1. avi 101
Cave Art Introduction

2. History of Early Humans
4.4 million years ago in Africa, the first upright human species roamed the earth.
About 200,000 years ago we evolved to be homo sapiens (wise humans).

3. History of Early Humans
About 120,000 – 100,000 years ago we evolved to become what we are today.

4. History of Early Humans
About 200 years ago, archeologist found ancient stone tools, weapons & figures in around Africa, Asia, Europe.
19th century archeologist named this era Paleolithic or Stone Age
(from the Greek word) Paleo meaning “old” and Lithos meaning “stone”.

5. Timeline of Prehistoric Era
250,000 – 100,000 BCE Lower Paleolithic
100,000 – 35,000 BCE Middle Paleolithic
42,000 – 8,000 BCE Upper Paleolithic
10,000 – 3,500 BCE Neolithic
(New Stone Age)

6. Flint sickles, flat grinding stone, stone ax with wooden handle.
Around 7000 BCE

7. http://www. joycomplex

8. Lion-Human
From Holenstein-Stadel, Germany
C 30,000 – 26,000 BCE
Mammoth Ivory

9. Woman from Willendorf
Austria
C 22,000 – 21,000 BCE
Limestone

10. Woman from Willendorf
Austria
C 22,000 – 21,000 BCE
Limestone

11. Prehistoric Environments
How the Cave Men lived in Prehistoric Times

12. Where The Cave Men Lived?
Dwellings
Found in Russia and Ukraine (16,000 BCE – 10,000 BCE)
Cave Men built housing out of bones and hide of Woolly Mammoths.
Largest dwelling found was 23 by 33 feet in size.
Inside features charred bones, ashes
This indicates a source of light and heat

13. Reconstructed Drawing of a Mammoth-bone house
Ukraine
c. 16,000 – 10,000 BCE

14. Reconstruction of a Mammoth-bone house
Ukraine
c. 16,000 – 10,000 BCE

15. Where The Cave Men Lived?
Caves
Oldest examples of Paleolithic caves are from Australia & Western Europe (30,000 BC)
Caves can run through mountains & underground.

16. Reconstructed Painting of a Cave
Austria
c. 30,000 BCE

17. Example of a Cave
Austria
c. 30,000 BCE

18. Prehistoric Cave Paintings
Early Human Art

19. Altamira Caves in Altamira, Spain
Discovered in 1879
First major discovery
in history.

20. Altamira Caves in Altamira, Spain
The cave was found by a hunter’s dog who fell into a hole.
Years later, Macelino de Sautuola, an amateur archaeologist excavated the cave.
He found a number of flint and prehistoric stone tools.

21. Altamira Caves in Altamira, Spain
One day, he brought his 5 year old daughter with him to the cave.
The father had to bend down to get into the cave, but his daughter was able to walk upright.
She looked up at the ceiling and saw images of bisons, boar, wild horses and deer.

22. Altamira Caves
Altamira, Spain
1941

23. Bison Painting at the Altamira Caves
Altamira, Spain
1941

24. Deer Painting at the Altamira Caves
Altamira, Spain
1941

25. Lascaux Caves in Dordogn, France
Discovered in 1940
One of the most famous and visited prehistoric caves in the world

26. Lascaux Caves in Dordogn, France
The cave was found by two boys and their dog.
They were playing in the field when their dog fell down a small hole and was trapped in the cave.
The boys found another larger hole near by and was able to crawl down.
They lit matches and saw all the paintings on the walls.

27. Lascaux Caves in Dordogn, France
The caves was opened to the public after World War II and became France’s most popular tourist sites.
Caves closed in 1963 so conservators could fix and protect it.
Decades of visitors contaminated the paintings with the heat, humidity, carbon dioxide, etc.
Cave became full of fungus.
Instead, they built a replica cave called Lascaux II.

28. Lascaux Caves Visitors: Leon Laval, Marcel Ravidat, Jacques Marshal, and Henri Breuil
Dordogne, France 1941

29. Lascaux Caves Entrance
Dordogne, France

30. Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

31. Entrance To Hall of Bulls
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

32. Entrance To Hall of Bulls
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

33. Entrance To Hall of Bulls
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

34. Herd of Horses with a Large Bull
(Near The Back of The Hall)
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

35. 3 Large Aurochs (Opposite Wall)
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

36. Chamber of Engravings
Small Rotunda
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

37. Engravings of Horses
Covers The Dome of Small Rotunda
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

38. Prehistoric Artists Cave painting was mostly drawings of animals.
It was common for the artist to paint on top of other paintings when there was no more room.
The most surprising thing is the size of the paintings. The average size is 5 feet.

39. Reasons for Painting Aesthetic / Beauty
Decorate their home with images of what they see & know.

40. Reasons for Painting Religion / Magic
Win favour from the God or Mysterious Powers that control their lives.
Birth of children
Survival of their tribe

41. Reasons for Painting Religion / Magic
Magic ensures hunters of an abundant supply of animals for food.
They believed that if they sacrifice the animal they killed and draw it on the wall, the gods will bring the animal back to life and put it back in the world so they can hunt it again.

42. Reasons for Painting History / Journal
Record daily activities of hunting and the animals they encountered.

43. Two Bisons
Main Entrance
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

44. Swimming Stags
Main Entrance
Lascaux Caves
Dordogne, France

45. Cattled Gathered Next to a Group of Huts
Tassili -n-Ajjer, Algeria
c BCE

46. Knowledge of the Cave Men
Though their tools were crude, prehistoric artists showed great knowledge about the animals they hunted.
They knew how they looked and acted because they observed them every day, especially when hunting them.
This helped the cave men to paint the animals realistically and show how they behaved in the wild.

47. How to Create Cave Art Step 1: Carving
The artist uses a sharpen object like a rock or mammoth tusk.
They then carve or chip away on the cave walls.

49. Prehistoric Art Materials
Cave Painters use whatever they had to create their art.
They created colour pigment from:
Clay (Red and Brown)
Soft Stone (White)
Charcoal (Black)

50. How to Create Cave Art Step #2: Creating Colour Paint
The artist creates the colour pigment from clay, soft rocks and/or charcoal by grinding it into a powder.
Then they mix the powder with animal fat, blood or some medium.

52. How to Create Cave Art Step #3: Applying The Paint
The artist applied the paint using their fingers.
They also made brushes with some kind of reed or bristle brush to use.
Reed Plants

53. How to Create Cave Art Step #3: Applying The Paint
They put the paint in the scratched lines with black or dark brown. This creates the outline of the animal.
Next, the animal is filled with different shades of reddish brown to create the impression of a 3D form.

54. How to Create Cave Art Alternate Way
The artist chews on piece of charcoal to dilute it with saliva water.
Then they blow the charcoal onto the surface of a wall.
They can using their hand as a stencil.
You can create the outline of the animals easily.

57. 'Panel of Hands' in El Castillo Cave, Spain
45,000 BCE