Art 108: Ancient to MedievalProf. M. HallWestchester Community CollegeFall 2015

Neolithic Art

The Neolithic Revolution

Image source: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/53700426/INVENTION-OF-AGRICULTURE

“Before the Neolithic revolution, it's likely you would have lived with your extended family as a nomad, never staying anywhere for more than a few months, always living in temporary shelters, always searching for food and not owning anything you couldn’t easily pack in a pocket or a sack. The change to the Neolithic way of life was huge and led to many of the pleasures (lots of food, friends and a comfortable home) that we still enjoy today.”Dr. German Senta, Smarthistory.org

The Neolithic Revolution

Bushel with Ibex motif, 4200-3500 BCE, Museé de Louvre

“The massive changes in the way people lived also changed the types of art they made. Neolithic sculpture became bigger, in part, because people didn’t have to carry it around anymore; pottery became more widespread and was used to store food harvested from farms. This is when alcohol was invented and when architecture, and its interior and exterior decoration, first appears. In short, people settle down and begin to live in one place, year after year.”Dr. German Senta, Khan Academy

DatingNeolithic revolution occurred at different times across the globe

DatingThough rare, there are still tribes today that cling to the hunter gatherer lifestyle of our prehistoric ancestors

The San tribe of northeastern NamibiaImage source: http://promoteafricanews.wordpress.com/2008/11/12/a-weekend-in-bushmanland/

The Neolithic RevolutionThe oldest know settlements emerged in modern day Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran

Neolithic sites in Anatolia and the Near East

The Neolithic RevolutionThe ancient city of Jericho, located in the Jordan Valley of modern Palestine, grew to as many as 2,000 inhabitants by 7500 CE

Excavations at Tell es-Sultan, JerichoImage source: http://www.geolocation.ws/v/P/44071150/cable-and-ancient-jericho/en

The Neolithic RevolutionThe city was surrounded by massive walls, indicating the need for defense

Great stone towers built into the walls of Jericho, c. 8,000-7,000 CE

The Neolithic RevolutionAccording to the Bible, the city of Jericho was destroyed by Joshua, who led the Israelites into battle carrying the Ark of the Covenant

Joshua at the Battle of Jericho, mosaic from Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, 432-440Image source: http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth212/santa_maria_maggiore.html

Recent research (Barkai & Liran 2008) suggests that the tower was placed exactly where the darkness began to shade the settlement on the summer solstice.

“We suggest that the tower was built not just as a marker or a time-keeping device but as a guardian against the dangers present in the darkness cast by a dying sun's last rays of light. . . . The construction of the towering structure was thus a symbol of the strength, power and durability of the Neolithic community and of its ability to withstand the frightening forces of nature.”

The Neolithic RevolutionPlastered human skulls have also been found at Jericho – but their purpose remains unknown

Plastered Skulls from Yiftah'elImage source: http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/jericho.html

The Neolithic Revolution

Plastered Skulls from Yiftah'elImage source: http://teachmiddleeast.lib.uchicago.edu/foundations/origins-of-civilization/image-resource-bank/image-09.html

“Sometimes, after a body had decayed, the skull was removed and covered in plaster, molded to reconstruct the facial features. The eyes were often represented by inlays of shell (as here) or stone. The practice of plastering skulls was widespread and is found in sites throughout the Levant.”http://teachmiddleeast.lib.uchicago.edu/foundations/origins-of-civilization/image-resource-bank/image-09.html

The Neolithic Revolution

Plastered Skulls from Yiftah'elImage source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/art-history/deck/5423538

“Were they focal points in ancestor worship, as was originally thought, or did they function as images by which deceased family members could be remembered? As we are without any written record of the belief system practiced in the Neolithic in the area, we will never know. .”Dr. German Senta, Smarthistory.org

The Neolithic Revolution

Plastered Skulls from Yiftah'elImage source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/art-history/deck/5423538

“Were they focal points in ancestor worship, as was originally thought, or did they function as images by which deceased family members could be remembered? As we are without any written record of the belief system practiced in the Neolithic in the area, we will never know. .”Dr. German Senta, Smarthistory.org

Ain Ghazal, JordanAn extraordinary cache of statues depicting humans was found at Ain Ghazal, near Jordan

Human figures from Ain Ghazal, Jordan, c. 6250 BCEImage source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/midterm/deck/1315807

Ain Ghazal, JordanThe figures were made with plaster built up over a core of reeds and twine, and then they were decorated with paint and shells

Human figure from Ain Ghazal, Jordan, c. 6250 BCEImage source: http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/prehistoric-art/deck/3588258

At first glance, the figure may seem similar to the Paleolithic Venus figures, but The differences are significant

SIMILARITIES:Nude representation of the human formUnnatural proportions

DIFFERENCES:Molded from plaster rather than carvedGender is undefinedDecorated with paint and inlay

Image source: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0d3ik9Kcx9uL4r2W2YhnCA

Another major difference is the monumental scale

The Neolithic RevolutionSedentary lifestyle brought about by the Neolithic Revolution made exploration of the human form on a monumental scale possible

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Çatal Höyük is one of the most famous Neolithic settlements

It was a thriving city of about 6,000 inhabitants

Image source: http://www.globalheritagefund.org/where/catalhoyuk/updates/catalhoyuk_update_62009.html

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Excavations began in the 1960’s, and are ongoing today

Excavation site and museum, Çatal HöyükImage source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/catalhoyuk/3064400886/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE)

Reconstruction of settlement at Çatal HüyükImage source: http://delalhambra.multiply.com/journal/item/10/The_cradle_of_civilization_Wiege_der_Zivilisation

The settlement consisted of adobe-type structures made of mud brick, adjoined to one another in a honeycomb pattern.

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Dwellings were entered through roofThe dead were buried under platforms

Reconstruction of a typical dwelling at Çatal HüyükImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catal_Hüyük_Restauration_B.JPG

Neolithic burial of a pregnant woman without the head and infant remains insideImage source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/catalhoyuk/200284259/

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Walls of dwellings were plastered and painted with abstract patterns resembling textiles

Fragment of wall mural from Çatal HöyükImage source: http://www.smm.org/catal/mysteries/murals/patterned/Mural_6/

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) James Mellaart believes these patterns can still be found in kilim designs still being made today

"Reconstructed" wall painting said to be from Shrine E.V, 9 and a kilim from Seyitgazi/Eskishehir region with "bird" design. (The Goddess From Anatolia, Vol. 1, Plate XIV.)Image source: http://www.marlamallett.com/ch.htm

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Shrine decorations include bucrania (bovine skulls) - thought to be symbols of male fertility

Reconstruction of a shrine, Angora MuseumImage source: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iM1vLgPGl4XS0SJU525TSg

Or maybe they were just hunting trophies, recalling the “glory days” beforefarming, when life depended on hunted animals

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) The so-called hunting shrine has murals depicting hunting scenes

James Mellaart, reconstruction of the “Hunting Shrine” at Çatal Höyük

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Compare this Neolithic mural to Paleolithic cave paintingsWhat is different?

Deer Hunt Mural from Çatal Höyük, Turkey, c. 5750 BCE

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Differences:Includes menImplies a narrative (men hunting an animal) Painted on white plaster rather than directly onto the wall

Deer Hunt Mural from Çatal Höyük, Turkey, c. 5750 BCE

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Use of silhouetteComposite of frontal and profile view (similar to twisted perspective)Highly stylized (cartoon-like rather than naturalistic)

Hunter, from Çatal Höyük, Turkey, c. 5750 BCE

Çatal Höyük (c. 7,000-5000 BCE) Leopard skin garment recalls “shaman” figures from the caves

Hunter, from Çatal Höyük, Turkey, c. 5750 BCE

The Neolithic RevolutionThe transition from hunting and gathering to farming also gave rise to monumental architecture

In Western Europe, stone structures were built in Neolithic times for religious purposes

Megaliths by David and Lai Ngan Corio, Jonathan Cape, 2003

The Neolithic RevolutionMegaliths are made of huge stones assembled without mortar

They may have originated as burial structures designed to provide permanent "houses of the dead"

Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, BrittanyImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dscn5212-mane-braz_800x600.jpg

The Neolithic RevolutionMegaliths are divided intothree types:

1. Menhirs: unhewn or slightly shaped single stones standing upright in the ground

Kerloas Menhir, Brittany, FranceImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kerloas_menhir.JPG

The Neolithic Revolution2. Dolmens: enclosures consisting

of two or more vertical stones supporting a large single stone

Poulnabrone Dolmen, County Clare, IrelandImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Paulnabrone.jpg

The Neolithic Revolution3. Cromlechs: megalithic structures in which groups of menhirs from circles or semicircles

Chromlech of Okabe, Basque Pyrenees, FranceImage source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harrespil_Okabe.jpg

The most famous cromlech is Stonehenge, located on the Salisbury Plain in England

Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, c. 2550-1600

The Neolithic RevolutionStonehenge was developed over a long period of time

There were at least four major building phases

Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, c. 2550-1600Image source: http://abyss.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/stonehenge.html

A giant circle was created from massive rocks -- some weighing as much as 50 tons -- brought from a quarry 23 miles away

Monumental Scale

Use of stone (permanent material)

Post and lintel construction

Post and Lintel Architecture

Function

Stonehenge was designed to align with the rising and setting sun

“Whoever built Stonehenge had precise astronomical knowledge of the path of the sun and, moreover, must have known before construction began precisely where the sun rose at dawn on midsummer's morning while standing on the future site of the monument.”Dr. Christopher Whitcombe, “Stonehenge” http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehengeD.html

Image source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wiltshire/5098706.stm

Image source: http://redmoonmusings.com/?p=1690

Function

“[T]he astronomer Gerald Hawkins has argued that Stonehenge is not merely aligned with solar and lunar astronomical events, but can be used to predict other events such as eclipses. In other words, Stonehenge was more than a temple, it was an astronomical calculator.”Dr. Christopher Whitcombe, “Stonehenge” http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehengeD.html

Function

“The cycle of the moon, for example, which takes 27.3 days, can be tracked by moving a marker by two holes each day to complete a circuit in 28 days.”Dr. Christopher Whitcombe, “Stonehenge” http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehengeD.html

Function