01 The Earliest Art

01-01 The Earliest Art

We start the course with the earliest art, a summary of cave and other art from around the world.

01-01 Notes on The Earliest Art

Briefing Document: The Earliest Art – Dr. Laurence Shafe

Source: Excerpts from “https://www.shafe.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/01.01-The-Earliest-Art.pdf”

Author: Google NotebookLM AI System

Overview: This presentation by Dr. Laurence Shafe explores the origins of art, linking it to the fundamental question of what it means to be human. It surveys prehistoric art from the Palaeolithic period through the Neolithic, examining various forms including cave paintings, portable art (jewellery, figurines), and megalithic structures. The presentation considers different theories regarding the purpose and meaning of early art, and the impact of environmental and social factors on its creation.

Key Themes and Ideas:

  1. Defining Art and Humanity: The talk establishes a connection between art and the emergence of human consciousness and symbolic thought. Dr. Shafe argues that art, alongside language, is a symbolic representation of the world, and its emergence may coincide with the development of language. The earliest forms of art may have occurred at the same time as the earliest use of language.
  • “One answer is the ability to create art…I would argue that art and language go hand-in-hand as both involve the symbolic representation of the world. So the earliest forms of art might have occurred at the same time as the earliest use of language.”
  1. Chronological Context: The presentation situates prehistoric art within the geological epochs (Pleistocene, Holocene, Anthropocene) and human activity periods (Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic). It establishes a timeline, highlighting key dates for the emergence of hominins, tool use, and artistic expression.
  • “For the last two and a half million years hominins…have been living in an ice age, known as the Pleistocene…The Pleistocene ended 11,700 years ago and we then moved into a whole new epoch called the Holocene…You might have read recently that some scientists are proposing that we have just moved (in 1950) into the Anthropocene…because of the profound changes we are making to the geology and ecosystems of the planet.”
  1. The “Creative Explosion”: Around 40,000 years ago, a significant surge in artistic expression occurred, often termed the “creative explosion.” This period saw the flourishing of cave art and the creation of complex figurines. Artistic talent arose and, we believe, complex language abilities. The artistic changes can be seen in nearly 400 caves across Europe and Indonesia.
  • “Some 40,000 years ago something took place in homo sapiens that resulted in what is called the “creative explosion”. Artistic talent arose and, we believe, complex language abilities.”
  1. Forms of Early Art:
  • Cave Art (Parietal Art): The presentation explores cave paintings and engravings, exemplified by Lascaux and Chauvet. It discusses the techniques used (pigments, application methods) and the common subjects (animals, handprints, abstract symbols). “Was the earliest cave art in Europe 64,000 BP at La Pasiega in the northeast, Maltravieso in the west and Ardales in the south of Spain, if so it was 20,000 years before homo sapiens arrived so must have been done by Neanderthals. 700 cave paintings, 40% of animals. Also, about 100 petroglyphs of engraved animals and female genitalia.”
  • Portable Art: Jewellery (beads), figurines (Lion-man, Venus figurines), and decorated tools (spear throwers) are examined as evidence of symbolic thought and social communication. “Another important form of art is jewellery…wearing jewellery is a symbolic act used to identify the individual as unique or special. It is an act of communication within a social group and it can convey power, status or simply attract attention.” “The Löwenmensch figurine, or Lion-man of Hohlenstein-Stadel It is an ivory sculpture about 31 centimetres tall… carved using a flint stone knife, and is about 40,000 years old.” “The device bottom left is a spear thrower, also called an atlatl. They were an important invention as they dramatically increased the power of the throw enabling large animals to be killed from a distance of about 20 metres. They are believed to have been invented some 30,000 years ago.”
  • Megalithic Structures: The talk moves into the Neolithic period and discusses megalithic structures such as Göbekli Tepe and Stonehenge, highlighting their architectural complexity and potential astronomical/ceremonial functions. “Göbekli Tepe…is around 11,000 years old and contains the oldest known megaliths, it is the oldest permanent human settlements and contains the world’s first temple.” “The most famous megalithic structure—Stonehenge…The site was developed in eight phases over 1,500 years (5100-3600 BP)…”.
  1. Theories of Cave Art: The presentation outlines various interpretations of cave art, acknowledging the limitations of our understanding. These include:
  • “Art for art’s sake”
  • Totemism
  • Sympathetic magic
  • Structuralism
  • Didactic (instructional)
  • Shamanism
  1. Dr. Shafe emphasizes that these theories often reflect the social and cultural context in which they were developed. “All of these theories may be true but all may be false. What is interesting to me is that they reflect the social and cultural circumstances of the period the theory was developed.”
  2. Cave Art and the Artists: The presentation stresses the importance of caves, not as dwelling places, but as locations for planned, deliberate, and non-normal activities, often associated with the mystical, supernatural, and death. Early cave art is non-figurative and not sophisticated, like those hand prints for example. The majority of figurative art is animals and, as far as we know, is limited to homo sapiens and first appeared 36,000-37,000 years ago.
  3. “Cave art is a misleading but convenient term. It includes engravings and paintings as well as decorative and figurative art. It is found deep within caves although art in the open or in cave mouths may well have been lost over time. In general people did not live in caves and although they did shelter in cave mouths they would not have lived deep within caves. This also meant that cave art deep within a cave was well protected from the environment and from casual access.”
  4. The Neolithic Revolution: The transition to the Neolithic period marked a profound shift in human society, with the development of agriculture, settled communities, and new forms of artistic expression. “We have now reached the most important revolution in the creation of the modern world—the Neolithic Revolution. Hunter-gatherer groups started settle in one place. It was the beginning of farming, the domestication of animals, extensive pottery making, the creation of polished stone tools and the building of large houses and temples.”
  5. Limitations of Interpretation: The presentation acknowledges the inherent difficulties in interpreting prehistoric art due to the vast temporal distance and lack of contextual information. Dr. Shafe suggests that perhaps the closest we can come to understanding the Palaeolithic culture is to study the few remaining hunter-gatherer communities that survive today, such as the San or Bushmen of the Kalahari in Southern Africa possibly the oldest and most successful culture on Earth.
  6. “We struggle to find a meaning or purpose but perhaps in vain. In some ways all art is impossible to pin down even if we have full access to the artist.”

Key Facts and Dates:

  • Happisburgh Footprints: Evidence of hominin occupation in Britain dating back approximately 850,000 years ago.
  • Earliest Handprints: Approximately 200,000 years ago.
  • Oldest Drawings: Approximately 73,000 years ago (Blombos Cave, South Africa).
  • Creative Explosion: Approximately 40,000 years ago.
  • Lion-Man Figurine: 41,000-35,000 BP (Germany).
  • Venus of Hohle Fels: 40,000-35,000 BP (Germany).
  • Venus of Dolní Věstonice: 31,000-27,000 BP (Czech Republic), earliest use of ceramics.
  • Lascaux Cave Paintings: 18,000-16,000 BP (France).
  • Göbekli Tepe: 11,500-10,000 BP (Turkey), oldest megaliths and temple.
  • Stonehenge: Developed in phases over 1,500 years (5100-3600 BP).
  • The Sahara’s Wetter Period: between 12,000 and 7,000 years ago
  • Cave of Swimmers: from 9,000 to 6,000 years ago during the wetter period

Conclusion:

Dr. Shafe’s presentation provides a comprehensive overview of the earliest art, connecting it to key developments in human evolution and culture. While emphasizing the challenges of interpretation, it highlights the enduring power of art to reveal insights into the minds and lives of our prehistoric ancestors. The talk encourages a broad and inclusive definition of art, considering functional objects and decorative items alongside more traditional forms of artistic expression.