Jump to content

Art of the Upper Paleolithic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromPaleolithic art)
"Paleolithic art" redirects here. For disputed claims of earlier artistic expression, seeArt of the Middle Paleolithic.
(Replica of) cave lion drawings fromChauvet Cavein Southern France from the Aurignacian period (c. 35,000 to 30,000 years old)

Theart of the Upper Paleolithicrepresents the oldest form ofprehistoric art.Figurative artis present inEuropeandSoutheast Asia,beginning around 50,000 years ago.[1][2][3]Non-figurativecave paintings,consisting ofhand stencilsand simple geometric shapes, are somewhat older, at least 40,000 years old, and possibly as old as 64,000 years. This latter estimate is due to a controversial 2018 study based onuranium-thorium dating,which would implyNeanderthalauthorship and qualify asart of the Middle Paleolithic.[4]

The emergence of figurative art has been interpreted as reflecting the emergence of fullbehavioral modernity,and is part of the defining characteristics separating the Upper Paleolithic from theMiddle Paleolithic.[5][6]The discovery of cave art of comparable age to the oldest European samples in Indonesia has established that similar artistic traditions existed both in eastern and in western Eurasia 40,000 years ago. This has been taken to suggest an artistic tradition dating to more than 50,000 years ago, spread along the southern coast of Eurasia in the originalcoastal migrationmovement.[3]In 2018, the discovery of a figurative painting of an unknown animal was announced; it was over 40,000 years old, and was found in a cave on theIndonesianisland ofBorneo.[7][8]In July 2021, scientists reported the discovery of abone carving,one of the world's oldest works of art, made byNeanderthalsabout 51,000 years ago.[9][10]On July 3, 2024, the journalNaturepublished research findings indicating that thecave paintings,which depictanthropomorphicfigures interacting with a pig and measure 36 by 15 inches, in LeangKarampuangare approximately 51,200 years old.[2][3]

European Upper Paleolithic art is known informally as "Ice Age art", in reference to thelast glacial period.[11]

Europe

[edit]
Venus of Willendorf,late Aurignacian (c. 30,000 years old)
Further information:Paleolithic Europe,European early modern humans,Aurignacian,Gravettian,Magdalenian,andVenus figurines

Art of the European Upper Paleolithic includes rock andcave painting,jewelry,[12][13]drawing, carving, engraving and sculpture inclay,bone,antler,[14]stone[15]and ivory, such as theVenus figurines,andmusical instrumentssuch asflutes. Decoration was also made on functional tools, such asspear throwers,perforated batonsandlamps. Engravingson flat pieces of stones are found in considerable numbers (up to 5,000 at one Spanish site) at sites with the appropriate geology, with the marks sometimes so shallow and faint that the technique involved is closer todrawing– many of these were not spotted by the earliest excavators, and found by later teams in spoil heaps. Painted plaques are less common. It is possible that they were used in rituals, or alternatively heated on a fire and wrapped as personal warmers. Either type of use may account for the many broken examples, often with the fragments dispersed over some distance (up to 30 metres apart at Gönnersdorf). Many sites have large quantities of flat stones apparently used as flooring, with only a minority decorated.[16]

Some of the oldest works of art were found in theSwabian Jura,inBaden-Württemberg,Germany. TheVenus figurineknown as theVenus of Hohle Felsand theLöwenmensch (Lion-Human) statuetteofHohlenstein-Stadelboth date to approximately 40,000 years ago.[17]The so-calledAdorant from the Geißenklösterle cavedates to about the same time.

Other fine examples of art from the Upper Palaeolithic (broadly 40,000 to 10,000 years ago) includecave painting(such as atChauvet,Lascaux,Altamira,Cosquer,andPech Merle), incised / engraved cave art such as atCreswell Crags,[18]portable art(such as animal carvings and sculptures like theVenus of Willendorf), and open-air art (such as therock art of the Côa ValleyandMazouco[it]in Portugal;Domingo GarcíaandSiega Verdein Spain; andFornols-Haut[fr]in France). There are numerous carved or engraved pieces of bone and ivory, such as theSwimming Reindeerfound in France from theMagdalenianperiod. These includespear throwers,including one shaped like a mammoth,[19]and many of the type of objects called abâton de commandement.

Bison painting (replica) from theCave of Altamira,dated to theMagdalenian.

The animals depicted are prey sought by thePaleolithic hunters, such asreindeer,[20] horses,[21] bisons,[22] mammoth,[23] thewoolly rhinoceros,[24] and birds,[clarification needed][25] as well asapex predatorssuch as lions[26]panthers or leopards,[27] hyenasandbears.

The human form was represented comparatively rarely (relative to the depiction of animals); most notable are theVenus figurines(representation of the female form, emphasizing breasts and/or buttocks).[28]TheLion-Human statuetteofHohlenstein-Stadel(Aurignacian) is a hybrid creature with a lion's head on a human body. Other possible hybrid figures arethe Shaman of Trois-Frèresand a "Bison-man" from the same cave system, another "Bison-man" from theGrotte de Gabillouin theDordogne,and what might be a bird-headed man in the "Shaft of the Dead Man" in theLascauxcaves. Representation of males are rare prior to incipient Mesolithic. Mesolithic examples include the "Pin Hole man"ofCreswell Crags,Derbyshire.

There is evidence for some craft specialization, and the transport over considerable distances of materials such as stone and, above all marine shells, much used for jewellery and probably decorating clothes. Shells from Mediterranean species have been found atGönnersdorf,over 1,000 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast. The higher sea levels today mean that the level and nature of coastal settlements in the Upper Paleolithic are now submerged and remain unknown.[29]

Asia

[edit]
Hand stencils fromLeang-Leang Prehistoric Site,Maros, Sulawesi.

Cave paintings from the Indonesian island ofSulawesi,situated in thecaves in the district of Maros,were dated based onUranium–thorium datingin a 2014 study. The oldest dated image was a hand stencil, which was given a minimum age of 39,900 years. A painting of ababirusawas dated to at least 35.4 ka, placing it among the oldest known figurative depictions worldwide. [30]

A cave at Turobong inSouth Koreacontaining human remains has been found to contain carved deer bones and depictions of deer that may be as much as 40,000 years old.[31]Petroglyphs of deer or reindeer found at Sokchang-ri may also date to the Upper Paleolithic. Potsherds in a style reminiscent of early Japanese work have been found at Kosan-ri onJeju island,which, due to lower sea levels at the time, would have been accessible from Japan.[32]

In November 2018, scientists reported the discovery of the oldest knownfigurative art painting,over 40,000 (perhaps as old as 52,000) years old, of an unknown animal in the cave ofLubang Jeriji Saléhon theIndonesianisland ofBorneo.[7][8]

Some Upper Paleolithic artifacts such as theVenus figurines of Mal'tawere found inSouthern Siberia,Russia.These figures consist most often of ivory. The figures are about 20,000 years old and stem from theGravettian.[33]Most of these statuettes show stylized clothes. Quite often the face is depicted. They were discovered atMal'ta,at theAngara River,nearLake BaikalinIrkutsk Oblast,Siberia.

TheBhimbetka rock sheltershave linear representations in green of humans dancing and hunting.[34]

Australia

[edit]
Gwion Gwion rock paintingsfound in the north-westKimberley region of Western Australia

Gabarnmung,or Nawarla Gabarnmung, is an Aboriginal archaeological and rock art site in south-westernArnhem Land,in the Top End of Australia's Northern Territory. The rock shelter features prehistoric paintings of fish, including the barramundi, wallabies, crocodiles, people and spiritual figures. Most of the paintings are located on the shelter's ceiling, but many are found on the walls and pillars of the site. The painting on the ceiling has been securely dated to before 27,000 years ago.[35]

Radiocarbon dating of charcoal excavated from the base of the lowest stratigraphic layer of the floor returned a mean age of45189±1089 years Cal BPsuggesting the oldest date for the earliest human habitation. Faceted and use-striated hematite crayons have been recovered from nearby locations (Malakunanja IIandNauwalabila 1) in strata dated from 45,000 to 60,000 years old which suggests that the Gabarnmung shelter may have been decorated from its inception.[36]

The Gwion Gwion rock paintings are a unique form of rock art found inWestern Australia.They are predominantly human figures drawn in fine detail with accurate anatomical proportioning. They have been dated at over 17,000 years old.[37]

Near East and North Africa

[edit]
Carving of a horse,Hayonim Cave,Israel,28000 BP.

Upper Paleolithicsites of the Near East, such as theHayonim Cave,a cave located in a limestone bluff about 250 meters above modern sea level, in theUpper Galilee,Israel,have wall carvings depicting symbolic shapes and animals, such as a running horse dated to theLevantine Aurignaciancirca 28000 BP, and visible in theIsrael Museum.[38][39][40]This is considered as the first art object found within the context of the Levantine Upper Paleolithic.[39]

Petroglyphsof theNorth African Mesolithic,such as those atTassili n'Ajjer,Algeria, are dated to about 12,000 to 10,000 years old.

Sub-Saharan Africa

[edit]
Modern artist's impression of azoomorphicpictogram like those that would be inApollo 11 Cave,Namibia

The oldest known figurative art fromSub-Saharan Africaare seven stone plaquettes painted with figures of animals found at theApollo 11 Cavecomplex inNamibia,and dated to between 27,500 and 22,500 years ago.[41][42] There is a substantial amount of rock art attributable to theBushmen (San)found throughout Southern Africa. Much of this art is recent (as evident from the subject matter depicted, including depictions of wagons and of European settlers wearing hats), but the oldest samples have been tentatively dated to as early as 26,000 years ago.[43]

Matobo National Park,Zimbabwe,has many rock paintings. The oldest examples to 7,000 years ago, possibly as early as 13,000 years ago, while the bulk were likely produced between c. 1,700 and 1,500 years ago. [44] Petroglyphs inWest Africa,such as those ofBidzar,Cameroon, are dated to after 3,000 years ago.

Americas

[edit]

Rock paintings in theToquepala Cavesin southernPeruare dated at ca. 11,500 years ago.[45]Some of the paintings are figurative, notably including a scene of armed men huntingguanacocameloids. The men are in a posture of attacking the animals withaxe,lances,andspear throwers(but not including bow and arrow). The paintings are polychrome, with red made fromhematitebeing the dominant color.[46]

Rock art made by the earliest inhabitants of theAmazonregion dates to between 11,800 and 12,600 years ago. The animals depicted include some now extinct, such asmastodonsandgiant sloths.[47]

Early burial sites in Peru, such as the one atTelarmachaydating from about 10 ka onward, contained evidence of ritual burial, with deposits of red ocher and bead necklaces marking the site.[48]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^Oktaviana, Adhi Agus; Joannes-Boyau, Renaud; Hakim, Budianto; Burhan, Basran; Sardi, Ratno; Adhityatama, Shinatria; Hamrullah; Sumantri, Iwan; Tang, M.; Lebe, Rustan; Ilyas, Imran; Abbas, Abdullah; Jusdi, Andi; Mahardian, Dewangga Eka; Noerwidi, Sofwan (2024-07-03)."Narrative cave art in Indonesia by 51,200 years ago".Nature.631(8022): 814–818.Bibcode:2024Natur.631..814O.doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07541-7.ISSN0028-0836.PMC11269172.
  2. ^abHarris, Garreth (2024-07-04)."Oldest example of figurative art found in Indonesian cave".The Art Newspaper.Retrieved2024-07-05.
  3. ^abcM. Aubert et al. (2014): "two figurative animal depictions from seven cave sites in the Maros karsts of Sulawesi, we show that rock art traditions on this Indonesian island are at least compatible in age with the oldest European art. [...] Among the implications, it can now be demonstrated that humans were producing rock art by ~40 kyr ago at opposite ends of the Pleistocene Eurasian world."
  4. ^D. L. Hoffmann; C. D. Standish; M. García-Diez; P. B. Pettitt; J. A. Milton; J. Zilhão; J. J. Alcolea-González; P. Cantalejo-Duarte; H. Collado; R. de Balbín; M. Lorblanchet; J. Ramos-Muñoz; G.-Ch. Weniger; A. W. G. Pike (2018)."U-Th dating of carbonate crusts reveals Neandertal origin of Iberian cave art".Science.359(6378): 912–915.Bibcode:2018Sci...359..912H.doi:10.1126/science.aap7778.hdl:10498/21578.PMID29472483. "we present dating results for three sites in Spain that show that cave art emerged in Iberia substantially earlier than previously thought. Uranium-thorium (U-Th) dates on carbonate crusts overlying paintings provide minimum ages for a red linear motif in La Pasiega (Cantabria), a hand stencil inMaltravieso (Extremadura),and red-painted speleothems in Ardales (Andalucía). Collectively, these results show that cave art in Iberia is older than 64.8 thousand years (ka). This cave art is the earliest dated so far and predates, by at least 20 ka, the arrival of modern humans in Europe, which implies Neandertal authorship. "
  5. ^Bar-Yosef, Ofer (2002). "The Upper Paleolithic Revolution".Annual Review of Anthropology.31:363–393.doi:10.1146/annurev.anthro.31.040402.085416.
  6. ^"Mind: What archaeology can tell us about the origins of human cognition".Vub.ac.be. Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2018.Retrieved23 September2013.
  7. ^abZimmer, Carl(7 November 2018)."In Cave in Borneo Jungle, Scientists Find Oldest Figurative Painting in the World - A cave drawing in Borneo is at least 40,000 years old, raising intriguing questions about creativity in ancient societies".The New York Times.Retrieved8 November2018.
  8. ^abAubert, M.; et al. (7 November 2018). "Palaeolithic cave art in Borneo".Nature.564(7735): 254–257.Bibcode:2018Natur.564..254A.doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0679-9.PMID30405242.S2CID53208538.
  9. ^Feehly, Conor (6 July 2021)."Beautiful Bone Carving From 51,000 Years Ago Is Changing Our View of Neanderthals".ScienceAlert.Retrieved6 July2021.
  10. ^Leder, Dirk; et al. (5 July 2021)."A 51,000-year-old engraved bone reveals Neanderthals' capacity for symbolic behaviour".Nature Ecology & Evolution.594(9): 1273–1282.Bibcode:2021NatEE...5.1273L.doi:10.1038/s41559-021-01487-z.PMID34226702.S2CID235746596.Retrieved6 July2021.
  11. ^The term is attributed toBjörn Kurtén:"as we look at Ice Age art, there will always remain an element of mystery and elusive" (B. S. John,The ice age: past and present,1977, p. 220).
  12. ^"Antiquity – Cambridge Core".antiquity.ac.uk.
  13. ^Vanhaeren, Marian; d'Errico, Francesco (June 2005). "Grave goods from the Saint-Germain-la-Rivière burial: Evidence for social inequality in the Upper Palaeolithic".Journal of Anthropological Archaeology.24(2): 117–134.doi:10.1016/j.jaa.2005.01.001.
  14. ^"British Museum – perforated baton".British Museum.
  15. ^"British Museum – laurel leaf point".British Museum.
  16. ^Bahn and Vertut, 90–91
  17. ^Maugh II, Thomas H. (14 May 2009)."Venus figurine sheds light on origins of art by early humans".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2009.Retrieved14 May2009.
  18. ^Pettitt, P. (2003)."Discovery, nature and preliminary thoughts about Britain's first cave art"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2012-04-25.
  19. ^"British Museum – spear-thrower".British Museum.
  20. ^e.g. the MagdalenianSwimming Reindeer(13 ka) found in France
  21. ^e.g. the Solutrean horse figurine fromVogelherd Cave,"Wild Horse".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-20.
  22. ^Bison figurine from Vogelherd Cave,"Bison".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-20.
  23. ^"Mammoth".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-20.
  24. ^Wooly Rhinocerosfrom
  25. ^"The State Hermitage Museum: Collection Highlights".Archived fromthe originalon 2012-09-07.Retrieved2012-10-23.
  26. ^"Lion's Head".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-20.
  27. ^"Snow Leopard".Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-21.
  28. ^"The State Hermitage Museum: Collection Highlights".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-10-21.Retrieved2012-10-23.
  29. ^Bahn and Vertut, 88
  30. ^M. Aubert et al., "Pleistocene cave art from Sulawesi, Indonesia",Naturevolume 514, pages 223–227 (09 October 2014) "using uranium-series dating of coralloid speleothems directly associated with 12 human hand stencils and two figurative animal depictions from seven cave sites in the Maros karsts of Sulawesi, we show that rock art traditions on this Indonesian island are at least compatible in age with the oldest European art. The earliest dated image from Maros, with a minimum age of 39.9 kyr, is now the oldest known hand stencil in the world. In addition, a painting of a babirusa ('pig-deer') made at least 35.4 kyr ago is among the earliest dated figurative depictions worldwide, if not the earliest one. Among the implications, it can now be demonstrated that humans were producing rock art by ~40 kyr ago at opposite ends of the Pleistocene Eurasian world."
  31. ^Portal,p. 25
  32. ^Portal,p. 26
  33. ^Cohen, Claudine (2003).La femme des origines: images de la femme dans la préhistoire occidentale.Belin-Herscher. p. 113.ISBN978-2733503362.
  34. ^Dubey-Pathak, Meenakshi (2014)."Rock art of the Bhimbetka period in India"(PDF).Adoranten 2014.Tanums Hällristningsmuseum Underslös.Retrieved13 September2021.
  35. ^A slab of painted rock which fell to the floor had ash adhering which was radiocarbon dated at27631±717 years Cal BPwhich indicates that the ceiling must have been painted before this time.
  36. ^Delannoy, Jean‑Jacques (2015)."The social construction of caves and rockshelters: Chauvet Cave (France) and Nawarla Gabarnmang (Australia)".Antiquity.87(335): 12–29.doi:10.1017/S0003598X00048596..
  37. ^Michaelsen, Per Henrik et al. "Australian Ice Age Rock Art May Depict Earth's Oldest Recordings of Shamanistic Rituals." (2000).
  38. ^"Hayonim horse".museums.gov.il.
  39. ^abBar-Yosef, Ofer; Belfer-Cohen, Anna (1981)."The Aurignacian at Hayonim Cave".Paléorient.7(2): 35–36.doi:10.3406/paleo.1981.4296.
  40. ^'Quantitative Phytolith Study of Hearths from the Natufian and Middle Paleolithic Levels of Hayonim Cave, (Galilee, Israel)' Journal of Archaeological Science 30, pages 461-480., Albert, Rosa M., Ofer Bar-Yosef, Liliane Meignen, and Steve Weiner 2003[1]Archived2007-11-22 at theWayback Machine
  41. ^Coulson,pp. 76–77
  42. ^Shaw, Ian; Jameson, Robert (2002).A Dictionary of Archaeology.Wiley-Blackwell. p. 640.ISBN978-0-631-23583-5.
  43. ^Anne I. Thackeray, "Dating the Rock Art of Southern Africa",New Approaches to Southern African Rock Art Vol. 4, (Jun., 1983), pp. 21-26.
  44. ^Zimbabwe (africanrockart.org),Unesco World Heritage nr. 306.
  45. ^Lavallée,p. 94
  46. ^David S. Whitley (2001).Handbook of Rock Art Research.Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 712–.ISBN978-0-7425-0256-7.. "Field Museum of Natural History Bulletin".Archive organization.Retrieved6 July2013.
  47. ^"Amazon rainforest rock art depicts giant Ice Age creatures".BBC. 3 December 2020.
  48. ^Lavallée,p. 115

References

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]
  • Cook, Jill (2013).Ice Age art: the arrival of the modern mind.The British Museum Press.ISBN978-0-7141-2333-2.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Art_of_the_Upper_Paleolithic&oldid=1251721461"