,000 BCE: Earliest sculpture

•30,000 BCE: Cave paintings in Europe

•20,000 BCE: Invention of pottery, China

•10,000 BCE: Oldest known religious structure in

Turkey

•8000 BCE: Agriculture invented in the Middle

East

•4,000 BCE: Megaliths in England and France

Ceramics were invented in ancient

China…as rice growing practices were

perfected, so was rice storage!

Remains of the earliest Paleolithic pottery.

Basin, Majiayoa culture, China,

ca. 3000-2700 BCE.

Timeline:

Prehistory

•120,000 BCE: Fully modern humans emerge

in Africa

•100,000 BCE: Humans begin to migrate;

oldest evidence of art found

•40,000 BCE: Earliest sculpture

•30,000 BCE: Cave paintings in Europe

•20,000 BCE: Invention of pottery, China

•10,000 BCE: Oldest known religious

structure in Turkey

•8000 BCE: Agriculture invented in the

Middle East

•4,000 BCE: Megaliths in England and France

The earliest evidence of “architecture”

comes from Göbekli Tepe in modern

Turkey, ca. 10,000 BCE.

Timeline:

Prehistory

•120,000 BCE: Fully modern humans emerge

in Africa

•100,000 BCE: Humans begin to migrate;

oldest evidence of art found

•40,000 BCE: Earliest sculpture

•30,000 BCE: Cave paintings in Europe

•20,000 BCE: Invention of pottery, China

•10,000 BCE: Oldest known religious

structure in Turkey

•8000 BCE: Agriculture invented in the

Middle East

•4,000 BCE: Megaliths in England and

France

The last vestiges of the Neolithic in

Europe: England’s Stonehenge.

View of the Sarsen Stones at Stonehenge, the last

building phase of the site.

Stonehenge Vocab: Megalith: Large stones. Structures

built w/o mortar.

Post and lintel construction. Posts: vertical members

Lintels: horizontal beams

Held together with notches

Sarsens: type of local granite; used for large horseshoe shape and posts and lintels.

Bluestones: uprights only; imported from Wales.

Recent discovery: This is only half of the site. To learn more…

Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, England,

ca. 2750-2000 BCE.

Video: Secrets of Stonehenge

Please be sure to complete the worksheet that accompanies this video.

Part 2: Ancient Civilizations Across

the Globe to the 1200 BCE

Mesopotamia: Sumer

Africa: Egypt

India: Harappa

China: Shang Dynasty

Aegean: Minoan

Timeline:

Ancient Worlds

4,000: Irrigation invented in

Middle East

3,500: Writing Invented!!!

Also first cities.

3,000: Egypt united

2750: Stonehenge

2,500: Pyramid Age of Egypt;

Golden Age of Harappa in India

2,000: Shang Dynasty in China

1500: Height of Minoan

Civilization.

1200: Dark Age descends on

Middle East and Europe

MESOPOTAMIA: Civilization as we

recognize it appears in the cites of

Sumer around 3,500 BCE.

Statuettes from Abu Temple,

Sumerian (modern Iraq), stone/bitumen/shell, ca. 2900-2600 BCE.

Timeline:

Ancient Worlds

4,000: Irrigation invented in Middle

East

3,500: Writing Invented!!! Also first

cities.

3,000: Egypt united

2750: Stonehenge

2,500: Pyramid Age of Egypt;

Golden Age of Harappa in India

2,000: Shang Dynasty in China

1500: Height of Minoan Civilization.

1200: Dark Age descends on Middle

East and Europe

AFRICA: Egypt unified ca. 3,000 BCE

and it culture remains almost

unchanged until Roman rule in 31 BCE.

The Palette of Narmer, Predynastic Egypt, Slate, 25 inches, ca. 3100 BCE.

Great Pyramids, Giza, Old Kingdom Egypt, Limestone.

Khufu

2551-2528 BCE

Khafre

2520-2494 BCE

Menkaure

2490-2472 BCE

The Pyramid of Khufu:

Wonder of the Ancient World

Measures 775 ft per side

450 feet high

Limestone blocks weigh 2.5 tons each

2.3 million of them

Timeline:

Ancient Worlds

4,000: Irrigation invented in Middle

East

3,500: Writing Invented!!! Also first

cities.

3,000: Egypt united

2750: Stonehenge

2,500: Pyramid Age of Egypt;

Golden Age of Harappa in India

2,000: Shang Dynasty in China

1500: Height of Minoan Civilization.

1200: Dark Age descends on Middle

East and Europe

INDIA: Harappan civilization born on

the Indus River. Known for amazing

brick cities and small scale works.

Torso of a priest king, from Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan, ca. 2600–1900 BCE.

Timeline:

Ancient Worlds

4,000: Irrigation invented in Middle

East

3,500: Writing Invented!!! Also first

cities.

3,000: Egypt united

2750: Stonehenge

2,500: Pyramid Age of Egypt; Golden

Age of Harappa in India

1600: Shang Dynasty in China

1500: Height of Minoan Civilization.

1200: Dark Age descends on Middle

East and Europe

CHINA: Shang, the first Chinese

Empire on the Yellow River. Power of

kings seen in objects of jade, lacquer,

and bronze.

Shang Dynasty Ding with Taotie carvings,

10th or 11th Century BCE. Bronze.

Bronze Ritual Vessels:

Bronze: alloy of copper and tin. Very strong. Piece mold cast.

Vessels used in ceremonies of ancestor worship.

Vessels used by the the rich. Many of the patterns and symbols represent royal strength.

The Taotie Mask: ogre or glutton face? A god or monster? Perhaps protected

people or the food within the vessel from evil spirits.

Timeline:

Ancient Worlds

4,000: Irrigation invented in Middle

East

3,500: Writing Invented!!! Also first

cities.

3,000: Egypt united

2750: Stonehenge

2,500: Pyramid Age of Egypt; Golden

Age of Harappa in India

1600: Shang Dynasty in China

1500: Height of Minoan Civilization.

1200: Dark Age descends on Middle

East and Europe

AEGEAN: Home to Cycladic, Minoan,

and Mycenaean civilizations. Seeds of

Greek civilization found here. Minoan

art celebrates life, bulls, and the sea.

Bull-leaping, from the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece, ca. 1450–1400 BCE. Fresco, 2’ 8” high,

including border. Archaeological Museum, Herakleion.

1200: The Dark Age Begins For over a century

archaeologists have noted that in sites all over Asia, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean show evidence of decline.

What happened? Invaders? Disease? Volcanoes?

In 2013 a new hypothesis was put forward: Climate Change.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/08/14/the-bronze-age-collapse-was-caused-by-climate-change-study/

Did Troy fall because of the Trojan

horse? Or did the city simply run out of

food and water?

Tying it Together:

A Review of the Ancient Civilizations

Questions to discuss in small groups: 1. What types of media did we focus on today? What types of media

were not studied…why?

2. Which society had the most abstract art? Which had the most mimetic art?

3. Which image do you think was the most overtly political? How were those politics the same as today? How were they different?

4. Which work was the most religious? When you first saw it, did you think it was a religious piece? What details about the religion did you learn from looking at the art and thinking about its function?

5. Based on what you learned about these cultures through their artwork, who would you go back in time to visit, and why?