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Description: This period covers the earliest history of human art. It is defined by nomadic hunter-gatherers who created portable sculptures and deep cave paintings focused on animal subjects and fertility. Start date:
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ID: Paleolithic Movement; Unknown Artist; Venus of Willendorf; c. 28,000 BCE; Oolitic limestone; 4.4 inches; Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna. Significance: This tiny statue was made to be carried around by people who were always on the move. It doesn't have a face because it’s meant to be a symbol for fertility and survival, not a specific person. Basically, it shows that staying alive and having children were the biggest priorities for people back then. -
ID: Paleolithic Movement; Unknown Artist; Hall of the Bulls; c. 15,000 BCE; Pigment on limestone; various dimensions; Lascaux Cave, France. Significance: These artists/individuals were really good at drawing animals. They used a technique where they drew the body from the side but the horns from the front so you could see both. These drawings were hidden deep within caves. It's most likely they were used for rituals to help them with hunting. -
Description: Known as the "New Stone Age," this period marks the shift to settled farming and permanent architecture. Art became more geometric and began to focus on community, ancestors, and monumental stone structures.
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ID: Neolithic; Unknown Artist; Plastered Human Skull; c. 7,000 BCE; Human skull, plaster, and shell; Life-size; The British Museum, London (Ref: 1954,0215.1). Significance: This skull was found in the ancient city of Jericho. It shows how people in the Neolithic period were starting to settle down in one place. The people really cared about honoring their ancestors. The use of plaster and sea-shells was used to make the skull look like a real person -
ID: Neolithic; Unknown; Seated Woman of Çatalhöyük; c. 6000 BCE; Baked clay; 7.9 inches high; Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara, Turkey.
Significance: This statue is thought provoking because the woman is sitting on a throne. It shows that once people settled in villages, they started caring about things like power and leadership. She is symbol of power, and prosperity. She projects the look as someone in charge of the community.