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47 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Venus of Willendorf
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Small, Paleolithic, feminine figurine that may have been used for rituals in fertility, as an erotic toy, or a child's toy. Heavy emphasis on female anatomy. Made of limestone and it has no feet and hands laid across the breast. This figure could be evidence of a Matriarchal society or it could be a symbol of Idealized beauty because of its pregnant belly. |
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Venusof Laussel
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Quitedifferent in size and shape to Venus of Willendorf since it is a reliefsculpture which means its stationary rather than 3-D (round). It also belongsto the paleolithic period. The womanly figure is holding a horn/ crescent andis possibly a form a trade. Unlike Venus of Willendorf this figure hasnoticeable arms and an oddly shaped head.
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Bison with turned head
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Thispiece shows the sophistication of how the people understood naturalistic form,as it is easy to tell that the figure is a bison. Bison are common subjects inpaleolithic art. The figure is carved, and so it the rock it was carved intosince the shape of the rock is not natural. Animals in paleolithic artrepresent food, clothing and shelter as well as religious/ ritualisticpractices.
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Bison(Tuc d' Audoubert)
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From Paleolithic period.The depiction of thesebison shows formations of clay rather than carvings. The bison were formed intothe rock surrounding it giving the art more cohesion with its surroundings.After they were formed they were incised with details to give them thecharacteristics of bison.
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"Lion Panel" |
From Paleolithic period. Has a dense layering of Rhinos on top showing a sort of ritualistic nature to the paintings. The red paint underneath the rhinos shows that they were earlier which is a tell - tell because the transition of the paints used over time. The rhino forms were given emphasis to bulk them up and show a development of shading.
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Hallof Running Bulls
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From Paleolithic period. Namedafter the four prominent bulls running along the walls. The space however hasmore equines and stags although they are much smaller than the bulls, andoverall the space contains over 30 animals. There were several pigments usedsuch as black, red, yellow and brown; made from several minerals such as ocher,manganese, and hematite.
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StandingBison
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From paleolithic period. Showsan understanding of shading to create dimension and there was more emphasis puton the neck and shoulders rather than legs and head, and this was to show thepower of the Bison. Red and black pigment were used to create the outline andcoloring of the bison.
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What is the purpose of cave paintings? |
The purpose of the cave paintings is most likely some ritualistic practice to ensure abundance in fertility, to ensure a good hunt or to record one, spiritually capture the animal that they may not have been able to catch, or it’s a ritual replacement of the animals killed. Could also represent the animals that were not hunted often and suggested shamanism, recording of trance hallucinations, or the interpretation of the constellations.
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Shaman
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From Paleolithic period. The shaman painting is of a figure that looks part human part animal, the figure stares outward unlike most animals which face profile. The figure was painted in black ink. Shamans are intermediaries between the human and spirit world, that communicate between trances. It is believed that when shamans are depicted it is to showcase a vision.
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PlasteredSkulls, Jericho (Near East)
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From Neolithic period. Humanskulls with painted plaster reconstructions of the deceased, presumablyintended to house the memory or the soul; it was believed that if the skull waspreserved then the person would have a good afterlife. The Style isnaturalistic however the faces are not very detailed.
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Reconstructionof Catal Huyuk (Near East)
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From neolithic Period. Mud-brickbuildings covered in plaster that were presumably accessed by ladders sincethere are no openings. Because of this there were no streets so only access wasthrough roofs. Skeletons were buried underneath floors and benches since tombshad not been invented for burial yet.
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Anatoliangoddess giving birth, Catal Huyuk (Near East)
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From Neolithic period. The statue seemed to have served as a shrine to the Mother goddess. The figure is of a woman giving birth and the shape of her figure is similar to the Venus statues. Her female anatomy is heavily emphasized and she is sitting down on a throne with 2 leopard heads on the arms.
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Templesof Ggantija
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FromNeolithic period. Ggantija mean tower of giants. There were two entrances tothe temples. The was were lobed. The detail focused more on the interior thanthe exterior and inside you could find alter like structures that give evidenceto these temples being used for animal sacrifice, libations, divination,paintings, relief sculptures, and burials. The way that the rocks fit alongeach other for the alters leads to a possibility that they were shaped and arenot in their natural form. Oldest of the 17+ temples in Malta.
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Mothergoddess
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FromNeolithic period. The statue is of an overweight woman's legs and a skirt thatis surrounded by other small "obese" women statues. All of thestatues have red ochre painting around the genitalia suggesting menstruation/ blood of childbirth. The figure is evidence of fertility-related purpose.
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Menhirs,Dolmen, and Stone Hinge
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Fromneolithic period. all long stones used for the purpose of rituals or burials.These structures, such as stone hinge, are also believed to have served acelestial/astronomical purpose. Dolmens were built for burial purposes yetlater became passageways, as suggested by the cave art along the walls. Menhirsand monoliths were usually formed in a circle (Stone Hinge). Stone Hinge issurrounded by tiny holes in a circular formation that was used for burial ofbodies, believed to be of important families. Extending from the circle is amile long avenue at which a heelstone rests. What is really impressive aboutstone hinge is that there were no modern tools at the time so the structuresare even more fascinating. They also used a Post and Lintel system to make theformation of the structures. Theplacement of the stones to the heel stone leads many to believe that it mayhave been used for astronomical/observatory purposes as well as burial.
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CylinderImpression and Seal
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FromMesopotamia. Images were incised on a seal and then rolled over a soft clay toproduce a raised image. This technique was used to claim owner ship, keepaccounts, and to legalize documents. Also used with cuneiform technique inwhich the seal was rolled over as an impression and then the artist would takesomething to carve symbols in in a early form of communication calledcuneiform.
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LionGate
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Guardianlions are a common motif because they are symbolic of strength and protection.They also are common because they are believed to be fierce and to never sleep.The lions are carved into the rocks of the entry way and are relief forms withdetails incised.
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Prehistoric
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BeforeHistory; before the written language
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Paleolithic
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Oldstone age
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Mesolithic
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Middle Stone Age |
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Neolithic |
New stone age |
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Image-Magic
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Capturing of an animal's image as a symboliccapturing of the animal itself
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Shamanism
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Intermediatebetween human and spirit worlds, communicating between trances
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Monumental |
large |
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Monolith |
one large stone |
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Menhir
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Long stones standing upright, usually taperingtowards the top
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Dolmen
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Twostones standing upright supporting one stone laying on top that creates a hole/cave; earliest forms of tombs
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Postand lintel
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Similar to Dolmen except free standing usuallyin a large circle; most famous is Stone hinge
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Cuneiform
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Earlyform of writing; shapes cut into a piece of clay
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Synthesized/Composite View
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Thewhole figure is shown as opposed to profile or face on view
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HierarchalScale
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Startingfrom Mesopotamia figures were either drawn larger or sculpted larger toshowcase their importance. King or gods and goddesses were usually the subjectsmade to be larger.
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Ziggurat
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Artificialmountains on which a temple was built on
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Stele
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Stoneslab used for inscriptions
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CanopicJar
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Jarsthat contained important organs so that they may be preserved with the body
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Mastaba
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Similarto a Ziggurat however their purpose was for burial and they containedunderground chambers
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KaStatue
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Madeto hold the spirit of the body even after it's passed
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Pylon
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Largewalls in front of a temple usually in the style of a Hypostyle hall
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HypostyleHall
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Ahall of a temple with pillars lining the walls (2 rows of large pillars and 4small pillars; engraved with hieroglyphics)
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Carved alabaster vase |
From Mesopotamia. Dedicated to the goddess of love, fertility, and war; Innana. It depicts vegetation which could represent a connection of agricultural festivals of renewal and rebirth. This piece shows important stylistic conventions of the period and is alabaster. These styles include synthesized/composite view of the figures, things seeming to float in the air, and hierarchy. |
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Innana's head |
From Mesopotamia. The head sculpture shows understanding of naturalistic features, but it also had stylistic elements such as the connected inlaid eyebrows and the empty eye sockets, both would have been filled other materials besides the clay. |
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Ziggurat, Uruk |
Specific to Mesopotamia. Built so that temples could be places higher up for the gods and goddesses; this way the temple was placed on a flat surface. |
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Lyre and sound box, Ur |
From Mesopotamia. Placed in Queen Puabi's tomb. Has the head of a bearded bull (beard made of vary rare blue stone). The bull most likely represents the god Shamash (who is depicted in some cuneiform text as a bull). the soundbox has an inlay inscription of a funeral ritual. Shows personified animals bringing food and drink and playing musical instruments. Shows a scorpion man who is associated with the mountains and sunrise, and the dead pass him on their way to the underworld. |
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Statue of Gudea with Temple plan |
From Mesopotamia. Depiction of an accomplished architect. Told by the gods to build temple in dream. Figure is holding the plans to the temple to show his status and is in a prayer pose to show connection to the gods. Inscribed is a curse on those who try to desecrate the figure. This is a possibility as to why many of the figures stayed in tact. |
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Ziggurat, Ur |
From Mesopotamia. More complex than the other with 3 stages, with gradually curving walls that lead up to a shrine at the top. Constructed under Ur-Nammu. |
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Stele inscribed with the law of Hammurabi |
From Old Babylonian period. Show Hammurabi standing in from of sun god Shamash(wearing horned cap of divinity, holding ring and rod of divine power and justice, and rays emitting from his shoulders). This depiction is where the term "eye for an eye" came about because it depicts a human at eye level with a god, but not at the exact height of the god because he is sitting down while Hammurabi is standing. |
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King hunting lions |
Assyrian Empire. Piece that show the dominance of the king over enemies, strength and fearlessness. The image is naturalistic and it is slightly raised giving it 3-dimension. |
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Lamassu |
Intimidating figure with an extra leg to give 2 viewpoints. naturalistic form with stylized hair and beard. |
