1.2 neolithic 2015
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Art 108: Ancient to MedievalProf. M. HallWestchester Community CollegeFall 2015
Neolithic Art
The Neolithic Revolution
Image source: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/53700426/INVENTION-OF-AGRICULTURE
“Before the Neolithic revolution, it's likely you would have lived with your extended family as a nomad, never staying anywhere for more than a few months, always living in temporary shelters, always searching for food and not owning anything you couldn’t easily pack in a pocket or a sack. The change to the Neolithic way of life was huge and led to many of the pleasures (lots of food, friends and a comfortable home) that we still enjoy today.”Dr. German Senta, Smarthistory.org
The Neolithic Revolution
Bushel with Ibex motif, 4200-3500 BCE, Museé de Louvre
“The massive changes in the way people lived also changed the types of art they made. Neolithic sculpture became bigger, in part, because people didn’t have to carry it around anymore; pottery became more widespread and was used to store food harvested from farms. This is when alcohol was invented and when architecture, and its interior and exterior decoration, first appears. In short, people settle down and begin to live in one place, year after year.”Dr. German Senta, Khan Academy
DatingNeolithic revolution occurred at different times across the globe
DatingThough rare, there are still tribes today that cling to the hunter gatherer lifestyle of our prehistoric ancestors
The San tribe of northeastern NamibiaImage source: http://promoteafricanews.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/a-weekend-in-bushmanland/
The Neolithic RevolutionThe oldest know settlements emerged in modern day Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran
Neolithic sites in Anatolia and the Near East
The Neolithic RevolutionThe ancient city of Jericho, located in the Jordan Valley of modern Palestine, grew to as many as 2,000 inhabitants by 7500 CE
Excavations at Tell es-Sultan, JerichoImage source: http://www.geolocation.ws/v/P/44071150/cable-and-ancient-jericho/en
The Neolithic RevolutionThe city was surrounded by massive walls, indicating the need for defense
Great stone towers built into the walls of Jericho, c. 8,000-7,000 CE
The Neolithic RevolutionAccording to the Bible, the city of Jericho was destroyed by Joshua, who led the Israelites into battle carrying the Ark of the Covenant
Joshua at the Battle of Jericho, mosaic from Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, 432-440Image source: http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth212/santa_maria_maggiore.html
Recent research (Barkai & Liran 2008) suggests that the tower was placed exactly where the darkness began to shade the settlement on the summer solstice.
“We suggest that the tower was built not just as a marker or a time-keeping device but as a guardian against the dangers present in the darkness cast by a dying sun's last rays of light. . . . The construction of the towering structure was thus a symbol of the strength, power and durability of the Neolithic community and of its ability to withstand the frightening forces of nature.”
The Neolithic RevolutionPlastered human skulls have also been found at Jericho – but their purpose remains unknown
Plastered Skulls from Yiftah'elImage source: http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/jericho.html
The Neolithic Revolution
Plastered Skulls from Yiftah'elImage source: http://teachmiddleeast.lib.uchicago.edu/foundations/origins-of-civilization/image-resource-bank/image-09.html
“Sometimes, after a body had decayed, the skull was removed and covered in plaster, molded to reconstruct the facial features. The eyes were often represented by inlays of shell (as here) or stone. The practice of plastering skulls was widespread and is found in sites throughout the Levant.”http://teachmiddleeast.lib.uchicago.edu/foundations/origins-of-civilization/image-resource-bank/image-09.html
The Neolithic Revolution
Plastered Skulls from Yiftah'elImage source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/art-history/deck/5423538
“Were they focal points in ancestor worship, as was originally thought, or did they function as images by which deceased family members could be remembered? As we are without any written record of the belief system practiced in the Neolithic in the area, we will never know. .”Dr. German Senta, Smarthistory.org
The Neolithic Revolution
Plastered Skulls from Yiftah'elImage source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/art-history/deck/5423538
“Were they focal points in ancestor worship, as was originally thought, or did they function as images by which deceased family members could be remembered? As we are without any written record of the belief system practiced in the Neolithic in the area, we will never know. .”Dr. German Senta, Smarthistory.org
Ain Ghazal, JordanAn extraordinary cache of statues depicting humans was found at Ain Ghazal, near Jordan
Human figures from Ain Ghazal, Jordan, c. 6250 BCEImage source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/midterm/deck/1315807
Ain Ghazal, JordanThe figures were made with plaster built up over a core of reeds and twine, and then they were decorated with paint and shells
Human figure from Ain Ghazal, Jordan, c. 6250 BCEImage source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/prehistoric-art/deck/3588258
At first glance, the figure may seem similar to the Paleolithic Venus figures, but The differences are significant
SIMILARITIES:Nude representation of the human formUnnatural proportions
DIFFERENCES:Molded from plaster rather than carvedGender is undefinedDecorated with paint and inlay
Image source: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0d3ik9Kcx9uL4r2W2YhnCA
Another major difference is the monumental scale
The Neolithic RevolutionSedentary lifestyle brought about by the Neolithic Revolution made exploration of the human form on a monumental scale possible
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Çatal Höyük is one of the most famous Neolithic settlements
It was a thriving city of about 6,000 inhabitants
Image source: http://www.globalheritagefund.org/where/catalhoyuk/updates/catalhoyuk_update_62009.html
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Excavations began in the 1960’s, and are ongoing today
Excavation site and museum, Çatal HöyükImage source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/catalhoyuk/3064400886/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE)
Reconstruction of settlement at Çatal HüyükImage source: http://delalhambra.multiply.com/journal/item/10/The_cradle_of_civilization_Wiege_der_Zivilisation
The settlement consisted of adobe-type structures made of mud brick, adjoined to one another in a honeycomb pattern.
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Dwellings were entered through roofThe dead were buried under platforms
Reconstruction of a typical dwelling at Çatal HüyükImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catal_Hüyük_Restauration_B.JPG
Neolithic burial of a pregnant woman without the head and infant remains insideImage source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/catalhoyuk/200284259/
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Walls of dwellings were plastered and painted with abstract patterns resembling textiles
Fragment of wall mural from Çatal HöyükImage source: http://www.smm.org/catal/mysteries/murals/patterned/Mural_6/
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) James Mellaart believes these patterns can still be found in kilim designs still being made today
"Reconstructed" wall painting said to be from Shrine E.V, 9 and a kilim from Seyitgazi/Eskishehir region with "bird" design. (The Goddess From Anatolia, Vol. 1, Plate XIV.)Image source: http://www.marlamallett.com/ch.htm
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Shrine decorations include bucrania (bovine skulls) - thought to be symbols of male fertility
Reconstruction of a shrine, Angora MuseumImage source: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iM1vLgPGl4XS0SJU525TSg
Or maybe they were just hunting trophies, recalling the “glory days” beforefarming, when life depended on hunted animals
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) The so-called hunting shrine has murals depicting hunting scenes
James Mellaart, reconstruction of the “Hunting Shrine” at Çatal Höyük
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Compare this Neolithic mural to Paleolithic cave paintingsWhat is different?
Deer Hunt Mural from Çatal Höyük, Turkey, c. 5750 BCE
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Differences:Includes menImplies a narrative (men hunting an animal) Painted on white plaster rather than directly onto the wall
Deer Hunt Mural from Çatal Höyük, Turkey, c. 5750 BCE
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Use of silhouetteComposite of frontal and profile view (similar to twisted perspective)Highly stylized (cartoon-like rather than naturalistic)
Hunter, from Çatal Höyük, Turkey, c. 5750 BCE
Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Leopard skin garment recalls “shaman” figures from the caves
Hunter, from Çatal Höyük, Turkey, c. 5750 BCE
The Neolithic RevolutionThe transition from hunting and gathering to farming also gave rise to monumental architecture
In Western Europe, stone structures were built in Neolithic times for religious purposes
Megaliths by David and Lai Ngan Corio, Jonathan Cape, 2003
The Neolithic RevolutionMegaliths are made of huge stones assembled without mortar
They may have originated as burial structures designed to provide permanent "houses of the dead"
Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, BrittanyImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dscn5212-mane-braz_800x600.jpg
The Neolithic RevolutionMegaliths are divided intothree types:
1. Menhirs: unhewn or slightly shaped single stones standing upright in the ground
Kerloas Menhir, Brittany, FranceImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kerloas_menhir.JPG
The Neolithic Revolution2. Dolmens: enclosures consisting
of two or more vertical stones supporting a large single stone
Poulnabrone Dolmen, County Clare, IrelandImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paulnabrone.jpg
The Neolithic Revolution3. Cromlechs: megalithic structures in which groups of menhirs from circles or semicircles
Chromlech of Okabe, Basque Pyrenees, FranceImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harrespil_Okabe.jpg
The most famous cromlech is Stonehenge, located on the Salisbury Plain in England
Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, c. 2550-1600
The Neolithic RevolutionStonehenge was developed over a long period of time
There were at least four major building phases
Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, c. 2550-1600Image source: http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/stonehenge.html
A giant circle was created from massive rocks -- some weighing as much as 50 tons -- brought from a quarry 23 miles away
Monumental Scale
Use of stone (permanent material)
Post and lintel construction
Post and Lintel Architecture
Function
Stonehenge was designed to align with the rising and setting sun
“Whoever built Stonehenge had precise astronomical knowledge of the path of the sun and, moreover, must have known before construction began precisely where the sun rose at dawn on midsummer's morning while standing on the future site of the monument.”Dr. Christopher Whitcombe, “Stonehenge” http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehengeD.html
Image source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wiltshire/5098706.stm
Image source: http://redmoonmusings.com/?p=1690
Function
“[T]he astronomer Gerald Hawkins has argued that Stonehenge is not merely aligned with solar and lunar astronomical events, but can be used to predict other events such as eclipses. In other words, Stonehenge was more than a temple, it was an astronomical calculator.”Dr. Christopher Whitcombe, “Stonehenge” http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehengeD.html
Function
“The cycle of the moon, for example, which takes 27.3 days, can be tracked by moving a marker by two holes each day to complete a circuit in 28 days.”Dr. Christopher Whitcombe, “Stonehenge” http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehengeD.html
Function