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Paleolithic artwork is characterized by small-scale carvings and large-scale cave paintings done by nomadic hunter-gatherers that use natural materials. The key elements included are natural animals, abstract geometric signs, and even stylized female "Venus" figures that represent fertility. They're often created by ochre, charcoal, and stone.
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This 40,000 year old sculpture represents a shamanistic-like figure, as if it's depicting someone who has the ability to transform and communicate with animal spirits. It's considered to be one of the earliest signs of religious belief in the world, representing a deity or a powerful ancient spirit. Its creation from mammoth ivory clearly demonstrates abstract thinking and advanced skills in art. -
These stone fragments represent the oldest known and portable art in Africa, signifying the earliest human capacities for symbolic thought and depicting animal figures that indicate abstract artistic expression. They also represent an early development of human creativity, clearly depicting a "twisted perspective". Found in Africa's Huns Mountains, these stones show that early African populations have created sophisticated art over ten thousands of years ago. -
Found in France's Lascaux caves, this chamber of artwork represents Paleolithic rituals, hunting magic, and a much deeper connection to the natural world around us. These cave paintings depict a closer and more detailed observation of nature, which is most likely designed to honor animal spirits and ensure successful hunts. The hall includes four massive black bulls, each one spanning about 17 feet, making it the largest cave art figure ever. -
Neolithic artwork is defined by the shift towards settled and agricultural life that features functional, stylized art, large-scale architecture, and refined pottery. This revolution in art is what enabled sedentary communities as it allowed for the creation of more heavier and complex art forms that would've been impossible for nomadic groups to create or manage.
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Catalhoyuk represents an early transition from nomadic life into a densely populated and agricultural society. It's characterized as a streetless urban layout, where houses are connected at roof level. The site in Turkey, where it was discovered, is famous for its intensive and symbolic artwork, including figures representing a "mother goddess" or fertility cult. -
This 9,000 year old skull represents a Neolithic practice of ancestor veneration, where human skulls were covered in plaster and decorated with shell eyes to create lifelike portraits of the dead. It serves as a tangible link to forebears, potentially honoring specific community members. It also highlights the transition into a more settled and agrarian life, which came with ritualistic belief systems that bridged the gap between the living and the dead. -
Stonehenge represents a prehistoric, sacred, and ceremonial landscape, possibly serving as a domain of the dead, an ancestral burial site, and a solar calendar aligned with the solstices. It might have also served as a centralized gathering place that unified different tribes. Stonehenge has also been interpreted as a temple for ancient deities, a site for druid rituals, and a symbol of prehistoric engineering prowess over the next centuries.