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6705178-Art-Prehistoric Art

Prehistoric art, including cave paintings, rock carvings, and pottery, served both aesthetic and functional purposes within early human cultures, challenging the notion that such works were created solely for beauty. Recent research indicates that these art forms played significant roles in cultural practices, such as recording history, influencing hunting success, and facilitating food storage and transportation. By recognizing the dual roles of prehistoric art, we gain a deeper understanding of early humanity's creative expression and cultural continuity.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
20 views6 pages

6705178-Art-Prehistoric Art

Prehistoric art, including cave paintings, rock carvings, and pottery, served both aesthetic and functional purposes within early human cultures, challenging the notion that such works were created solely for beauty. Recent research indicates that these art forms played significant roles in cultural practices, such as recording history, influencing hunting success, and facilitating food storage and transportation. By recognizing the dual roles of prehistoric art, we gain a deeper understanding of early humanity's creative expression and cultural continuity.

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bmoseti20
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PREHISTORIC ART: BOTH AESTHETIC AND FUNCTIONAL PURPOSES

Student’s Name

Course

Date
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Prehistoric art encompasses a wide range of artistic creations from early human cultures

dating back thousands of years, including cave paintings expertly rendered on cavern walls and

ceilings, rock carvings beautifully etched into stone surfaces across vast landscapes, skillfully

crafted sculptures fashioned from bone and ivory, and meticulously designed pottery vessels

formed through technical processes. For a long period of time, the prevailing assumption was

that all such prehistoric artistic works served no practical purpose and were created by

inhabitants of the distant past purely for reasons of aesthetic expression and appreciation, similar

to the conceptualization of fine art produced in contemporary society. However, more recent

interdisciplinary research and in-depth analytical examination of accumulating archaeological

evidence now indicate that prehistoric art forms very likely fulfilled important functional roles

within their cultural settings as well. This paper will examine how prehistoric art in various

forms served both aesthetic and functional purposes through cultural practices like recording

history, influencing hunting success, and facilitating food storage and transportation.

Cave Art as History and Ritual

Some of the earliest and most elaborate prehistoric art can be found on the walls and

ceilings of cave systems across Europe and elsewhere. Cave paintings dating back tens of

thousands of years depict a variety of animals, humans, and abstract symbols. According to

Kiely, cave art may have functioned “as a kind of record of the mythologies and histories of

tribes, their rituals, and their beliefs before writing could serve that purpose.” The figural

imagery could represent narratives, while abstract symbols may have indicated symbolic records

(Kiely, 2023). In addition, the presence of animal art in caves has often been interpreted as an

attempt to influence hunting success or increase herd fertility through rituals (Kiely, 2023). By

depicting important prey species, early humans may have been exerting a form of power over the
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animals and influencing hunting outcomes. Cave art locations also suggest they played a role in

rituals conducted deep within sacred underground spaces. So, while aesthetically pleasing, cave

paintings served important cultural functions of recording oral histories and participating in

rituals central to survival. Additionally, the mystery of cave art's purpose should continue to be

of interest to historians studying early humanity.

Rock Art as Ritual and Identity

Petroglyphs and pictographs carved or painted on exposed rock faces also aided

important cultural practices for prehistoric peoples. At sites like the Lohraff Petroglyphs in

Missouri, the presence of both earth-related and sky-related motifs suggests they functioned in

part to represent the cosmological beliefs of surrounding Native groups like the Osage, in which

the earth and sky formed the basis of social and political organization (Diaz-Granados et al.,

2004). Additionally, rock art sites "functioned as places of prayer and for the telling of stories

(origin beliefs, creation legends, naming rituals, and vision quests)" (Duncan et al. 2010). Marks

believed to indicate places of entering or leaving the underworld are also featured at some sites.

So, while aesthetically decorative, rock art served as places for oral traditions, rituals, vision

quests, and cosmological practices central to cultural practices and group identities (Duncan et

al., 2010). Rock art provides valuable insights into indigenous cosmological systems.

Pottery for Food Storage and Preparation

Perhaps one of the most pragmatically functional forms of prehistoric art was ceramic

pottery. Analysis of pottery vessels reveals they played an important economic role in food

storage, preparation, and transportation for many early agricultural societies. Plant residue

analysis of potsherds from Inner Mongolia, China, dating back 8,000 years, indicated vessels

were used to process wild plant foods and curate resources during the hunting-gathering-foraging
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stage (Guan et al., 2004). Larger lithic toolkits found with early pottery may also suggest pottery-

facilitated resource curation. Additionally, the style and forms of pottery vessels often indicate

how they were used - Decorated jars, bowls, and flattened vessels were suited to various food

processing, storage, and transport roles depending on form (Woodward and Hill, 2002). The

integration of alien vessel styles and decoration into a group's material culture also provides

insight into social relationships and cultural change processes involving pottery (Woodward and

Hill). Therefore, pottery served not just aesthetic purposes but pivotal functional roles in

subsistence strategies and cultural interactions. Pottery technology was crucial for enabling

survival.

Contemporary Perspectives

While the meaning and functions of prehistoric artworks were long debated, current

multidisciplinary perspectives shed more light on their role in cultural practices beyond mere

aesthetics. Archaeological science now reveals how pottery aided practical needs like cooking

and food storage through residues and forms. Contextual analysis situates rock art in rituals and

oral traditions. Ethnographic analogies help interpret symbolic themes in cave art. Overall,

prehistoric art served both aesthetic expression and functional purposes through diverse media.

Cave paintings aided storytelling, history keeping, and rituals. Rock art marked sacred places for

ceremonies and beliefs. Pottery facilitated resource processing, storage, and transport, which are

vital to survival. Aesthetic designs and forms were thus intertwined with important cultural

functions. Prehistoric peoples, like artists today, created works of both visual pleasure and

practical use central to cultural continuity. Recognizing prehistoric art's dual roles enriches our

understanding of humanity's deep artistic heritage.


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Prehistoric art forms fulfilled vital practical needs within communities while also

representing symbolic systems. Cave paintings integrated spiritual and subsistence realms

through depictions imbued with ritual meaning. Rock carvings illustrated the cosmological

worldviews defining social organization. Ceramic production advanced food preservation

logistics crucial for subsistence. Across diverse artistic creations, symbolic communication

connected cultural practices to environments. Through conveying group narratives, histories, and

beliefs spatially and temporally, prehistoric art served as a medium for transmitting cultural

knowledge between generations. Appreciating art's pragmatic societal functions illuminates early

humanity's sophisticated capacity for creative expression in service of community continuity.

The evidence demonstrates that prehistoric artistic creations served dual purposes of

aesthetics and important cultural functions through varied media across time and space. Cave

paintings recorded oral traditions and influenced vital hunting. Rock art identified sacred sites

and cosmological beliefs. Pottery facilitated resource storage and social interactions essential to

subsistence. While aesthetically expressive, prehistoric artworks participated in key practices of

history keeping, ritual, food processing, and group identities integral to cultural survival. Current

multidisciplinary research illuminates prehistoric art's roles beyond mere decoration through

residues, locations, symbolic themes, and analogies with known societies. Appreciating

prehistoric art's aesthetic and pragmatic sides more fully recognizes early humans' creative

capacities and cultural richness throughout humanity's deep past. A better understanding of

prehistoric art deepens our knowledge of human cultures before written records.
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Bibliography

Diaz-Granados, Carol, Daniel Arsenault, Mary R. McCorvie, Johannes H.N. Loubser, and James

R. Duncan. (2004). 7. Pattern and Function at the Jeffers Petroglyphs, Minnesota. In The

Rock-Art of Eastern North America: Capturing Images and Insight. The University of

Alabama Press.

Duncan, James R., Charles H. Faulkner, Mark Hamilton Hedden, William Rex Weeks Jr, Joan

M. Vastokas, Tommy Charles, Paul A. Nevin, Robert Boszhardt, Cecil R. Ison, Elayne

Pope, Jack H. Steinbring, Robert A. Clouse Sr., Alan Cressler, Kevin L. Callahan,

Charles Swedlund, Edward J. Lenik, Lori A. Stanley, Fred E. Coy Jr, Mark J. Wagner,

Steven R. Ahler, Jan F. Simek, Richard Edging, Carol Diaz-Granados, James R. Duncan,

Johannes Loubser, Mary R. McCorvie, Daniel Arsenault, and Carol Diaz-Granados.

2010. The Rock-Art of Eastern North America. University of Alabama Press.

Guan, Ying, Chunxue Wang, Zhenyu Zhou, Jingtang Cheng, Jianen Cao, La Ta, and Zenglong

Xiong. 2022. “Evidence from Plant Starch Residues of the Function of Early Pottery and

the Plant Diet of Neolithic Inhabitants of Inner Mongolia, North China.” Quaternary

International 608–609 (January): 215. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2020.10.010.

Kiely, Alexandra. "The Origin of the World's Art: Prehistoric Cave Painting." HeadStuff, Last

modified January 11, 2023.https://headstuff.org/culture/history/origin-worlds-art-

prehistoric-cave-painting/.

Woodward, Ann, and J. D. Hill. Prehistoric Britain: The Ceramic Basis. Occasional

Publication /Prehistoric Ceramics Research Group. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 2002.

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