Glossary
Animal Motifs
Recurring designs or patterns featuring animals, often used in art to convey symbolic meanings related to nature, power, or sustenance.
Example:
The prevalence of animal motifs in prehistoric cave paintings suggests a deep connection between early humans and the natural world.
Anthropomorphic Stele
An upright stone slab carved with a human-like figure, often serving as a grave marker or commemorative monument.
Example:
The simple yet powerful form of an Anthropomorphic Stele from the Arabian Peninsula suggests its role in honoring ancestors or marking sacred spaces.
Beaker with Ibex Motifs
A ceramic vessel from Susa, Iran, characterized by its tall, bell-shaped form and stylized depictions of ibexes and geometric patterns.
Example:
The elongated neck and exaggerated horns of the ibex on the Beaker with Ibex Motifs demonstrate the artist's mastery of abstract design.
Bone
The rigid, connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates, often carved or incised by prehistoric peoples.
Example:
Intricate patterns and animal figures were often etched into bone tools and ornaments, showcasing early artistic skill.
Bronze
An alloy primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive, known for its strength and durability, marking a significant technological advancement.
Example:
The development of bronze casting allowed for the creation of more complex tools, weapons, and sculptures during the Bronze Age.
Camelid Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine
A prehistoric artifact from Tequixquiac, Mexico, carved from a camelid sacrum bone to resemble a canine head.
Example:
The Camelid Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine exemplifies how early artists transformed natural materials into meaningful forms, possibly for spiritual use.
Carving
A subtractive sculptural technique where material is removed from a solid block to create a form.
Example:
The intricate details on a prehistoric Venus figurine were achieved through careful carving of bone or stone.
Charcoal
A black carbonaceous material obtained by heating wood in the absence of air, commonly used as a drawing and painting pigment.
Example:
The outlines of animals in Lascaux Cave were often sketched using charcoal before being filled in with other colors.
Clay
A natural, fine-grained earth material that is plastic when wet, allowing it to be molded and then hardened by drying or firing.
Example:
Early civilizations discovered that clay could be shaped into vessels for storage or figures for ritual, then fired in a kiln to make them durable.
Cross-hatching
A drawing technique that uses intersecting sets of parallel lines to create shading and depth.
Example:
While less common in early prehistory, later artists would use cross-hatching to give a sense of volume to their figures.
Cultural Diversity
The variety of human societies or cultures in a specific region or across the globe, reflected in their unique artistic expressions and practices.
Example:
Studying Global Prehistory highlights the immense cultural diversity of early human societies, each developing distinct artistic traditions based on their environment and beliefs.
Engraving
A technique where lines are incised into a surface using a sharp tool, often used for detailed imagery on bone, stone, or metal.
Example:
The delicate patterns on a prehistoric antler tool were created through precise engraving.
Gold
A precious, malleable, and non-corrosive yellow metal, highly valued for its beauty and often used for ceremonial objects and jewelry.
Example:
Elaborate burial masks and ritualistic vessels were often crafted from gold, signifying wealth and divine connection.
Ivory
A hard, white material from the tusks of elephants and other animals, prized for its smooth texture and carvable nature.
Example:
The delicate Venus of Hohle Fels, one of the earliest known figurative sculptures, was meticulously carved from ivory.
Jade
A hard, typically green or white, ornamental stone, highly valued in many ancient cultures for its beauty and perceived spiritual properties.
Example:
The durability and lustrous quality of jade made it a prized material for ritual objects and elite adornments in ancient China.
Jade Cong
A ritualistic object from ancient China, typically a hollow cylinder with a square outer section, often carved with intricate designs.
Example:
The precise craftsmanship of the Jade Cong reflects the Liangzhu culture's advanced understanding of material properties and their spiritual beliefs.
Lapita
An ancient culture of the Pacific, known for its distinctive pottery with intricate stamped and incised patterns, crucial for understanding Polynesian migration.
Example:
The distinctive pottery of the Lapita people provides archaeological evidence of their widespread maritime voyages and cultural exchange across the Pacific.
Liangzhu
A Neolithic culture in China, known for its sophisticated jade craftsmanship, particularly the production of cong and bi discs.
Example:
The Liangzhu culture's mastery of jade carving is evident in the intricate patterns and precise forms of their ritual objects.
Manganese
A metallic element, often found in mineral forms like manganese dioxide, which was used as a black pigment in prehistoric art.
Example:
The deep black details in some Paleolithic cave art were created using powdered manganese minerals.
Moche
An ancient civilization that flourished in northern Peru, known for its sophisticated pottery, metalwork, and monumental architecture.
Example:
The Moche culture produced highly detailed ceramic vessels depicting daily life, rituals, and mythological scenes.
Modeling
An additive sculptural technique where a soft, pliable material is built up and shaped to create a form.
Example:
Early ceramic figures were often created by modeling wet clay into desired shapes before firing.
Ochre
A natural earth pigment, typically yellow, brown, or red, composed of hydrated iron oxide, widely used in prehistoric cave paintings.
Example:
The vibrant red hues in many ancient cave paintings were achieved by grinding and applying ochre pigments.
Painting
The application of pigment to a surface to create an image, often seen in prehistoric cave art.
Example:
The vibrant bison and horses in the Altamira Cave are prime examples of prehistoric painting.
Pecking
A technique used in rock art where a harder stone is used to strike and remove small pieces from a rock surface, creating an image.
Example:
Many petroglyphs, like those found in the American Southwest, were created by pecking designs into dark rock surfaces to reveal lighter rock underneath.
Perspective
The representation of three-dimensional objects or spaces on a two-dimensional surface, creating an illusion of depth and distance.
Example:
Although not fully developed, some prehistoric cave paintings show early attempts at perspective by overlapping figures or varying their size.
Pottery Making
The process of forming objects from clay and then hardening them by firing, leading to durable ceramic wares.
Example:
Pottery making revolutionized food storage and cooking, allowing for more settled lifestyles and diverse culinary practices.
Relief
A sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material, projecting outwards.
Example:
The figures on an ancient Egyptian tomb wall are often depicted in relief, emerging slightly from the flat stone surface.
Ritualistic Purpose
The function of an artwork as part of a religious ceremony, spiritual practice, or sacred rite.
Example:
Many ancient masks were created with a ritualistic purpose, intended to be worn during ceremonies to connect with spirits or deities.
Rock
A natural, solid mineral material forming part of the surface of the earth, often used as a primary medium for prehistoric art.
Example:
Ancient artists utilized the natural caves and surfaces of rock formations to create enduring parietal art.
Running Horned Woman
A prominent rock painting from Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria, depicting a female figure with horns, possibly a goddess or ritual participant.
Example:
The dynamic pose and elaborate headdress of the Running Horned Woman suggest a figure of great importance, perhaps a deity or shaman.
Shells
The hard, protective outer layer of mollusks, often used for adornment, tools, or as components in composite artworks.
Example:
Necklaces and bracelets adorned with polished shells suggest early forms of personal decoration and status symbols.
Silver
A precious, lustrous, white metallic element, often used alongside gold for decorative and ceremonial objects in later prehistoric periods.
Example:
Intricately hammered silver vessels were sometimes found in elite burials, indicating their high value and skilled craftsmanship.
Stele
An upright stone slab or pillar, typically carved or inscribed, used as a monument, grave marker, or to commemorate events.
Example:
The Code of Hammurabi is famously inscribed on a large basalt stele, serving as a public record of ancient laws.
Stippling
A drawing or painting technique that uses small dots to create an image, shading, or texture.
Example:
Some early rock art utilized stippling to create textured animal hides or subtle variations in tone.
Susa, Iran
An ancient city in Mesopotamia, a significant center for early urban development and artistic production, particularly known for its pottery.
Example:
Archaeological excavations at Susa, Iran, have revealed a rich history of early civilizations and their distinctive artistic styles.
Symbolic Purpose
The function of an artwork to represent or stand for something else, often an abstract idea, belief, or concept.
Example:
The use of animal imagery in prehistoric art often had a symbolic purpose, representing fertility, power, or the hunt.
Terra Cotta
A type of earthenware, a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic, typically brownish-red in color when fired, widely used for pottery and sculpture.
Example:
The ancient Greeks often used terra cotta for everyday vessels and small votive figures due to its availability and ease of working.
Terra Cotta Fragment
A piece of fired clay pottery, often decorated with intricate patterns or human-like faces, indicative of early ceramic traditions.
Example:
The intricate geometric designs on a Terra Cotta Fragment from the Lapita culture reveal their advanced pottery techniques and artistic conventions.