Art, Paleolithic

See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303256833 Art, Paleolithic Chapter · February 2014 READS 2 3 authors, including: A.J. Tripp Chaffey College 4 PUBLICATIONS 3 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Genevieve von Petzinger University of Victoria 3 PUBLICATIONS 6 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, Available from: A.J. Tripp letting you access and read them immediately. Retrieved on: 17 May 2016 Art, Paleolithic 529 A well-established relative sequence, given that this LAMING EMPERAIRE, A. 1962. La signification de l’art sequence is the guide to the sampling process to rupestre paleólithique. Paris: Picard. LEROI-GOURHAN, A. 1965. Prehistoire de lárt occidental. date specific relevant motifs within such Paris: Mazeńou. A sequence. This procedure reduces the number LYMAN, R. & M.O´BRIEN. 2004. A history of normative of samples to date (avoiding unnecessary theory in Americanist archaeology. Journal of Archae- destruction), increases the strategy efficiency ological Method and Theory 11(4): 369-96. WILLEY, G. & P. PHILLIPS. 1958. Method and theory in (covering the whole sequence and/or functional American archaeology. Chicago: University of variables), and saves time and economic and pro- Chicago Press. fessional resources. Thus, the importance given the development of regional rock art sequences, taking into account all the mentioned variables, makes it Art, Paleolithic possible to answer more complex research questions, thus putting the evidence provided by Amanda Cooke, Allison Tripp and the archaeology of art in a privileged place within Genevieve von Petzinger the regional studies of past societies. Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada Cross-References Introduction ▶ Andes: Prehistoric Art ▶ Archaeology of Art: Theoretical Frameworks Around 100,000 BP (before present), a new class ▶ Binford, Lewis R. (Theory) of artifacts began to appear at archaeological sites ▶ Laming-Emperaire, Annette in Africa and the Middle East. These items ▶ Leroi-Gourhan, Andre´ included pierced marine shells probably worn as ▶ South American Rock Art personal adornment (e.g., Qafzeh, Israel; Oued ▶ Style: Its Role in the Archaeology of Art Djebbana, Algeria) as well as pieces of bone and ▶ Willey, Gordon Randolph ochre that display deliberate nonfigurative markings (e.g., Klasies, South Africa; Pinnacle Point, South Africa; Blombos, South Africa). Additionally, the presence of red ochre and related References materials to prepare this pigment (e.g., Blombos, South Africa) is present in Africa and the Middle BINFORD, L.R. 1965. Archaeological systematics and the study of culture process. American Antiquity East. These artifacts are often cited as the earliest 31: 203-10. evidence for the “creative explosion” associated - 2001. Constructing frames of reference: an analytical with the Homo sapiens species, but until 40,000 method for archaeological theory building using eth- BP, these potential examples of symbolic behavior nographic and environmental data sets. Berkeley (CA): University of California Press. remain infrequent and confined to portable CHIPPINDALE, C. & G. NASH. 2004. Pictures in place: objects. Around 40,000–60,000 BP, the frequency approaches to the figured landscapes of rock art, in of symbolic artifacts increases. This is correlated C. Chippindale & G. Nash (ed.) The figured land- with the spread of modern humans across the Old scapes of rock art. Looking at picture in place: 1-36. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. World. Around this time, rock art and sculptural GNECCO, C. & C. LANGEBAEK. (ed.) 2006. Contra la tiranıá art emerged. Paleolithic art is generally divided tipolo´gica en arqueologıá: una visioń desde into three main categories: surame´rica. Bogota´: Universidad de los Andes, 1. Parietal art: Also known as rock art, this Facultad de Ciencias Sociales – CESO. category includes all paintings, engravings, GRADIN, C. 1978. Algunos aspectos del ana´lisis de las manifestaciones rupestres. Revista del Museo drawings, and stencils (Davidson 1997: 125) Provincial Tomo 1. Arqueologıá. Neuqueń: 120-33. found on immovable surfaces such as the A 530 Art, Paleolithic walls, floors, and ceilings of rockshelters and 3. Personal adornment: Most of these pieces are caves. There is also some evidence in Europe found in elaborated burials and appear to have of parietal art having been created in open-air been worn as jewelry. These artifacts are settings (e.g., the engravings at Fornols-Haut differentiated from the portable art by being in France and the Coa River Valley in Portu- items specifically produced to adorn the human gal). Due to taphonomic processes such as body in some manner. The most common wind and rain, these outdoor decorated loca- materials used to make these ornaments are tions have generally not survived. pierced teeth, marine shells, ivory, and bone. The majority of the paintings were done Large numbers of ivory beads have also been with either red or black paint, most commonly recovered, many of which bear evidence of produced using red ochre and charcoal, respec- having been sewn onto clothing and headwear tively. However, there are also some sites (e.g., the three elaborate burials from an Upper where the mineral manganese oxide was used Paleolithic site in Sungir, Russia). to create the black color. Other less common Paleolithic art can be divided into two colors include yellow and brown (also derived categories: figurative imagery, which is defined from ochre) and in rare instances white paint- as identifiable art and most often refers to animal ings made using kaolin clay have been identi- and human depictions, and nonfigurative fied. Preparation was required to produce the imagery, which includes all abstract or geometric paints, including the grinding of the pigments images not easily identifiable as being real-world and the use of formulas created by mixing the objects or entities. One type of imagery that color component with binders (e.g., water, appears to be absent at nearly all rock art sites urine, animal fat) and extenders (e.g., feldspar, older than 10,000 BP is landscape (e.g., trees, biotite, talc, clay). Engravings were done using mountains, or rivers) as well as images of every- either a tool to mark the stone, or in cases where day life including structures such as housing. the surface included softer materials such as Even though the art found in different global clay, a finger was sometimes used to create regions is varied, there are several overarching the image. The creation of drawings involves themes that are identifiable at sites worldwide: the use of dry material in the form of ochre 1. Animal imagery: While the specific subject crayons or charcoal sticks as opposed to the use matter might be determined by the environment of liquid paint formulas. Stencils refer primar- in which the art is being produced (e.g., mam- ily to the creation of negative hands, which moths in Europe, kangaroos in Australia, eland were produced by a method known as spit in South Africa), the inclusion of animal imag- painting, where the paint or raw pigments ery at rock art sites and on portable objects is were blown over a hand placed against the almost universal. At Paleolithic rock art sites surface in order to leave an outline. across Europe, animal imagery is usually the 2. Portable art: This subcategory includes all dominant theme (e.g., horse, bison, mammoth, portable artifacts found at Paleolithic sites ibex, deer), and many of the portable art pieces that incorporate a symbolic or artistic element. also include animals in their decoration. This includes everything from weapons or 2. Human imagery: Images of humans whether tools that have been embellished or decorated they are accurate representations or more styl- (e.g., atlatls) to plaques or pebbles that have ized descriptions are also found at rock art sites been painted or engraved as well as the large globally. In some cases, these representations number of figurines that have been found at have been categorized as being therianthropic, sites across Europasia. The materials used to appearing to portray a human-animal hybrid make these portable objects include but are not (e.g., the sorcerer at Les Trois-Freres, France). limited to stone, bone, antler, ivory, and clay. They are also found occasionally on portable Art, Paleolithic 531 A Art, Paleolithic, Fig. 1 Megaloceros, ibex, and human with protruding spears – Cougnac, France A (Photo by J. Clottes) objects. In Europe in particular, there is an entire collection of human figurines from the Paleolithic period (see discussion about these figurines in the “How Old is the Art?” section below). The inclusion of human images at rock art sites varies widely between regions, with them being fairly unusual at European sites but more common at contemporaneous sites in Australia. 3. Abstract imagery: Also known as geometric signs, these images include everything from simple dots and lines to more complex geometric shapes such as tectiforms or scalari- forms (see Fig. 1). Geometric signs are found at rock art sites around the world, and in regions such as Europe, these abstract images outnumber the figurative representations at most Paleolithic sites (Bahn & Vertut 1997: 166). These markings are also found on many portable art objects, including items of personal adornment. While this category is often defined as including all images that are not recognizable as items from the mundane world, it has been argued that some of these markings could in fact represent weapons, tools, or other physical manifesta- Art, Paleolithic, Fig. 2 “The sorcerer” – therianthropic tions of human behavior (Figs. 2–4). figure – Gabillou, France (Photo by J. Clottes) A 532 Art, Paleolithic Art, Paleolithic, Fig. 3 Panel of geometric signs – Niaux, France (Photo by J. Clottes) 4. Hand imagery: This is ubiquitous in rock art and includes negative hand stencils, positive handprints, and stylized hands.

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