Pre Historic Art

Pre-Historic Art

                          Paleolithic   Mesolithic  Neolithic    Bronze Age      Iron Age

 

Paleolithic (2 million years ago to 13,000 BC.)

The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age began about 2 million years ago. Paleolithic (the Greek paleos=old and lithos=stone) is used to define the oldest period in history. The subdivisions of Paleolithic include; The Lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic and Upper Paleolithic. The Mesolithic or Epipaleolithic follows the Paleolithic.The Lower Paleolithic spans from 4 million years ago to around 120,000 years ago.The Middle Paleolithic is the period of early Stone Age that lasted from 120,000 and 40,000 years ago in Europe and Africa.

The Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age, as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. It dates to between 40,000 and 8,500 years ago.
Paleolithic Art, which was produced from about 32,000 to 11,000 years ago, falls into two main categories: Portable Pieces (small figurines or decorated objects carved out of bone, stone, or modeled in clay), and Cave Art.

 

Mesolithic (10,000 - 5,000 BC)

The Mesolithic is the period of middle Stone Age, from about 10,000 - 5,000 BC years ago.

The term Mesolithic is used to characterize that period in Europe and, sometimes, parts of Africa and Asia.

The rich art of the Paleolithic was replaced by a Mesolithic art that was quite different.

Mesolithic art is schematic; no realistic figures are present and the only colour used was red. This form of art was also found in North Africa and the northern Mediterranean.

 

Neolithic (10,000 - 5,000 BC)

The Neolithic period was also called New Stone Age. It started when men first developed agriculture and settled in permanent villages. It ended with the discovery of bronze.

Pottery was the prime medium of the Neolithic period. Other artistic expressions were statuary of the universally worshiped Mother Goddess and megalithic stone monuments.

 

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use) consists of techniques for smelting copper and tin from naturally occurring outcroppings of ore, and then alloying those metals in order to cast bronze.

 

Iron Age

The Iron Age was the stage in the development of any people in which tools and weapons whose main ingredient was iron were prominent. The adoption of this material coincided with other changes in some past societies often including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles, although this was not always the case.