Stone Age & Mesopotamia

30,000 B.C. – 539 B.C.

B.C. – Before Christ

A.D. – Anno Domini (The Year of Our Lord)

There is no year “0” the year

1 A.D. follows the year 1 B.C.

The first art objects were not created out of

decoration but as spiritual symbols.

The Stone Age is divided into three periods

Paleolithic • Mesolithic • Neolithic

Paleo: Ancient • Meso: Middle • Neo: New

The Paleolithic accounts for 98% of the Stone Age (also called “prehistoric art”)

Materials included: stone, bone, antlers, mammoth ivory and pigments & charcoal possibly from face/body

painting

The Stone Age

The main form of prehistoric art is “rock art” which includes petroglyphs and pictographs.

PETROGLYPHS(rock carvings/engravings)

PICTOGRAPHS(paintings/drawings)

Stone Age Art

Cave Painting at Lascaux, France c. 15,000-13,000 B.C.

Stonehenge

England, 3000 B.C. – 2000 B.C.Astronomical calendar or burial grounds

Mesopotamia

Modern day Iraq, significant cultural developments like early writings, schools, libraries and irrigation“land between rivers”

Mesoptamian Art

Architecture, warrior art & story telling stone reliefs

Gate of IshtarBabylonian575 B.C.Comissioned by King Nebuchadnezzar II

Tower of Babel

Stone Painting Examples