English 4 (Developmental Reading 1)

Offer # 4081 (TF 7:30 a.m – 9:00 a.m.)

Group Reporting (Group 1)

Instructor: Dr. Rizalina E. Ocaya

Old Stone Age

(The Art of Stone Age)

The Stone Age art illustrates early human creativity through small portable objects, cave paintings, and early sculpture and architecture.

The Stone Age lasted from 30,000 BC to about 3,000 BC, and is named after the main technological tool developed at that time. It ended with the advent of the Bronze Age and Iron Age.

The Stone Age is divided in three distinct periods: the Paleolithic

Period or Old Stone Age (30,000 BC – 10,000 BC), the Mesolithic Period or Middle Stone Age (10,000 BC –

8,000 BC), and the Neolithic Period or New Stone Age (8,000 BC –

3,000 BC).

The art of the Stone Age represents the first accomplishments in human creativity, preceding the invention of writing.

Art of this period illustrates and responds to the daily activities and evolution of early communities, from nomad hunters and gatherers to sedentary agrarian societies in need of permanent shelters.

Terms:Nomad

A member of a community of people who move from one

place to another, rather than settling permanently in one

location.

Terms:Parietal Art

Paintings, murals, drawings, etchings, carvings, and pecked artwork on the interior of rock shelters and caves; also known

as cave art.

Terms:Prehistory

The span of time before recorded history; all the time

preceding human existence and the invention of writing.

The Stone Age is the first of the three-age system of archaeology, which divides human technological prehistory into three periods: the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. The Stone Age lasted roughly 3.4 million years, from 30,000 BC to about 3,000 BC, and ended with the advent of metalworking.

The Stone Age has been divided in three distinct periods:

Paleolithic Period or Old Stone Age (30,000 BC – 10,000 BC)

Mesolithic Period or Middle Stone Age (10,000 BC – 8,000 BC)

Neolithic Period or New Stone Age (8,000 BC – 3,000 BC)

The art of the Stone Age represents the first accomplishments in human creativity, preceding the invention of writing. While numerous artifacts still exist today, the lack of writing systems from this era greatly limits our understanding of prehistoric art and culture.

The art of the Stone Age: Paleolithic

The very earliest human artifacts showing evidence of workmanship with an artistic purpose are the subject of some debate, but it is clear that such workmanship existed by 40,000 years ago. By 20,000 BC human settlements of hunters and gatherers were present all over the world, except for in Antarctica.

The art of the Stone Age: Paleolithic

The earliest settlements occurred in Africa, where rock paintings and engravings represented the oldest form of art found in this continent. Depictions of highly stylized human figures and richly colored animals were used for magical purposes in order to ensure a successful hunt.

The art of the Stone Age: Mesolithic

From the Paleolithic through the Mesolithic, cave paintings and portable art such as figurines,

statuettes, and beads predominated, with decorative

figured workings also seen on some utilitarian objects.

The art of the Stone Age: Mesolithic

Venus figurines—an umbrella term for a number of prehistoric female statuettes portrayed with similar physical attributes—were very

popular at the time. These figurines were carved from soft stone (such as steatite, calcite, or limestone),

bone or ivory, or formed of clay and fired.

The art of the Stone Age: Mesolithic

The latter are among the oldest ceramics known. Also in this period,

personal accessories and adornments were made from shell

and bone. All the examples mentioned above fall under the

category of portable art: small for easy transport.

The art of the Stone Age: Mesolithic

Archeological discoveries across a broad swath of Europe (especially

Southern France, like those at Lascaux ; Northern Spain; and

Swabia, in Germany) include over two hundred caves with spectacular paintings, drawings, and sculptures

that are among the earliest undisputed examples of

representational image-making.

The art of the Stone Age: Mesolithic

Paintings and engravings along the caves' walls and ceilings fall under the category of parietal art.

Cave paintings in Lascaux, France

Lascaux Caves, Prehistoric Paintings

Modern interpretation of the bison from the Altamira cave ceiling, one

of the most famous paintings in the cave.

The Art of the Stone Age: Neolithic

The Neolithic saw the transformation of nomad human

settlements into agrarian societies in need of permanent shelter. From

this period there is evidence of early pottery, as well as sculpture, architecture, and the construction of megaliths. Early rock art also first appeared in the Neolithic.

The End of the Stone

Age

The advent of metalworking in the Bronze Age brought additional

media available for use in making art, an increase in stylistic

diversity, and the creation of objects that did not have any

obvious function other than art. It also saw the development in some areas of artisans, a class of people

specializing in the production of art, as well as in early writing systems.

By the Iron Age, civilizations with writing had arisen from

Ancient Egypt to Ancient China.

Old Stone Age Rock PaintingPresenters:

Adami, Girlie E.Arrieta, Mark Anthony G.Chaves, Soren Amcil L.Chaves, Diana C.Lumajang, Junderick A.Macalaguing, Jay Ann B.