#AP Art History: Unit 1 - Prehistoric Art 🚀

Hey there, future art historian! Let's get you prepped for Unit 1. This unit covers prehistoric art, and while it might seem like ancient history, it's super important for understanding the foundations of art. We'll go through each work, focusing on the FFCCs (Form, Function, Content, Context) and making sure you're ready to ace those questions.

#🧭 Unit 1 Overview: Global Prehistory

This unit explores art from the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, focusing on how early humans used art for survival, storytelling, and ritual. Remember, this unit lays the groundwork for understanding later artistic developments. This unit is a foundation for understanding human artistic expression and its evolution, so don't skip it!

#🔗 Quick Links

• Apollo 11 Stones
• Great Hall of Bulls
• Camelid Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine
• Running Horned Woman
• Bushel with Ibex Motifs
• Anthropomorphic Stele
• Jade Cong
• Stonehenge
• Ambum Stone
• Tlatilco Female Figurines
• Terra-Cotta Fragment
• Final Exam Focus
• Practice Questions

#🖼️ Works of Unit 1

Let's dive into the artworks, one by one. Remember, it's all about understanding the FFCCs!

# 1. Apollo 11 Stones

Image Courtesy of the State Museum of Namibia.

• Form: Charcoal on stone. 🌑
• Function: Unknown, possibly for storytelling or animal worship. Being portable suggests a nomadic lifestyle.

* **Content:** Depicts a four-legged animal or a **therianthrope** (part human, part animal) in profile. The therianthrope theory suggests a shamanistic connection. * **Context:** Discovered in 1969, named after the Apollo 11 moon landing. One of the oldest known artworks in the world. 🌎

# 2. Great Hall of Bulls

Image Courtesy of Smarthistory.

• Form: Natural pigments on rock. 🎨
• Function: To represent the importance of animals for hunter-gatherers, possibly used in rituals or storytelling.

* **Content:** Depicts various animals, with women gathering and men hunting, showing **stratification of labor** by sex. The large animals show respect and importance. * **Context:** Located deep in a cave, suggesting a sacred or ritualistic space. Overlapping images (**superimposed**) show long-term use by **nomadic** peoples. ⛰️

# 3. Camelid Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine

Image Courtesy of Obelisk Art History

• Form: Carved bone from the sacrum of an extinct camelid. 🦴
• Function: Unknown, possibly representing a canine or fertility due ...