Prehistoric Art Notes and Links (Janson)

A. The Old Stone Age
1. Cave Art
a. Chauvet
Chauvet: Images.
b. Altamira & Lascaux
Lascaux: Two images of horse and deer.
Standing Bison image of Altamira. and a detailed description of the cave.
University of Pennsylvania site on the discovery of Altamira , text only.
Many images of Lascaux.
2. Carved and Painted Objects
http://www.netserves.com/moca/lectures/skuzpale.htm
Horse at Vogelherd cave
http://faculty.evansville.edu/rl29/art105/img/willendorf_venus.jpg
-Venus of Willendorf-carved limestone, c. 30,000-15,000 BC. Because of the importance of fertility, (infant mortality rates were high making it a necessity to have many children for survival) probably a fertility symbol. Done in the round versus in relief.
Image of the reindeer bone.
B. The New Stone Age
a. Jericho
http://faculty.evansville.edu/rl29/art105/img/jericho_skull.jpg
The Ancient Near East in the Neolithic Era (c. 7000-4500/4000 BC)
-transition from a hunter/gatherer society to an agrarian society.
Jericho
-Oldest known city-8500-7500 BC. Jericho skulls had replications of the deceased sculpted onto the skull. Ancestor-worship. residents of Jericho buried dead family members under floor of household.
b. Catal Huyuk
Article on Catal Huyuk.
C. Neolithic Europe
http://www.netaxs.com/~tdo/trypil.html
http://www.unc.edu/celtic/catalogue/chariots/StrettwegDescription.html
http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~cmw/1995/Basse-Yutz.htmla
http://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/britain/archbr/graphics/dolmen.html
Dolmens and cromlechs
http://exn.ca/mysticplaces/Stonehenge.asp
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/aburnham/eng/
http://web.infinito.it/utenti/m/malta_mega_temples/indxfram.html
Images from Easter Island.
Petroglyphs of Easter Island.
D. Neolithic America
http://www.texasbeyondhistory.net/tejas/ancestors/woodland.html
http://greatserpentmound.com/