Prehistoric Arts

• There has been a long debate in the ability of the Neanderthals to create and appreciate the

  arts.
• Neanderthal Arts


  The discovered artworks such as El Castillo Cave Paintings and Gorham’s Cave engraving prove their cognitive abilities to abstract thought and expression.
• El Castillo Cave

  • Believed to be about 40,800 years old, the red dots and hand stencils in El Castillo Cave in northern Spain's Cantabrian Sea coast were said to be created by Neanderthals, our closest extinct human relative.
  • The images are considered to be the oldest dated cave paintings.
• Gorham Cave

  • Found in the UNESCO Heritage Site of Gorham Cave Complex are the engravings believed created by Neanderthals.
  • The engraving features an incomplete crisscross pattern of eight deep lines in less than one square foot area.
  • It is dated back to 37,000 BCE, and it is one of the oldest artworks in the world.
• While there are still disagreements about the Neanderthal arts, there is no question about the integrity of the works of humans. The Homo Sapiens Sapiens have lots of prehistoric arts that are worth everybody’s attention.
• Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel

  • Known to be the world’s oldest anthropomorphic animal sculpture,
  • Lion Man is dated back to 38,000 BCE.
  • Found in 1939 by archaeologist Robert Wetzel in a cave in Hohlenstein Mountain in Germany
  • the ivory carving is 29 centimeters tall.
  • This part lion, part human artwork looks the same with the ancient painted images in France and Spain and is believed to represent a shaman wearing a mask.
• Venus Figurines

  • All over the world, more than 200 Venus Figurines were discovered, mostly in Europe.
  • These sculptures are made from various materials such as clay, ivory, limestones, and bones.
  • They usually feature images of women with curvy bodies, big breasts, butts, thighs, hips, and stomach.
  • They are believed to be symbols of fertility.
• Venus of Hohle Fels

  • The oldest of the discovered [venus] statues
  • in Germany
  • It is believed to be 35,000 years old.
• Other Notable Venus Figurines

  • Venus of Dolni-Vestonice
  • Venus of Willendorf
  • Venus of Les Pugue.
• Cave Arts


  Cave arts are very common in the prehistoric period. It can be classified into three.
• Types of Cave Art

  • Drawings (Charcoal)
  • Paintings (Pigments)
  • Engravings (3-d Images)
• Drawings


  are those images outlined by charcoal or any pigment
• Paintings


  are those colored with different pigments
• Engravings


  three-dimensional images
• Fumane Cave Paintings

  • The oldest of the cave paintings; dated back to 35,000 BCE.
  • Found in Verona Italy
  • the images painted in red ochre include a weasel, a masked shaman, a five-legged creature, and abstract symbols.
• Lascaux Caves

  • One of the most celebrated artworks
  • in France
  • Believed to be 17,000 years old
  • the cave was called the “Prehistoric Sistine Chapel” because of its magnificent drawings, paintings, and engravings.
  • Its Great Hall of the Bulls featured deer, horses, and bulls in which one of those is 17 inches in length and considered as the biggest animal cave painting.
• Altamira Cave Paintings

  • in Spain
  • are known for their high quality
  • The geometric symbols, anthropomorphic images, and animals are painted with many different colors of varying shades.
  • They are very detailed and depicted in life-size proportions. Some of the figures are three-dimensional.
• Megalithic Arts


  All throughout Europe, many megalithic arts can be found. They were known to be the early attempts of men to construct complex structures.
• Megalithic arts prove the following

  1. Early humans already have resources, systems and religious beliefs;
  2. they are already aware of their natural world as the solar and lunar alignments of the structures suggest;
  3. more than just burial sites, the chambers for meetings and ceremonies on the monuments mean that they have more functions.
• Popular Megaliths

  • Gavrinis in France
  • Zuschen Tomb in Germany
  • Newgrange
  • Stonehenge in England
  • Knowth Megalithic Tomb in Ireland
• Gavrinis

  • in France
  • is one of the oldest dating back to 3500 BCE.
  • This burial chamber with 46-feet long corridor features walls with designs and symbols.
• Zuschen Tomb

  • in Germany
  • is believed to be created in 3300 BCE.
  • It has decorations of punched dots that symbolize carts, plows, and cattle.
• Considered as an ancient temple, the kidney-shaped Newgrange monument is known for the illumination of winter solstice sun to its passages and chamber which signals the beginning of a new year.
• A UNESCO World Heritage Site from Ireland like the Newgrange is the Knowth megalithic tomb. This large mound is made up of 100 kerbstones and believed to have symbols and designs that are symbolic, religious, and ceremonial.
• The most famous of all megaliths is Stonehenge in England. It was believed to be a center of rituals. It incorporated celestial alignment, linking solstice and equinox points. Created in 3100-1100 BCE, it was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1986.
• Engravings in The Gorham Cave


  __________ __ ___ _____ ____

  
• Paintings in El Castillo Cave


  __________ __ __ ________ ____

  
• Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel


  ____ ___ __ ___________ ______

  
• Venus of Hohle Fels


  _____ __ _____ ____

  
• Lascaux Caves


  _______ _____

  
• Altamira Cave Paintings


  ________ ____ __________

  
• Newgrange Monument


  _________ Monument

  
• Stonehenge


  __________