Global Prehistoric Art, 30,000–500 BCE

Bronze and iron metals

Silk screens with ink printing

Stone and earth pigments

Oil-based paints on canvas

They maintained the traditional style of muscular pharaohs to emphasize continuity in leadership.

Colossal statues were exclusively used for temple entrances, reflecting traditional architectural norms.

The statues were smaller than previous ones, symbolizing a reduction in royal authority.

They depicted a more naturalistic and less idealized form of the pharaoh, aligning with his religious reforms.

Detailed facial features indicate individual recognition and portraiture becoming significant societal concerns.

Exaggerated features such as enlarged breasts and hips symbolize aspects associated with childbearing and motherhood.

Use of rare imported materials signifies early engagement with wide-reaching trading systems across regions.

The small size suggests it was used as personal adornment reflecting status within the community hierarchy.

Terracotta.

Bronze.

Stone.

Wood.

Urban landscapes

Religious iconography from later historical periods

Animals and hunting scenes

Industrial revolution imagery

Artists used secluded areas to protect their work from natural elements like weathering.

Choosing inaccessible places reflects a societal hierarchy where only elite could view art.

Art in remote locations may indicate ritualistic or sacred uses separate from daily life.

Deep caves were chosen for artistic expression due to better lighting conditions.

Ochre utilization implies advancements in technology for hunting strategies.

It reflects increased trade with distant groups who provided the pigment.

The pigment use suggests a shift from nomadic to agricultural lifestyles.

Ochre's employment indicates evolving symbolic thinking and communication.

Variations in handprint sizes may imply specific roles attributed to different genders within artistic rites.

Handprints sizes vary due climate factors affecting growth, providing no insight into gender dynamics.

All handprints regardless size represent individual artist's personal signature without any societal implications.

Size variations reflect age groups instead gender, indicating initiation ceremonies for youth.

Depictions of animals.

Abstract patterns using geometric shapes.

Large inscriptions of text.

Portraits of individual people.

Increased reliance on complex machinery indicated the onset of industrialization or an era.

Development of new techniques reflected adaptability to environmental resources and constraints faced by populations.

Tendency towards standardized production signified the beginnings of capitalism.

Necessity to create durable goods reveals a transition to sedentary agriculture-based settlements.