East Tennessee State University

Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University

Art Appreciation Open Educational Resource Open Ancillary Materials

2020

Lesson 03: Prehistory - Our Connection to the History of

Humankind Before Text
Marie Porterfield
East Tennessee State University, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer

Part of the Art and Design Commons, and the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons

Editable versions are available for this document and other Art Appreciation lessons at
https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer.

Recommended Citation
Porterfield, Marie. 2020. "Lesson 03: Prehistory - Our Connection to the History of Humankind Before
Text." Art Appreciation Open Educational Resource. Johnson City: East Tennessee State University.
https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer/4

This Book Contribution is brought to you for free and open access by the Open Ancillary Materials at Digital
Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Art Appreciation Open
Educational Resource by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For
more information, please contact [email protected].
 “Prehistory – Our Connection to the History of Humankind Before Text” is
part of the

ART APPRECIATION
Open Educational Resource

by Marie Porterfield Barry

East Tennessee State University, 2020

Introduction
This course explores the world’s visual arts, focusing on the development of visual awareness,
assessment, and appreciation by examining a variety of styles from various periods and cultures while
emphasizing the development of a common visual language. The materials are meant to foster a
broader understanding of the role of visual art in human culture and experience from the prehistoric
through the contemporary.

This is an Open Educational Resource (OER), an openly licensed educational material designed to replace
a traditional textbook.

Course Materials
Presentations
The course materials consist of 24 presentations examining art across the globe from prehistory though
the contemporary art world. These introduce key vocabulary, explore the way that culture and art are
linked, describe the varying methods and techniques of the featured artists, and encourage classroom
discourse.

Reading Lists
Each of the 24 presentations has an accompanying reading list which provides links to articles, videos,
and other resources. The reading list is meant to reinforce and clarify information covered in each of the
presentations.

Sample Assignments
A list of sample assignments is also included. Ranging from brief essays to simple art projects, these are
designed to be completed in a sketchbook to more deeply explore course concepts. Intended to
encourage learners to think like artists, art critics, and art historians, assignments emphasize practices of
creative thinking and artistic method, while reinforcing concepts addressed in classroom lectures and
required readings.
Copyright Information
Creative Commons License
This OER is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0); it is intended for non-commercial, educational purposes. Whenever available,
images used within this OER are public domain or licensed under Creative Commons. Each image
includes the individual licensing or copyright information.

Educational Fair Use

Due to the nature of the course materials, some of the works of art covered are protected by copyright.
Images of these works of art are included with a tag stating that they are Educational Fair Use. These
copyrighted materials should not be printed or reproduced as this may qualify as copyright
infringement. Images designated as Educational Fair Use are provided in low resolution which is suitable
for display on the screen but is not high quality enough for printing or reproducing. Whenever possible,
a link is included to access a higher quality version of the image on museum or educational websites. If
available, copyright information is also listed on these images.

Some of the images presented in this OER are marked with a Creative Commons license and include a
tag for Educational Fair Use, especially works of art that have been photographed while installed in
museums. The photographs of these works of art are licensed by the photographer but the two-
dimensional works of art are protected under copyright. The images are therefore meant only for the
purpose of education and contemplation and are included in a low resolution.

Adopting, Adapting, or Expanding the Resource

The goal for this OER is to build an educational resource that is flexible enough to address concepts
relevant to the contemporary discourse and scholarship in the visual arts. For those interested in
utilizing these course materials, I am providing below some additional information that may be useful in
expanding, adapting, or reinterpreting the materials. Editable versions are available in Microsoft
PowerPoint and Word at https://dc.etsu.edu/art-appreciation-oer/

The font used to create the presentations and written documents for this OER is Calibri.

Finding Additional Readings, Lessons, and Articles

Smarthistory: https://smarthistory.org/
Smarthistory is an extensive open educational resource which publishes outstanding essays and video
lectures about art. The Creating + Conserving section of Smarthistory includes wonderful informational
articles and videos about materials and processes: https://smarthistory.org/tag/conservation/

MoMA Learning: https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/

MoMA Learning provides a wonderful selection of essays on works of modern art and also has
assignment suggestions at the bottom of each section.

KhanAcademy: https://www.khanacademy.org/.
Khan Academy is an outstanding platform of open educational resources covering a variety of academic
and scholarly topics.
Trivium Art History: https://arthistoryproject.com/
Trivium Art History is a free, online art history book with clean design and approachable descriptions of
works of art, periods of art history, and fun artist biographies. The Themes of Art section is a nice tool to
helping students explore works that match their interests. The World of Art section is a useful tool for an
exploratory World Art sketchbook prompt. The Timeline section is useful, as it separates works of art
into galleries based on period.

Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning: https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-textbooks/3/

For a more traditional, textbook approach, there is an Introduction to Art open educational resource
textbook available.

Locating Images
If you are utilizing the course materials and would like to add new images that are public domain or
licensed under Creative Commons, there are several useful tips provided below for finding images.

The Met Museum: https://www.metmuseum.org/

The Met has an option to search for Open Access images within the collection here. Make sure that the
“Open Access” box is checked. The image license is CC0 1.0, and will be marked OA Public Domain at the
lower left of the image.

Google Images: https://www.google.com/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi&ogbl

Google Images has an option under “Settings” > “Advanced Search” to search by “Usage Rights”.
Choosing “Free to use share or modify” will allow a search for images suitable for expanding our OER.

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/

Wikimedia Commons is an outstanding resource for finding open source images, with a strong collection
of works of art.

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com
Flickr allows users to specify image licenses on uploaded photographs. Click “Some rights reserved” at
the lower right of the image to check the licensing. Some images will say “Public Domain” or will be
licensed under a Creative Commons (CC) license, allowing for the use in an OER.

Smarthistory Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/groups/smarthistory/pool/

The Smarthistory Flickr is expansive with images licensed for educational purposes.

Acknowledgements
This Art Appreciation OER was adapted from existing resources by Marie Porterfield Barry as part of East
Tennessee State University’s Open Educational Resources (OERs) Initiatives, which are a collaboration of
the Charles C. Sherrod Library and the Center for Teaching Excellence. Deepest gratitude for the support
from Ashley Sergiadis of Sherrod Library and Phil Smith of the Center for Teaching Excellence during the
building of this resource. Thanks as well to my students at East Tennessee State University whose
feedback and participation during our Art Appreciation classes was immensely valuable in compiling and
evaluating this OER.
 A note on dates:

BCE = Before Common Era (BC = before Christ)

CE = Common Era (AD= anno Domini, “in the year of the Lord”)

15,000 BCE --- 3,200 BCE --- 63 BCE ---1 BCE ---I--- 1 CE --- 590 CE ---1492 CE --- 2019 CE

Background image: William Morris Fabric, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: Public Domain
 2019
This is the 21st Century CE

1198 AD
This is the 12th Century CE

1334 BC
This is the 14th Century BCE

Background image: William Morris Fabric, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: Public Domain
 PREHISTORIC ART:
Our Connection to the History of
Humankind before Text
“Prehistory” = Human existence before writing
 Part of what defines humans as a species is our ability to make and understand art.

Looking back at the art of prehistoric humans allows us a glimpse into the lives of those who
came before us. We can understand more deeply, through viewing the works of art that have
endured for millennia, the kind of world that prehistoric people inhabited.
 We will look at works of art from two prehistoric periods:

1. Paleolithic: “Old Stone” Age

Nomadic, hunter-gatherers created paintings deep in caves that
were revisited over thousands of years. Paleolithic peoples also
carved small figures, which could be carried with them.

1. Neolithic: “New Stone” Age

The development of agriculture allowed for more permanent
settlements and, therefore, more enduring and monumental works
of art.
 Paleolithic Period:
The beginning of art
 Humans first made tools.

This was the beginning of humans’ ability to

transform objects.

Paleolithic Hand Axe

Black flint, Before 180,000 BC

Author: The Portable Antiquities Scheme/ The Trustees of the

British Museum
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
 Pierced shells found in Blombos Cave in
South Africa, buried within a 75,000 year
old layer of sediment.

Author: Chris Henshilwood

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 3.0

Works of ornamental art, including geometrically inscribed pieces of ochre and

shells painted with ochre and pierced (likely for stringing) have been discovered
dating from 75,000 to 100,000 years ago.
 PALEOLITHIC PERIOD : CAVE ART
Cave art from the Paleolithic era provides us with some of our earliest
examples of representational art.
PECH-MERLE CAVE
 What is depicted in this image?

Spotted Horses and Human Hands, Pech-Merle Cave.

Replica painting in the Brno museum Anthropos.

Horses 25,000-24,000 BCE; hands c. 15,000 BCE.

Author: HTO, Cropped from original

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
Pech-Merle Cave in France includes paintings
of spotted horses with accompanying negative
handprints, presumably made by the artist.

The horse’s head follows the curve of the rock,

making it seem as if it would free itself from
the stone on which it is painted.

The spots on the horse, once thought to be

symbolic or shamanistic, are likely naturalistic
renderings of a prehistoric spotted horse.

Spotted Horses and Human Hands, Pech-Merle Cave.

Replica painting in the Brno museum Anthropos.
Horses 25,000-24,000 BCE; hands c. 15,000 BCE.

Author: HTO, Cropped from original

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
The artists used their hands as stencils,
which is particularly evident in the negative
handprint, seen here floating above the
horse.

Spotted Horses and Human Hands

Pech-Merle Cave
Horses 25,000-24,000 BCE; hands c. 15,000 BCE.

Author: HTO, Cropped from original

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
Cave archaeologist Michel Lorblanchet was
able to reproduce the Pech-Merle cave
painting of Spotted Horses and Human Hands.

Believing saliva to be a more durable binder for

the pigment, Lorblanchet chewed pigment in
his mouth and then used his hands as stencils,
spitting the pigment onto the wall.

This prehistoric style of spray painting allowed

artists to paint on walls that were uneven.
Lorblanchet posits that not only were the
negative handprints painted with this method,
but the horses were as well.

Spotted Horses and Human Hands, Pech-Merle Cave.

Replica painting in the Brno museum Anthropos.
Horses 25,000-24,000 BCE; hands c. 15,000 BCE.
Author: HTO, Cropped from original
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
 c. 15,000 BCE

The hand of the artist…

Enduring for thousands of years.
 c. 15,000 BCE

Studying works of art from the prehistoric period provides a sense of connection to
humans who lived thousands of years ago.

As you are, I once was.

As I am, you will become.

Even though these works of art were made before the invention of writing, we are
able to use works of art to gain insight into the worldview of prehistoric peoples.
 c. 15,000 BCE

The history of art is not simply a study of stories of the past

but a study of the meaning and significance of the objects that were
touched, molded, shaped, manipulated, and created by human hands
 c. 15,000 BCE

Meaning of the Cave Paintings:

Historians and archaeologists originally thought cave paintings were created as a result of
humans’ innate love of beauty.

But cave paintings required great effort to complete, so likely more motivation was needed.

Several hypotheses have been suggested by anthropologists and art historians:

Hunting guides? Rituals? Sacred space? Shelter from bad weather?
CHAUVET-PONT-D'ARC CAVE
One of oldest known caves is
Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave in
France, which includes paintings
dated (using carbon dating of the
charcoal) as over 30,000 years old.

Museum replica of paintings from

Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave in the Brno
museum Anthropos.

Author: HTO, Retouched from original

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
Images of animals in Chauvet
Cave include:
Rhinoceroses, horses,
mammoths, musk oxen, ibexes,
reindeer, aurochs, megaloceros
deer, panthers, and owls.

Notably, many of these animals

were not part of the Paleolithic
diet.

Museum replica of paintings from

Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave in the Brno
museum Anthropos.

Author: HTO, Retouched from original

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
In rigorously rendered profile
drawings of the heads of
panthers, or lionesses, the artist
seems to examine the various
features of the animal.

Museum replica of paintings from

Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave in the Brno
museum Anthropos.

Author: HTO
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
Imagine viewing these images in the flickering light of a flame as they
were originally intended to be seen.

Author: HTO, Retouched from original Author: HTO

Source: Wikimedia Commons Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain License: Public Domain
LASCAUX CAVE
 Discovered by an eighteen-
year-old local man in 1940,
Lascaux Cave became famous
for its incredible Hall of Bulls,
featuring numerous
naturalistically rendered
animals who appear to be
traveling around the top
portion of the cave.

Hall of Bulls at Lascaux II (replica cave of the original which is closed to the
public)
Author: Bayes Ahmed
Source: Flickr
License: CC BY 2.0
 When viewed with the light of a
flame, imagine the way in
which the promenading
animals would appear to come
to life above the heads of the
viewer.

The cave paintings at Lascaux

date from around 15,000 years
ago.

Hall of Bulls at Lascaux II (replica cave of the original which is closed to the
public)
Author: Bayes Ahmed
Source: Flickr
License: CC BY 2.0
 Lascaux Cave features paintings of
a variety of animals, including
bulls, lions, horses, bison, elk, deer,
and a bear, created using black
charcoal and several colors of
ochre. Ochre is a type of
pigmented clay which comes in
colors ranging from yellow to red
to warm brown.

Replica of horse painting from Lascaux Cave

Author: Traumrune
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
This image of an ochre quarry in France
shows the range of colors found in the
clay, from yellows to warm browns.

The colored pigments utilized in the cave

paintings are a range of ochres, used
alongside charcoal and black manganese
dioxide.

Author: Fulvio Spada

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC-BY SA 2.0
 Hundreds of paintings and incised
wall drawings survive throughout
multiple rooms in Lascaux Cave.

Within the cave, archeologists

also found multiple stone tools,
which were likely used for carving
drawings into the walls. The
spitting technique was also
utilized to color the animals with
ochre pigment.

Aurochs, Horses and Deer in Lascaux Cave

Author: Prof Saxx
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
 Holes found in some walls may
have been used to support
scaffolding of tree limbs to
allow artists to climb to the top
of the cave to paint.

Hall of Bulls at Lascaux II (replica cave of the original which is closed to the public)
Author: Bayes Ahmed
Source: Flickr
License: CC BY 2.0
 Theories regarding the
purpose of these 15,000
year old paintings range
from “hunting magic”, in
which artists created images
as a way of enhancing the
outcome of hunting
expeditions, to religious
ceremony or shamanism, to
love of beauty.

However, it is impossible to
know the true purpose of
these incredible works of art
since very little is know
about the beliefs and
practices of Paleolithic
peoples who left behind no
written documents.
Lascaux II (replica cave of the original which is closed to the public)
Author: Francesco Bandarin
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
 The complexity of the
naturalistic renderings of
animals buried deep
within numerous caves
and left behind for
millennia by Paleolithic
peoples allows us a
glimpse into a bygone
world.

Hall of Bulls at Lascaux II (replica cave of the original which is closed to the public)
Author: Adibu456
Source: Flickr
License: CC BY-NC 2.0
Hall of Bulls at Lascaux II (replica cave of the original which is closed to the public)
Author: Adibu456, Source: Flickr, License: CC BY-NC 2.0
PALEOLITHIC PERIOD:
CARVED FIGURES
Numerous small carved figurines also survive from
the Paleolithic period.
 Perhaps the most famous of the surviving Paleolithic figurines
is the Woman of Willendorf, or Venus of Willendorf.

Woman of Willendorf
Oolitic Limestone Tinted with Red Ochre
c. 24,000-22,000 B.C.E
Height: 4-3/8“

Author: Steven Zucker

Source: Smarthistory
License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Discovered outside the village of Willendorf, Austria in
1908, Woman of Willendorf is carved from oolitic
limestone, a stone which cannot be found in the area
surrounding Willendorf. This suggests that the small
figure was carried with nomads.

Woman of Willendorf
Oolitic Limestone Tinted with Red Ochre
c. 24,000-22,000 B.C.E
Height: 4-3/8“

Author: Steven Zucker

Source: Smarthistory
License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
 The deep navel of the Woman of Willendorf is indicated
using a naturally occurring indentations in the oolitic
limestone.

Woman of Willendorf
Oolitic Limestone Tinted with Red Ochre
c. 24,000-22,000 B.C.E
Height: 4-3/8“

Author: Steven Zucker

Source: Smarthistory
License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Originally painted using red ochre, the Woman of
Willendorf has lost much of her color over the
millennia. Some paint is still visible in the navel and
deeper carved areas of the figure.

Woman of Willendorf
Oolitic Limestone Tinted with Red Ochre
c. 24,000-22,000 B.C.E
Height: 4-3/8“

Author: Don Hitchcock

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Originally named Venus and commonly considered a
fertility goddess due to the exaggerated female
anatomical features, new theories have emerged related
to the purpose of these portable figurines.

New theories include the suggestion that figurines such

as Women from Willendorf could have been used to trade
between groups of Paleolithic peoples across Europe.

Woman of Willendorf
Oolitic Limestone Tinted with Red Ochre
c. 24,000-22,000 B.C.E
Height: 4-3/8“

Author: Steven Zucker

Source: Smarthistory
License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
 Similar small carved figures have been found widely distributed throughout Europe.

Woman of Willendorf Woman from Dolní Vĕstonice Woman from Brassempouy

Austria. c. 24,000-22,000 B.C.E Czech Republic. c. 23,000 BCE. France. c. 26,000-24,000 BCE.
Height: 4-3/8“ Height: 4-1/4“ Height: 1.4“
Author: Don Hitchcock, Source: Wikimedia Author: Petr Novák, Source: Wikipedia, Author: Jean-Gilles Berizzi, Cropped, Source:
Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0 License: CC BY-SA 2.5 Wikipedia, License: Public Domain
NEOLITHIC PERIOD : MEGALITHIC ARCHITECTURE
The development of agriculture allowed for more permanent settlements during the Neolithic
period. The period is marked by the construction of megalithic, or large stone, architecture.
 A henge is a circle of stones or
posts, typically surrounded by a
ditch.

Aerial view of Stonehenge

Author: Timeyres
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
 There are over 1,000 examples of
stone circle structures in Britain,
Ireland, and northern France.

Stonehenge is the most complex of

the Neolithic stone architecture.

Stonehenge
England.
c. 2900-1500 BCE.

Author: Nicole Rathmayr

Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY 3.0
 Stonehenge, Author: Julie Anne Workman, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0

What kinds of stories about Stonehenge have you heard?

 Because Stonehenge was
built in prehistoric times, or
the time before the
invention of writing, much
of what we know about
Stonehenge is based on
speculation and informed
theories. The mystery of
Stonehenge has also led to
many unlikely and
unsupported, albeit
whimsical, theories.

Stonehenge
Author: Erwin Bosman
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC0 1.0
 Historians, however, can use
evidence from the site,
including geology to track
the stones and archaeology
to unearth nearby artifacts,
to begin to piece together a
plausible explanation of
Stonehenge and its
significance to those who
spent centuries building the
structure.

Stonehenge
Author: Erwin Bosman
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC0 1.0
 One of the most incredible
features of Stonehenge is
its relationship to the sun.
A central horseshoe shape
of massive trilithons are
arranged to frame the
sunrise on the summer
solstice and the sunset
on the winter solstice.

Stonehenge at sunrise, Winter Solstice

Author: Mark Grant
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY 2.5
 The red line indicates the
placement of the horseshoe of
trilithons that frame the sunrise
and sunset during the
solstices.

Aerial view of Stonehenge

Author: Timeyres
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC BY-SA 2.0
 Stonehenge, Author: Julie Anne Workman, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 3.0

Stonehenge was built during at least 3 different building phases from 3100-1500 BCE.
 Scholars speculate stones (up to 50 tons
each) were moved on rolling logs.

Largest stones were likely transported

up to 20 miles.

Sophisticated understanding of physics

and pulleys with levers was needed to
place stones (which are partially buried
to increase stability)

Smaller bluestones (approx. 4 tons

each) were possibly transported from
Preseli Mountains in Wales, about 150
miles away.

Stonehenge
Author: Kristian H. Resset
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: Public Domain
 The current theories
about Stonehenge relate
to death and burial.

The cremated remains of

dozens of people were
found at site of the
megalithic stones.

Stonehenge
Author: Daveahern
Source: Wikimedia Commons To read an article regarding the
License: Public Domain burials around Stonehenge, visit:
https://www.theguardian.com/sci
ence/2013/mar/09/archaeology-
stonehenge-bones-burial-ground
 Woodhenge. Author: GothamNurse, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Nearby Stonehenge stood a Neolithic henge which was made of wooden posts. Woodhenge,
arranged in a remarkably similar configuration to Stonehenge, sat alongside the settlement of
Durrington Walls where prehistoric peoples are believed to have lived.

Theories suggest that prehistoric peoples associated wood with the living and stone with the
dead. When people died at the settlement of Durrington Walls, they journeyed from Woodhenge
to Stonehenge where they were buried.
Evidence suggests that there are
prehistoric avenues leading from
Woodhenge down to the River
Avon. The dead would have been
carried down this avenue then
transported on the River Avon
toward Stonehenge. Another
avenue leads from the River Avon
to the sacred site of Stonehenge,
where the body would have been
buried.

Contains Ordnance Survey data ©

Crown copyright and database
right, 2015
Author: Ordnance Survey
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: OS OpenData
 “We are looking at a pairing
– one in timber to
represent the transience of
life, the other in stone
marking the eternity of the
ancestral dead.”

-Mike Parker-Pearson of the University of

Sheffield in “Human remains explain
Stonehenge mystery” for New Scientist

Stonehenge
Author: Erwin Bosman
Source: Wikimedia Commons
License: CC0 1.0

Woodhenge. Author: GothamNurse, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Stone marking eternity.

Stonehenge at Sunset. Author: Peter Trimming for the Geograph Project, Source: Wikimedia Commons, License: CC BY-SA 2.0
Reading List: 03_Prehistory: Our Connection to the History of Humankind Before Text

Paleolithic Technology, Culture, and Art:

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/origin-humans-
early-societies/a/paleolithic-culture-and-technology

Intro to Paleolithic Art:

https://smarthistory.org/paleolithic-art-an-introduction/. Includes dates for various sites. Includes
information about Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc Cave.

Transcript of interview with Michel Lorblanchet from PBS Nova series:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2108hum3.html
Lorblanchet says:
“The breath is probably, I think, the most important part of a human being, and the artist, by spitting the
paint, is projecting himself onto the rock surface, and doing this action, he became the horse. He was
transformed into the horse.”

Interview with Micehl Lorblanchet on research into cave painting methods:

http://discovermagazine.com/1993/jul/paleolithicpaint240

Lascaux Cave Details, Materials, Description:

https://smarthistory.org/hall-of-bulls-lascaux/

Woman from Willendorf:

https://smarthistory.org/venus-of-willendorf/

Information about Woman of Willendorf:

https://web.archive.org/web/20171204194213/http://donsmaps.com/willendorf.html

Stonehenge:
https://smarthistory.org/stonehenge/

Stonehenge / Woodhenge (Burial place / Settlement):

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/global-prehistory-ap/paleolithic-mesolithic-
neolithic/v/stonehenge-unesconhk

Stonehenge as Burial Place:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/mar/09/archaeology-stonehenge-bones-burial-ground

Connection between Stonehenge and Woodhenge:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14012-human-remains-explain-stonehenge-mystery/
Sketchbook Assignment: 03_Prehistory-Our Connection to the History of Humankind Before Text

Think about the handprints left by the prehistoric painter in Pech-Merle cave. Trace your hand and
decorate it in a way the represents your identity. Annotate the image with explanations of your choices
of images, colors, or shapes.