Pre-historic art
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Pre-Historic Art of Europe
Palaeolithic
The earliest European art found so far is of the upper palaeolithic period, both cave painting and mobile art, such as animal carvings and so called Venus figurines such as the Venus of Willensdorf. There are some speculations that only homo sapiens is capable of artistic expression, in comparison to the Neanderthal.
Yet homo erectus had, long before, produced seemingly aimless patterns on artifacts, as is evidenced by the finds from Bilzingsleben, Thuringia that might be understood as a precursor technology to art, as well as to reveal some intent of the artificer to decorate, to fashion beyond the practical necessities of the tool under production. The symmetry and attention given to the shape of a tool has led authors to see middle palaeolithic hand axes and especially laurel points as artistic expressions as well.
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic period has some examples of portable art, like painted pebbles (azilien), from Birseck, Eremitage in Switzerland, and in some areas, like the Spanish Levant, stylized rock art.
Neolithic
Free standing sculpture had already begun by the Neolithic, the earliest being the anthropomorphic figurines, often enbellished by animals from the very beginning of the Neolithic discovered in Nevali Cori and GÃÂöbekli Tepe near Urfa in eastern Turkey, dating to ca. 10th millennium BC.
The mesolithic statues of Lepenski Vir at the Iron Gorge, Yugoslavia date to the 7th millennium BC and represent either humans or mixtures of humans and fish.
In Central Europe, many neolithic cultures, like Linearbandkeramic, Lengyel and Vinca, produced female (rarely male) and animal statues that can be called art. Wether the elaborate pottery decoration of, for example, the Želiesovce and painted Lengyel style are to be classified as art is a matter of definition.
Megalithic monuments are found in the Neolithic from Spain to the British isles and Poland. They start in the 5th Millennium BC, though some authors speculate on mesolithic roots. Because of frequent reuse, this is difficult to prove. While the most well-known of these is Stonehenge, were the main structures date from the early Bronze age, such monuments have been found throughout most of Western and Northern Europe, notably at Carnac, France, at Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands, in Portugal, and in Wiltshire, England, the area of Stonehenge, the Avebury circle, the tombs at West Kennet, and Woodhenge. One tomb found in New Grange, Ireland, has its entrance marked with a massive stone carved with a complex design of spirals. The tomb of Knowth has rock-cut ornaments as well. Many of these monuments were megalitic tombs, and archaeologists speculate that most have religious significance.
Bronze Age
During the 3rd millennium BC, however, the Bronze Age began in Europe, bringing with it a new medium for art. The increased efficiency of bronze tools also meant an increase in productivity, which led to a surplus - the first step in the creation of a class of artisans. Because of the increased wealth of society, luxury goods began to be created, especially decorated weapons. Examples include ceremonial bronze helments, ornamental ax-heads and swords, elborate insturments such as lurer, and other ceremonial objects without a practical purpouse.
Rock art, showing scenes from the daily life and religious rituals have been found in many areas, for example in BohuslÃÂän Sweden and the Val Carmonica in Northern Italy.
The iron age saw the development of anthropomorphic scultures, such as the warrior of Hirschlanden, and the statue from the Glauberg, Germany.
Starting from its first settlers from Asia, the natives of Australia, often known as Aborigines, have been creating distincive patterns of art. Early known artworks of the Aborigines are mostly rock paintings. Many are called X-ray paintings because they show the bones and organs of the animals they depict. Some aboriginal art seems abstract to modern viewers; aboriginal art often employs geometrical figures and lines to represent landscape, which is often shown from a birds-eye view. For instance, in aboriginal symbology, a swirl stands for a watering hole.
Like the aborigines of Australia, the natives of Polynesia left behind a distinct artistic heritage. While many of their artifacts were made with organic materials and thus lost to history, some of their most striking achievements survive in clay and stone. Among these are numerous pottery fragments from around Oceania, from the late 2nd millennium BC. Also, the natives of Polynesia left scattered around their islands stone platforms and sculpures of ancestor figures, the most famous of which is located at Easter Island.
Iron Age
Pre-Historic Art of Asia
Native Arts of Africa
Native Arts of the Americas
Native Arts of Oceania
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