1. Introduction to Prehistoric Art

• Introduce Major Periods and typologies of Paleolithic art (cave painting, sculpture, engraving)
• Explore theoretical interpretations: symbolic cognition ritual, material culture
• Compare major scholarly views: Lewis-Williams (symbolic theory), Bahn (archeological empiricism), Gombrich (historiographic framing)
• Establish methodological foundations for interpreting early human visual culture

I’d like to begin by clarifying that the oldest art is not the same as the oldest representational art, which includes imagery.

The oldest known representational art comes from the Upper Paleolithic period.

The oldest known representational imagery comes from the Aurignacian culture.

Across Europe (especially Southern France, Northern Spain, and Swabia, in Germany) include over 200 caves with Aurignacian paintings, drawings and sculptures.

Venus of Hohle Fels, a 2.4-inch tall female figurine carved from mammoth ivory, found in six fragments in Hohle Fels Cave near Schelklingen, Germany. This figurine dates back to approximately 35,000 years ago and represents one of the earliest known examples of figurative art.

Caves

Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc, Lascaux, Pech Merle, and Altamira

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