Art Before History
Stylistic / period terms
- Paleolithic- This is a cultural era of the Stone Age period that began about 2.5 million years ago and was marked by the development and use of chipped stone tools
- Mesolithic- This is a cultural period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic eras that began around 10,000 years ago and was characterized by the domestication of plants and animals and the formation of organized communities.
- Neolithic- This is a cultural period of the Stone Age period that began at around 10,000 B.C in the Middle East and was characterized by primordial crop growing and domestication of animals and the use of smoothened stone and flint tools.
- Naturalism – This artistic movement began in France in the 19th century and refers to the portrayal of objects in a realistic and factual environment.
- Twisted Perspective- A form of rock art where a bimorph is put into display from various perspectives.
- Representation- This is the symbol or sign that stands in for and takes the place of something or someone.
Art-related terms
- High relief- This is a sculptural form in which the objects extend out from the background to at least half their size.
- Medium- This refers to the material that is used by an artist to produce an art form.
- Composition- This is the arrangement of visual elements in an artwork and is independent of the focus of the work.
- Mural- This is any work of art that is done on a wall or ceiling.
- Terracotta- This is a hard-unglazed ceramic made of clay and used in pottery.
- Incise- This means to cut into or carve out objects from a surface
The social and economic changes that took place between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, and how these changes affected art and architecture
During the Paleolithic period, man organized himself into societies and learned the art of hunting wild animals and gathering fruits. Stones and bones were also used to make hunting tools, besides; humans used leather and vegetable fibers as tools. Humankind slowly evolved and began to produce earliest artworks and participated in religious and spiritual acts.
The Neolithic period was marked by agricultural revolution; man moved from hunting and gathering to agriculture. The period also saw the development of settlements as an improvement to the communities that existed in the Paleolithic period. Domestication of animals and plants was also arisen during the period. These changes led the coming together of the mobile hunter-gatherer groups into more consolidated communities and provided the basis for the development of architecture.
The most primitive proof of art during the Paleolithic period was discovered in the Middle Paleolithic period in form of rock-art, body paintings using ochre and beads. Human beings were originally involved in art forms during the Upper Paleolithic period. This art forms included; the Venus figurines, animal carvings as well as rock and cave paintings.
The shelter of the early man changed during the Neolithic era as permanent settlements were constructed. Mud and brick houses were more common as opposed to caves during the Paleolithic period. The development of agriculture during the Neolithic period also made permanent housing possible, the floor s were covered with leather and mats while the walls were coated with plaster.
Stonehenge’s original purpose from archaeologists’ point of view
A lot of speculation lies around the existence and purpose of the Stonehenge. One of these claims was that it was a place where astronomical observations had been done by the scientists of the day. The evidence thereof was the alignment of the axis of the earth with the stones in the times that the earth would experience the longest days.
The Ancient Near East
Definitions
- Hierarchy of scale- This is the use of size and space by an artiste to place emphasis on a specific item on the artwork.
- Votive offering- this is an item left behind in a holy place for ritual purposes, these objects are used to appease the supernatural forces,
- City-state- This is a sovereign state consisting of a city, which is autonomous, and its immediate territory. The territory might contain other cities or larger urban centres.
- Heraldic composition- This is a composition that is balanced on either side of a middle figure.
- Ground line- This is an imaginary or real line on which objects rest and forms a base that keeps the objects from seeming to float in space.
Architectural definitions
- Ziggurat- It is a type of temple tower commonly found among the ancient Babylonians as well as Assyrians. It included many stepped levels built on a rectangular platform making it appear as a terraced pyramid with a flat top.
- Apadana- This is the great hall in early Persian palaces.
- Façade- The front part of a building, more specifically the part that faces a street.
- Blind arcade- This refers to a range of arches and supported by columns, the arches may be isolated when used to separate the nave of a church from the aisle.
- Arch- It is an architectural structure that forms the sharp, carved, or leveled upper edge of an open space and bears the weight above it.
- Cella- This is the inner room of a temple in which the image of the deity was kept in early Greek or Roman temples.
Animals appear regularly in ancient Near Eastern art. The roles animals played in ancient Mesopotamian art
Horses were used for pulling carts and war chariots.
Onagers, also referred to as wild donkeys, also towed carts.
Sheep provided wool, meat and fertilizers while oxen were used to pull ploughs and boats across waterways.
Sculptural terms
- Lamassu- This is a figure with the body of a lion or bull but with the head of a human male. An example of such are the ones found in the palaces of Achaemenid kings.
- Cylinder seal is the name given to the art form on which a ‘picture story’ is engraved on a cylinder used to produce an idea on wet clay during the ancient times. This was achieved through rolling the engraved cylinder over wet clay. Many communities used tem and categories include those like Sumerian, Egyptian, Persian, and Babylonian cylindrical seals.
- Stele is a vertical stone with an engraved surface and is used as a monument in the frontal part of a construction. An example here is the Ktima Fragment.
- Glazed brickwork is a brick with a structure made of bricks that have been coated and the coat fixed with a second firing, giving them a colorful or brightly colored appearance. A perfect example will be the Ishtar Gate built during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II.
- Register is a record of items or events.
- Repoussé refers to a decoration with patterns in relief obtained by hammering and pressing on the opposite side. A very famous example is that of the statue of liberty.
Egypt Under the Pharaohs
The difference between two ancient painting techniques: Fresco secco and True fresco
Fresco-Secco is form of painting style that involves the use of watercolors on a dry plaster, the plaster is usually moistened mainly to simulate a fresh one while, in true fresco, both the watercolors and plasters are used while still fresh. Examples of Egyptian frescos include Queen Nefertiti, the Rosseta stone and Deir al-Medina.
Definitions
- Pictograph is a pictorial representation of an idea.
- Cuneiform is a form of writing that makes use of small wedge-shaped elements and was mainly used in ancient Sumerian, Assyrian, Persian and Babylonian writing.
- Hieroglyphic is a writing form that was used in ancient Egypt and involves the use of pictorial symbols to represent meanings or sounds or both.
- Demotic refers to an ancient script consisting of a simplified form of the early Egyptian hieratic writing.
The Rosetta stone is a slab made of clay, and was discovered in Egypt by a few scientists in England. This was after the Napoleon army unveiled its relic. It is currently being housed in a British Museum and its relevance is quite large. It contains the translation of some three languages, which is Greek, Demotic and hieroglyphic. With these translations, scientists are able to make good translations that will give them a revelation about the Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Discussion of the pyramid complete at Giza (Old Kingdom)
The Great Pyramid of Giza is believed to have been constructed over a 20-year period with construction ending in 2560 BC. The pyramid includes three compartments, with the lowest of them being engraved out of the solid bedrock on which stands, the pyramid. The other compartments include the King’s Chamber and Queen’s Chamber, which are elevated up the pyramid.