Europe - Cave Paintings to Stonehenge Flashcards
Define Henge.
An arrangement of megalithic stones in a circle, often surrounded by a ditch.
Define post and lintel construction.
Two uprights supporting a spanning element.
Define megalithic.
Adjective for the Greek word for “Great stone” meaning of large, roughly built stone, especially in prehistoric construction.
Define corbelling.
(Corbel Vaulting) Vault formed by the piling of stone blocks in horizontal courses. Cantilevered inward until the walls meet in in arch.
Identify the periods
- 40,000 - 9,000 BCE.
- 9,000 - 8,000 BCE.
- 8,000 - 2,300 BCE.
- Paleolithic
- Mesolithic
- Neolithic.
Woman From Willendorf. (AKA “Venus of Willendorf”), c.28k-25k BCE. Describe statue.
Paleolithic Period. Limestone. Faceless figures. No personal Identity = anonymous female representation. Hopeful images. Female images of fertility
(saggy large boobs, nudity, big stomach, hands disappear, exaggerated features). Very robust - contradicts hunter/gatherer diet of prehistoric times.
Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, England, c. 2250-1660 BCE. Describe structure.
Post and lintel structure. Surrounded by circle crop. Circle meant everyone is equidistant from center. Building began in 3100 BCE aand lasted 100s of years. Stones could only have been moved by 100s of men pulling them by sledges/rope which showed communal work towards a common goal. Megalithic ruin. Large number of tombs surrounding area suggest it was a burial site. Heel stone thought to relate to summer soltice/sun’s movement.
Neolithic Settlements: Describe Catal Höyük, Turkey, ca. 6,000 BCE. (Avg. pop. 7k-5k people.)
Houses made of mud brick in a large settlement = urbanism. Local building material. No streets meant buildings were built together, interconnected via ladders with entry holes in roofs. Structures were a method of defense: stabbed intruders as they climbed down the ladders. Homes were decorated with lots of bulls and women giving birth to bulls. Symbolized strong feminine (mother earth) power.
Neolithic Settlements: Describe Skara Brae, Scotland, ca. 3,100 BC. (Avg. pop. 40-50 ppl.)
Intricate series of mounds interconnected by low hallways with stone doors and iron locks. Blended into the lands/hills -> covered by storm -> later uncovered by storm with no roofs. Post and lintel shelves (for furniture). Huts. Eight clustered houses. Small cubicles.
Caves at Lascaux, France. c. 15k-13k BCE. Hall of the bulls and Bird-headed man with bison.
Paleolithic period. Twisted perspective of bull’s horns. Dark, internal, sacred caves. Materials from natural substances - black charcoal, red and yellow ochre (iron oxide) from fires. Used as chalk or mixed with water to paint or mixed with saliva and spit through reed.
Hall of the bulls - Bison painted on ceiling. Some animals outlined.
Bird-headed man with bison - possibly an image of shamanism ceremony. Bird on a stick = possible ongon. Entrails from bison = possible sacrifice.
Cave at Perch-Merle, France. c. 22,000 BCE. Spotted horses and negative handprints.
Paleolithic period. Painted horses that were spotted. Hand print above horses is possibly a signature of artist because it reappears throughout the rest of the cave.
Define ongon.
Spirit helpers. Ongons are amongst the most important shamanist tools in Mongolia and they come in many different forms. Ongon is a type of spirit in the shamanistic believe system of Mongolia.
Define Neolithic. 3 definitions.
1- organized system of agriculture.
2- animal husbandry/domestication of animals/heard of livestock.
3- permanent, year-round settlements.
What are Jean Clottes’ levels of trance. Name three stages.
1 - Entoptics - symbols = repeating geometric designs.
2 - Construal - images represent animals.
3 - Entoptics and iconics - humans merge with animals.
How were cave paintings made?
Materials from natural substances - black charcoal, red and yellow ochre (iron oxide) from fires. Used as chalk or mixed with water to paint or mixed with saliva and spit through reed.
