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PREHISTORIC

THE BEGINNING Not until 25,000 years ago did out forebears invent art • The first art objects were created not to adorn the body or decorate the cavern--- But attempt to control or appease natural forces

• FIRST WERE MADE ABOUT 15,000 YEARS • BEFORE THE DISCOVERY IN 1996 THE IMAGES AT , WERE THE OLDEST KNOWN PAINTINGS IN • PAINTINGS MOST REMOTE RECESSES OF THE CAVE—WHERE THERE WAS NO SUNLIGHT WHY DID THEY THESE IMAGES? • Maybe : • certain are symbolic • others represent mythical spirits • to contact spirits in another world • to track migration patterns • related to ritual occasions

HORSE 13,000 B.C.

OLDEST SURVIVING ART OBJECTS ARE OF WILLENDORF • 25,000- 20,000 BC • ONE OT THE EARLIEST KNOWN FIGURES • VENUS GODDNESS OF • FERTILITY IMAGE • CARRIED AROUND AS AN —GOOD LUCK CHARM • ONLY FEATURES SHOWING BELLY, BREASTS AND PUBIC AREA • ONLY 5 INCHES TALL • Period:::OLD • After 4000 years gave way to: • OR NEW STONE AGE • New stone ---learned to farm—domesticate animals (—goats –etc.)help with labor, food, milk and leather • of • Settled communities --- of stone and were starting to be built ARCHITECTURE STONE 2,000 B.C. Certain conditions foster preservation of Art • Durable materials ( stone--fired ) • Local of environment not destructive to artworks • Stable population- • Putting artworks in places of limited or no accessibility— underground CHARACTERISTICS OF PREHISTORIC TIME PERIOD

• CAVE PAINTINGS • MAGIC • SURVIVAL • DEVELOPED ON THE TIGRIS AND EUPHRATES RIVERS • RIVERS PROVIDED TRANSPORTATION—SOURCE OF WATER— • CITIES DEVELOPED: RELIGIONS— ARCHITECTURE • Lack of boundaries easy to invade/difficult to defend Invented:

• 360 degree in circle • 24 hours in a day • 60 minutes in a hour • How many days in a year lacking 26 minutes • Men could go bankrupt • Women could be priests • Mastered irrigation/flood control • Invented city-state-formal religion-mathematics- law • Writing used over 3000 years ( cuneiform) Architecture

• Sun dried brick basic building block • Devised complex cities/centered around the temple/also included workshops- homes-stores • One king palace had 200 rooms covered 25 acres-stood on 1 square mile man made mound above the city NANNA ZIGGUARAT 2100-2050 • a Temple Dedicated to the moon God Nanna It was a meeting place for heaven and god SCULPTURE

• Predominant art form of Mesopotamia— besides architecture was---Bas- Sculpture • Popular subject to sculpt was the • “Lion Hunt” HUMAN-HEADED WINGED LION 883-859 BC

• Stood at the gates of the Citadel to protect the palace from it’s enemies • Horned cap indicating dive status GROUP OF STATUETTES FROM THE SQUARE TEMPLE OF THE GOD ABU

• Figures represent priests and worshipers large eyes are for communication with their Gods-the eyes are the window to their souls • Serve the God of vegetation CHARACTERISTICS OF Mesopotamia • Beards • Worship figures • Huge eyes • Ishtar Gate • Low reliefs THE ART OF PLATO WROTE: EGYPTAIN ART DID NOT CHANGE FOR TEN THOUSAND YEARS---- EXAGGERATION---BUT MANY THINGS REMAINED THE SAME OVER 3,000 YEARS In pursuit of permanence the Egyptians established essentials of a major civilization— literature,medical science, higher mathematics---While else where lesser civilizations rose and fell with the annual floods of the , Egypt sustained the world’s first large scale –unified state for 3,000 years CHARACTERISTICS OF EGYPTIAN ART • ESSENCE OF:

• STABILTY • ORDER • ENDURANCE • CONTINUITY PALETTE OF NARMER

• illustrates many characteristics of Egyptian Art It was used for mixing cosmetics Egyptian Painting

• Reveals the same clear visual and works in stone • If you compare works of art such as “The Palette of Narmer”even a thousand years later you would not find them separated in time. • The pose of the human form would still be seen in the same “Wall painting from Thebes”

• depicting a hunting scene poses the main figure very much like Narmer even though they are 1650 years apart in time

• Symbol of most important characteristic of Egyptian art STABILITY AND EDURANCE BUILT 2530 BC ---65 FT. HIGH OF CHEOPS AT GIZA EGYPT

• LARGEST STONE STRUCTURE IN THE WORLD leveled 13- acre site- base perfect square built 26,000 BC To construct the Great Pyramid this is what you would need. • 2,300,000 limestone blocks—each weighing 2 ½ tons • Copper and stone cutting tools • Barges to float blocks down the nile • Log rollers • Pearly lime stone—facing surface to finish 480 ft. of the pyramid • 4,000 construction workers to move the blocks weighing up to 15 tons with the benefit of no animals or • Completion time 23 years (average life span35 yr) SCULPTURE

• FOLLOWED A RIGID FORMULA FOR REPRESENTING THE HUMAN FIGURE • FRONT VIEWS OF THE EYES AND SHOULDERS AND PROFILE VIEW OF HEAD, ARMS AND LEGS • INTENDED TO LAST ETERNALLY • MADE OF HARD SUBSTANCE GRANITE/DIORITE QUEEN NEFERTITI 1345 BC --- Limestone AND HIS FAMILY 1345 BC

• Sunken relief—figures do not project upward from surface--- outlines are carved deep into surface— figures are modeled within them surface down ART

• PROVIDE A DURABLE RECEPTACLE FOR THE DECEASED SPIRIT • PERFECTED THE SCIENCE OF EMBOLMING • 70 DAYS TO MUMMIFY • BODY SOAKED IN BRINE FOR MORE THAN A MONTH • HUNG OUT TO DRY • WRAPPED AND NESTED INTO COFFINS AND STONE MUMMY OF RAMSES II

• DISCOVERED WITH 39 OTHER DEAD KINGS GREW UP IN HIS COURT KNOW AS “THE GREAT” SIRED MORE THAN 100 CHILDREN 67 YEAR REIGN 1325 BC--- 1922 THE AEGEAN

• ALONG THE GREEK PENINSULA AND CONTINENT OF MODERN DAY • PARALLEL IN TIME WITH EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA 3 MAJOR AEGEAN CULTURES • CYCLADIC: GROUP OF SMALL ISLANDS IN THE AEGEAN • MINOAN: BASED ON THE ISLAND OF CRETE • MYCENAEAN:MAINLAND OF GREECE STATUETTE OF A WOMAN

is a puzzle art only consists of all nude female figures -- -2ft to life size fertility images TOREADOR FROM PALACE AT KNOSSOS – 1500 BC---HEIGHT 32” • MINOAN CULTURE NUMEROUS FRESCOES SURVIVED LIGHT HEARTED, HAPPY AND CHEERFUL PEOPLE RHYTON (DRINKING CUP) • SHAPE OF A LIONS HEAD 1550 BC—GOLD—8” MYCENAEAN CULTURE KNOWN FOR ELABORATE CUSTOMS AND TOMBS HAD GREAT SUPPLIES OF GOLD MASTER CHACTERISTICS OF THE AEGEAN CULTURE • PARALLEL IN TIME WITH EGYPT AND MESOPOTAMIA • 3 MAJOR AEGEAN CULTURES • CYCLADIC • MINOAN • MYCENAEAN