Lec 05

Question 1

Last Glacier Movement

Answer 1

Sea level decreased 130m
- as a result, continent outlines changed

Majority of Europe is covered in ice
(Neanderthal + homo sapien land)

Question 2

Bone flutes?

Answer 2

Created by Homo-Sapiens, required an intermediary piece to make sound

Isturitz Cave, France (Gravettian) ~35kya

Question 3

European Upper Paleolithic Art?

Answer 3

Red in artwork could be blood but more likely, Ocur
- Substance called ‘C-14’ used to identify the organic part of a pigment

Bull painting:
Origin - Girl goes into cave and sees bulls

Karst: Rock decay

Gravettian

Question 4

Oldest Dated Painting?

Answer 4

32kya, Gravettian, Charcoal
Chauvet Cave, France

Question 5

Early Art Depictions?

Answer 5

Flat paint: Mono-chromatic (animal types)
Excission paint: complex, required light to see

Anthropomorphs: non-realistic/hybrid creatures (humans?)
Hand stencils: Mutilated fingers/hands? Sometimes whole limbs? Often isolated?

Why? -> Could be depictions of different hand angles? No definite answer.

Question 6

Other early depictions?

Answer 6

Cervids, Bears, Lions? Footprints?

*Fauna at this time was different than back then, ex. Lions being in France?

Question 7

Structure + Locations of Upper Paleolithic Art?

Answer 7

Often, locations w/ art were left uninhabited by humans

Specific icons appeared in certain parts of the cave
ex. Cervids + stencils appeared at the entrance OR anthropomorphs left in the dark parts.

Artwork done in Panels.

Question 8

Explanations of Early Art?

Answer 8

1. Hunting magic?
2. Cave geography has symbolic associations (ex. Anthropomorphous are dangerous?)
3. Gender differences? (ex. Cervids = male?)
4. Shamanistic Values?