Lecture 1: The Prehistoric Past - The Beginnings of Culture

Lecture 1:
The Prehistoric Past -- The Beginnings of Culture
KEY TERMS:
Paleolithic
Cave Paintings
Chauvet Cave (France) 32000 years old
Lascaux Cave (France) 17000 years after Chauvet
The caves of Altamira (Spain) 23000 years after Chauvet
Ritual
Myth
Narrative thought stories that create meaning out of the material that makes up the story
How we came to be who we are

Spit painting
Purposes of cave painting motif of image of human hand as prized possession, hunting
ritual (make drawings of animals about to hunt, fire arrows and if successful smear
blood), rituals of fertility, lunar calendars (used to predict seasonal change or migration of
animals), cave served as ceremonial chamber for shamans (mediators between natural
and spiritual world),
Homo habilis skillful man, 2.5 million years ago, stone tools, resided in Tanzania, East
Africa
Homo erectus, Homo ergaster (working man), and Homo heidelbergensis first species
to be found outside of Africa
Homo sapiens descended from three above species 200,000 years ago
Homo neanderthalensis cousins, 350,000 years ago, last surviving relatives, died out
about 24,000 years ago, around for another 6000 years after Chauvet cave images
Interbreeding, 1-4% of European and Asian heritage carry Neanderthal genes
New modes of thought distinguish present, past, and future, imagine and express
hypothetical actions and shape our experiences and observations into coherent stories
Mythic stage phase of cognitive development, characterized by the use of complex
language skills and narrative thought, stories that create meaning out of material that
makes up the story, human capability to analyze the world and express it in art
Lecture 2:
Mesopotamia and The Fertile Crescent -- The Confluence of Fortune
KEY TERMS:
Neolithic 10,000 BCE and ended when metal tools became widespread in the Bronze Age
Paleolithic humans grouped together in small groups and subsisted by gathering plants and
wild animals
Agricultural revolution Neolithic revolution that took place in Western Asia and Europe
Fertile Crescent eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf and covers part of
the lower shores of the Nile, Cradle of Civilization
Cuneiform wedge-shaped signs pressed into clay with a reed stylus
Epic of Gilgamesh
Hammurabi's Code first code of laws
Enumah Elish The Babylonian Creation
Stonehenge ancient, monolithic monument on Salisbury Plan in Wiltshire, England,

construction began in Neolithic (3000 BCE) and completed 1500 BCE, most likely by
three different tribes, (1) Neolithic agrarians (Windmill Hill People), (2) Beaker Folk
(2000 BCE, bury beakers with dead), (3) Wessex Peoples (1500 BCE, height of Bronze
Age)
Multitude of settlements created this monument, each band only had 20-30 people
Huge social focus, ceremonial center
Cultural production does not merely reflect upon social reality but is part of the process
by which reality is constituted
Revolution comprised of (1) development of food production (opposed to food
gathering), (2) intensive exploitation of a narrow range of domesticated animals, (3)
emergence of settled village life, (4) use of new technology such as grindstones and
ovens for production of bread, (5) appearance of ritual practices involving objects of
artistic production (Stonehenge, Men an Tol Stone)
Reliable production of food did not necessarily determine the creation of large collective
works
Release from activities of mere survival spurred technological innovations which led to
social and economic advantages
Gave advantage to other regions on Eurasian continent along same meridian, same
climate zone, domestication of plants and animals allowed for technical innovation such
as the production of steel
Mesopotamia the land between rivers, makes up large area of the Fertile Crescent, no
real geographic unity and no permanent capital city, origins of agriculture, cities, written
language and law
Pre-Sumerians (5000-3500 BCE) present-day Iraq, first divisions of labor, built mud
brick villages, and established the first religious shrines
Sumerians (3500-1900 BCE) banks of the Euphrates River, built the Temple at Eridu,
the prototype for the Ziggurat), changed social organization in 3000 BCE from
democratic assemblies to kingships, hereditary monarchies evolved
Invented the earliest form of writing, 3500 BCE, clay tablets are pictograms which
represent an object or idea
Babylonians and Assyrians (1900-500 BCE) city-states in constant war with each other
Hammurabi Babylonian king from 1792-1750 BCE
Babylonian social structure (1) awilu, free person of upper class; (2) wardu, slave; (3)
mushkenu, free person of low estate in between awilu and wardu
Myths have an immense influence of peoples frame of reference or how they perceive
reality, the way people think about the world and their place in relation to their
surroundings
Basic elements include theme of birth, creation of mother and father, idea that life did not
begin on Earth, notion of a supreme being
Enumah Elish genealogy of the gods followed by account of the creation of heaven and
earth from Tiamat who had been slain by Marduk, violent rise of Marduk to rulership
over the gods is the underlying theme
Humans created out of the blood of Kingu, the god that made Tiamat rebel, explanation
for lower social ranks hardship and suffering or legitimize rulers hold on power or
create a superior world as something to strive for
Ishtar Gate built during reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BCE), one of eight gates
of inner city of Babylon (575 BCE), dedicated to Ishtar, the goddess of fertility, war, love
and sex, main entrance into Babylon and starting point for processions
Nebuchadezzar IIs goal was to beautify his capital, restored temple of Marduk, built
himself magnificent palace with famous Hanging Gardens reported by Greek historian
Herodotus to have been one of the wonders of the world
Embody both fertility (creativity) and war, Bible records he destroyed Jerusalem, brought
the kingdom of Judah to an end, and carried off the Jews into exile
Humans created myths to reconcile not only their lack of understanding of nature and the
cosmos but also their actions that shaped history
Lecture 3:
Ancient Egypt -- Art as Embodiment of Ideals
KEY TERMS:
Function of Art depicted Egyptian values and ensured continuity
The pyramids architectural marvels of precision, gigantic scale testimony to the immense
symbolic importance these feats of human toil and sweat held for the society which created them
The artist as artisan/craftsman
Art as embodiment of ideals permanence and order
Idealization art represented idea of a man or woman, not the specific individual
Egyptology, 3000-year history of the Land of the Dead (elaborate beliefs about death
and the afterlife)
Earliest and longest ancient art forms around the Mediterranean
Pharaoh (king) strict hierarchical system, believed to be a God on earth and responsible
for making laws and keeping order
Nobles ruled the regions of Egypt (Nomes)
Priests responsible for keeping the Gods happy, did not preach to people but spent time
performing rituals and ceremonies to the God of their temple
Scribes only people who could read and write, responsible of keeping records, recorded
how much food was produced at harvest time, how many soldiers were in army, number
of workers, and number of gifts given to the Gods
Soldiers, craftsmen, farmers
Slaves no slave markets or auctions, usually prisoners captured in war, found in
households of the Pharaoh and nobles, worked in mines, quarries, and temples
Depiction of humans appear to obey one law or adhere to a particular style, give effect of
poise and austere harmony
Patron king or wealthy member of the lite, given credit for any work of art
commissioned
Seated statues had to have their hands on their knees, men had to be painted with darker
skin than women, Horus (sky god) had to be shown as a falcon or falcons head, Anubis
(funeral rites) as a jackal or jackals head, art of beautiful script, cut images and symbols
of hieroglyphs clearly and accurately in stone
Best artist was the one who could make his statues or paintings most like the admired
monuments of the past, no originality, Egyptian art changed very little in 3000 years
Two cultural values that were cherished above allpermanence and order, shared
obsession with values of consistency and stability
Art embodied values and manifested the immaterial ideals and standards that ruled this
society
Depiction of human form represented the idea of a man or woman, not the specific
individual
Not about realistic (or mimetic) depiction, entertainment, or the self-realization of the
artist
Egyptian art was timeless, not a specific moment in time but an enduring, ageless image
for eternity (huge role in funerary cultrituals, beliefs, and practices that accompanied
the beliefs about death and the afterlife)
Always shown healthy, fit, and in the prime of their lives
Ensuring the continuity of the universe, the gods, the king, and the people
Idealized manner intended to be more significant and enduring than was otherwise
possible in the real world

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Lecture 1: The Prehistoric Past - The Beginnings of Culture

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Lecture 1:

The Prehistoric Past -- The Beginnings of Culture

How we came to be who we are

Mesopotamia and The Fertile Crescent -- The Confluence of Fortune

Enumah Elish The Babylonian Creation

Stonehenge ancient, monolithic monument on Salisbury Plan in Wiltshire, England,

Ancient Egypt -- Art as Embodiment of Ideals

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