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Chapter Six

Chapter Six. Art of Earliest Times. Much of our knowledge about the lives of early human beings comes from their art. Figure 6.2 Bison. Cave Painting. Altamira Caves (Santillana, Spain). c. 15,000 B.C.

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Chapter Six

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  1. Chapter Six Art of Earliest Times

  2. Much of our knowledge about the lives of early human beings comes from their art Figure 6.2 Bison. Cave Painting. Altamira Caves (Santillana, Spain). c. 15,000 B.C.

  3. Before people could write they were painting and scratching pictures on the walls of shelters Figure 6.3 Chinese Horse. Cave Painting. Lascaux Caves (Dordogne, France). c. 15,000 B.C.

  4. Consider the following: Certainly it would be reasonable to expect that the artworks produced by prehistoric people are primitive and crude, but are they?

  5. Determining the Age • The earliest known works of art were made during an age that began 30,000 years ago • The age of artwork can be determined by: • Dating the surrounding rock • Radio carbon dating of organisms

  6. Radio Carbon Dating • All living organisms maintain a set amount of radioactive carbon 14

  7. Radio Carbon Dating • After the organism’s death the carbon 14 loses its radioactivity by a set amount • By measuring the amount left in charcoal or carbonized bone it is possible to determine the age

  8. Paleolithic Period • Called the Old Stone Age • Period that lasted from 30,000 B.C. to 10,000 B.C • Earliest known works • Vivid, lifelike pictures of animals

  9. Lascaux • Caves in Southern France • Well preserved and skillfully created • Caused great controversy among scholars upon discovery

  10. Media • Pigment created from: • Lumps of clay • Soft stone ground into a fine powder • Animal blood • Animal fat • Vivid in color

  11. Tools • Pigment applied to walls using: • Fingers • Reeds • Bristle brushes

  12. Ritual • Ritual would bolster confidence and courage among the hunters

  13. Survival and Discovery • Utensils, bones, and charcoal found at cave entrances suggests occupants took advantage of the daylight and ventilation • Ritual was performed in the more interior part of the cave (further from the entrance) as protection from the elements

  14. Survival and Discovery • Prehistoric paintings at the caves of Lascaux and Altamira were accidental • Lascaux, France: 1941 • Altamira, Spain: 1879

  15. Skills of the Prehistoric Artists • Paintings were done in groups • Overlapping images to conserve space • Paintings averaged between 5 feet and 6.5 feet in length (large scale)

  16. Skills of the Prehistoric Artists • Despite crude tools, prehistoric artists demonstrated a knowledge and affection for the animals they hunted

  17. Prehistoric Builders • Move from cave dwelling to building shelters • Small communities • Introduction of farming/ herding civillizations

  18. Standing Stone • Megalith structure: • Large monuments created from stone slabs • Found throughout Europe, India, and Asia • Remnants of primitive architecture

  19. Stonehenge • 2000 B.C. (present day England) • One large ring of stones with three progressively smaller rings within • Outer ring: • 30 original stones (nearly half still standing) • Nearly 100 feet in diameter • Tallest stone is 17 feet high

  20. Stonehenge • Post and Lintel Construction: • Massive posts support crossbeams or lintels Lintel

  21. The Fertile Crescent • An area of rich soil and access to water: • Tigris and Euphrates Rivers • Mediterranean Sea • Persian Gulf • Mesopotamia

  22. Major Civilizations of Mesopotamia • Sumerian • Babylonian • Assyrian • Persian

  23. Sumerian Civilization • 4500 B.C. people settled in Mesopotamia • The region they settled was called Sumer • Ziggurats: • A shrine; stepped mountain made of brick covered earth • Stood at the center of the city-state

  24. Sumerian Innovations • Developed a form of writing called cuneiform • Cuneiform: • Writing with wedge-shaped characters

  25. Babylonian Civilization • King Hammurabi: • Published a code of laws to unify the legal practice of his empire • Laws published on a public stele (inscribed stone pillar)

  26. Assyrian Civilization • Crafted impressive visual records in the form of stone relief sculptures • Decorated the walls of the royal palaces • Commemorated the power of the king

  27. Persian Empire • Persian architecture found its highest accomplishment in palaces • For example Persepolis

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