Paleolithic & Neolithic Art

Altamira Cave Bison, c. 36,000–13,000 BCE, Polychrome Pigment on Limestone, Life-size, Altamira Cave, Spain

40,000 BCE

The Lion Man is a hybrid of human and animal anatomy, which represents a high level of symbolic thinking and imaginative ability of the Upper Paleolithic. It shows how cultures are culturally oriented on spiritual or ritualistic beliefs and how art is used to portray the mythology or supernatural Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira. Art of Altamira Cave. Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira, https://www.cultura.gob.es/mnaltamira/en/cueva-altamira/arte.html

Paleolithic (the old stone age)

Period: 40,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE

characteristic of Paleolithic (the old stone age)

Altamira Cave Bison, c. 36,000–13,000 BCE, Polychrome Pigment on Limestone, Life-size, Altamira Cave, Spain

36,000 BCE

The Altamira Cave Bison are full size, very naturalistic paintings, which show the Paleolithic technique of form, movement and shading. These artifacts represent the association of the culture with the animals, hunting exercises, and ancient symbolic or spiritual endeavors.
Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira. Art of Altamira Cave. Museo Nacional y Centro de Investigación de Altamira, https://www.cultura.gob.es/mnaltamira/en/cueva-altamira/arte.html

Vogelherd Horse, c. 35,000–34,000 BCE, Carved Mammoth Ivory, 2.5 in. long, Ulm Museum, Germany

35,000 BCE

Vogelherd Horse is a small portable sculpture with a great observation of the animal nature and high level of carving skills. It is a symbolic and ritual significance of animals to the Paleolithic society and naturalism in the early figurative art. Museum Schloss Hohentübingen (Tübingen). Collection Exhibits including Vogelherd Figurines. Museum Schloss Hohentübingen, https://www.prehistorictourist.com/museum-schloss-hohentuebingen

Neolithic (the new stone age)

Period: 10,000 BCE to 3000 BCE

Characteristic of the Neolithic (the new stone age)

Göbekli Tepe, c. 9,600–8,200 BCE, Carved Limestone Pillars, Life-size, Göbekli Tepe, Turkey

9600 BCE

Gobekli Tepe is a early cult place which contains T-shaped limestone pillars carved reliefs of animals and abstract symbols that shows high level of organization and symbolism. These stones expose the transition of the nomadic culture to the culturally ritualized group meetings and primitive religious rituals.
Şanlıurfa Museum. Göbekli Tepe Artifacts and Site Exhibits. Şanlıurfa Museum (Turkey), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%96anl%C4%B1urfa_Archaeology_and_Mosaic_Museum

Cult of the Skull, c. 7,000–6,000 BCE, Plastered Human Skulls, Life-size, Jericho, Levant

7000 BCE

The Cult of the Skull is a collection of human skulls that have been plastered in clay and painted or adorned with symbols in order to retain facial features, a symbol of the ancestor worship and ritual worship. These pieces emphasize Neolithic attitudes towards the spiritual value of the dead ritual art.
The British Museum. “Jericho Skull.” British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1954-0215-1

Stonehenge, c. 3,100–2,000 BCE, Megalithic Stone Circle, Life-size, Salisbury Plain, England

3100 BCE

Stonehenge is a monumental circle of stones built in stages to serve ritual purposes giving evidence to Neolithic architectural expertise. It echoes the ideas of ancestor worship, solar and lunar orientation and ritual customs of the community.
English Heritage. Stonehenge. English Heritage, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/