Prehistoric Art

• Stone Age Art - The first known period of prehistoric human culture, during which work was largely done with stone tools. The period began with the earliest human development, about 2 million years ago. It is divided into three periods: 1. The Paleolithic 2. The Epipalaeolithic (Mesolithic) 3. The Neolithic

Paleolithic Art

• The Paleolithic period, or Old Stone Age, was the longest phase of human prehistory. Its most outstanding feature was the development of the human species - Homo sapiens. Paleolithic peoples were generally nomadic hunters and gatherers who sheltered in caves, used fire, and fashioned stone tools. Their cultures are identified by distinctive stone-tool industries. By the Upper Paleolithic there is evidence of communal hunting, constructed shelters, and belief systems centering on magic and the supernatural. Rock and bone carvings or sculptures and wall painting reached their peak in the Magdalenian culture of Cro-Magnon.

The oldest known human art?

• According to a recent article in the journal Science, engraved stones found in a South African cave could be the earliest known artworks. The findings predate the oldest cave paintings by more than 40,000 years. About 77,000 years ago, human hands carved these lines and triangles on two pieces of red ochre.

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