Prehistory

Before writing-- Where We All Come From

Whenwelookreallyfarbackinhistoryitmaybehelpfultoreviewtheconceptof‘da9ng.’BythisImean,howweassigndatestothingsandwhatthesedatesmean.Prehistoric9meisknownasa9meinhumanhistorybeforethingswererecorded–orwriBendown.Itisa9mebeforewriBenlanguage. Whilewedon’thavewri9ngtotellus

whatpeoplethought,wedohavear9facts.Wehaveobjectsthatcanbeanalyzed.Thisisawaterwornpebbleresemblingahumanface,fromMakapansgat,SouthAfrica,ca.3,000,000BCE.Reddishbrownjasperite,approx.23/8”wide.

Prehistoryisalongperiodof9methatismarkedbytheuseoffirststonetools(around3,000,000BCE)andthefirstwriBenwords(around5,000BCE).BCEmeansBeforetheCommonEra.Atone9meitwassimplycalledBC,whichthenstoodforBeforeChrist.However,thisdesigna9onassumedpeoplewereChris9anandmostoftheworldisnot.SoweuseBCE,whichisamoreneutralterm.Weliveinthe2,017thyearoftheCommonEra.TheimagerepresentedherewasfoundinSouthAfrica.Itisabout3millionyearsold.Itisnotthoughttohavebeenmadebyhumansbutrathernaturally.

It’spossibleobjectslikethisgaveearlyhumanstheideaofcraYingtheirownobjects.Thisisawaterwornpebbleresemblingahumanface,fromMakapansgat,SouthAfrica,ca.3,000,000BCE.Reddishbrownjasperite,approx.23/8”wide.

Thereisevidenceofstonetoolsmadebyhumansasearlyas2.5millionyearsago.ThisiscalledthePaleolithicera.EarlyHomosapiensappeararound200,000BCEandwiththisgroupwefindevidenceofwhatwemightcallART.Thefirstevidenceisinburialrites.Thewaypeopleburiedtheirdeadshowedevidencethatpeoplebelieveinsomething.Howbodieswerearranged,whatkindofjewelrywereadded,whatobjectswereplacedinthegraves–allpointtoconsciousthought.Wedon’tknowexactlywhytheydidthesethingsbutArcheologistsinfermeaning.Someoftheearliestdateto100,000BCE.

Thisisthereconstruc9onofaNeanderthalburialinLaChapelle-aux-Saints,France.

Inaddi9ontoburialritesweseeevidenceofrituals,musicandartworksthatdon’tseemtobeforhun9ngorotherreasonsassociateddirectlywithsustaininglife.ThisearlyobjectiscarvedoutofMammothtusk.Weseemanyexamplesofhuman/animalhybridinearlyartandmythology.Possiblybecausetherewasnotasstrongadividebetweenhumanandanimalaswehavenow.Butalsotherearemanyexamplesofartthroughouttheworldwherehumansareconsciouslyrepresentedwithanimalpartsasawayofenhancingtheirownimage.

Manyoftheearliestcarvedobjectsareintheformofanimalsorhuman/animalhybrid.Thishumanbodyhastheheadofafeline.Humanwithfelinehead,fromHohlenstein-Stadel,Germany,ca.30,000–28,000BCE.Mammothivory,115/8”high.UlmerMuseum,Ulm.

Soifananimalisconsideredpar9cularlystrong,aspectsoftheanimalareshownwiththehumantomakethehumanseemsstronger.Bulls,lionsandeagleswerepar9cularlypopularbecauseoftheassocia9onswithstrengthandpower.

AHuman-headwingedlionalsoknownasaLamassu.ThisoneisintheMetropolitanMuseuminNYC.Madearound880BCEinwhatwenowcallIran.Thesesculptureswerethoughttoprotectimportanttemples.

EveninthisearlysealfromIndiafromaround2500BCEtheyogiissurroundedbyanimalsandwearsbullhorns.

Aroundthesame9methehumanwithlionessheadontheearlierpagewascarvedinGermany,smallfemalefigureswerebeingcreatedinotherpartsofEurope.Thisfigure,knownastheVenusofWillendorf,(andalsocalledtheWomanofWillendorf)wasfoundinAustriain1908.Wearegoingtospendsome9metalkingaboutthissmallobjectandyouhavesomelinkstovideosaswell.Theissueswewillconsiderare:1.  Descrip9on2.  Thename3.  Thecontext4.  Themeaning

TheVenusofWillendorf,(alsocalledtheWomanofWillendorf,28,000-22,000BCE,limestone.4.4”tall

Firstoff,thismapshowsthevarioussiteswheresomeobjects,cavepain9ngandciviliza9onswerelocatedinthePaleolithicandNeolithicperiods(around800,000BCEto6,000BCE).Ilikemapssoyouwillhaveatleastoneinalmosteverylecture.J

Descrip9onBeforewebegintalkingaboutthepossiblemeaningofthisfigure,let’sgiveagooddescrip9on.1.  ItisverysmallatonlyaliBleover4

inchestall.2.  Itiscarvedoutoflimestone,whichisa

veryhardstonetocarve.3.  Itisafemalefigure.4.  Shehaslargebreasts,alargestomach

andbuBocks.5.  Herlegsgetverynarrowatthelower

part.6.  Herarmsareverysmallandlayoverher

breasts.7.  ShehasnofacebutapaBern

surroundingherhead.8.  HervulvaandbellybuBonarevery

pronounced.9.  Wecan’tseethisverywellbutredochre

paintiscoveringhervulva.

TheVenusofWillendorf,28,000-22,000BCE,limestone.4.4”tall.NaturalHistoryMuseum,Vienna.

OtherViews

TheNameWhenthearcheologist,JosefSzombathy,foundtheobject,WomanofWillendorfin1908,henameditaVenusbecauseofhisownprejudicerelatedtofemalebeauty.ThiswasthefirstfemalefiguretobefoundfromthePaleolithicperiodandarchaeologistsdidn’tknowwhattothink.Szombathy,gaveitthenameVenus,toironicallyrefertotheRomangoddessofloveandbeauty,theWesternidealoffemalebeautyatthe9me.

TheCapitolineVenus.Thisisa2nd-centurycopyofa4th-centuryBCEoriginalbyPraxiteles,thatwascalledtheAphroditeofKnidosfrom350BCE

TheNameTohim,andothermalearcheologistsofthe9me,thisfigurewasnothinglikethe‘idea’offemalebeautyhewasfamiliarwith.Hegavethesculpturethisnameasakindofjoke.Theword‘grotesque’havingbeenbeingusedtodescribethefigureatone9me.Asaresult,contemporaryarthistorianshaveaBemptedtorenamethesculpturetoamore‘neutral’name,removingthe

socioculturalframeof reference.Hence–“the WomanofWillendorf.”

TheRomansreallylovedGreekart.SotheycopiedmanyGreekoriginals,whichisgoodbecausemostoftheGreekstatueshavebeendestroyed.Theyalsohadsimilargodsandgoddesses.Aphrodite—Greek.Venus—Roman.

ThisisanotherRomancopyofaGreekoriginal.Aphrodite/Venus

Sidenote:No9cehowmanyoftheseGreekand/orRomanstatuesoffemalebeautyaresomewhatmodestlyaBemp9ngtocoversexualizedparts.NotsoforourLadyofWillendorf.

Thecontext1.  We’vealreadyestablishedthisas

UpperPaleolithic.2.  ItwasfoundinWillendorf,Austria

madeofamaterialnotcommontothatarea.

3.  Thisleadstothinkingitwascarriedtothatsitebynomadichuntergatheringpeople.

4.  Madeoflimestone,averydifficultstonetocarve.

5.  Hundredsofsimilarstatueshavebeenfound.

6.  Mostfromthis9meperiodarefemale.7.  Theyaremadefromavarietyof

differentmaterialsbutallareverysmall.

8.  Thesizemakesarchaeologiststhinktheyweremeanttobecarried.

WomanofWillendorf,28,000-22,000BCE,limestone.4.4”tall

TheMeaningHerewego.Thisiswhereweallhavetotakeinalltheresearchwecanfindandanalyze.Truthis–wearenotcompletelysurewhatthisfiguremeanttopeopleofthePaleolithicperiod.Wedon’tknowexactlywhysomeonetookalotof9metocarveherorwhy.Whywasshe(andsomanyothers)made?Let’sseewhatyouthink.

WomanofWillendorf,28,000-22,000BCE,limestone.4.4”tall

PossibleMeanings1.  Becauseoftheemphasisonand

exaggera9onoffemalebodyparts,somescholarssuggestthestatuewasasymboloffer9lity.

2.  Somesuggestthatthestatuemayhavebeenacharmformentocarryonhun9ngtrips,possiblyforgoodluckonthehuntorasareminderofthewomenbackatthecamp.

3.  Thelackofafacemeansitwasn’tmeanttorepresentapar9cularpersonbutratheran‘idea.’

4.  Thisisevidencetosomescholarsthatthisisoneofmanyearlygoddessfiguresandwaslikelyworshipedasa‘mothergoddess.’

5.  Atthesame9me,somescholarssuggestthehead-pieceresemblesreedheadpiecesmadebycurrentIndigenouspeople.

FemalefigurefromTurkey,about22,000BCE

MostAcceptedMeaningThemostacceptedmeaningistheonerelatedtofer9lity.ThereareanumberofreasonsforthissoI’mgoingtolistthemhere.1.  Thepartsofthebodythatare

exaggeratedarerelatedtochildbearing.

2.  Childbearingwouldhavebeenaveryimportantaspectofhumanlife.

3.  Itwasclearthefemalebodygrewanddeliveredlife.

4.  Theredochreatthevulvarelatestotheblood.

5.  Thesculptureisverysmall,meanttobecarriedlikeatalisman.

6.  Itispossibleitwasusedtoensuresafechildbirth.

7.  Severalwerefoundonashelfinacave.Theirfeetlesslegsinaholeintheshelf,liketheywereonanaltar.

ThisisaPaleolithicfemalefigurefromKostenki,Russia.

ImportantComparisonThisreliefsculpturewasfoundinacaveinLaussel,Francein1911.Itwascarvedintothecavewall.1.  Thisoneislarger–17.5inches.2.  Originallycoloredwithpigmentsofred

ochre.3.  Sharesfeatureswithotherfemale

figuresofthe9meperiod.4.  Emphasisonbreasts,hipsandvulva.5.  Noiden9fiablefacebutpaBerns

aroundhead.6.  Smallornon-existentfeet.

Differences1.  Holdsabullhornwithmarksonit.2.  Onehandonherbelly.3.  Notportableasitiscarvedonarock

wall.

SocalledVenusofLaussel,around23,000to20,000BCE

AnalysisandInterpreta9onThoughttorepresentaformoffer9lity.1.  Theinclusionofthehornwith13

notchesisthoughttorefertothe13daysofthewaxingmoonor13monthsofthelunaryear.

2.  Thisisthoughttobeassociatedwitheithermenstrua9onandfer9lityorrituallunarrites.

3.  Theredochreinthevulvaareasupportsthisbelief.

4.  TheleYhandontheswollenbellyisbelievedtobemeaningfulaspoin9ngtopregnancyinsomeway.

5.  Thereliefsculpturewasfoundinarockshelter(cave)thatisbelievedtohavebeenaceremonialvenueasopposedtoadwelling.

SocalledVenusofLaussel,around23,000to20,000BCE

ThispartisaliBlefun.Don’tbeconfusedastheseimagesareNOTscholarlybutratherdoreflectourownsocioculturalnorms.

Theseimagesalsoremindusthatanobjectmadesolongagocans9llhaveculturalsignificance.

Whatdoyouthink?Youhavesomevideoandotherlinksonthewebsite.Whatdoyouthinkthesefemalefiguresmean?Why?

NextClassNextweekwelookathowfemaleimagesevolveinlaterciviliza9ons.Similarcharacteris9csarenowassociatedwithafemaleonathrone.Shehastwofelinesasarmrests.8,500–5,500BCE.AndaFer9litystatuefromMesopotamia.2,000BCE