Arts and Artisanship

Paintings
By Elodie Chidiac

Paleolithic Era:
  • Even though the Paleolithic era was made up of hunters and gatherers, art did evolve around that time period. Humans did use rocks for hunting, but creativity evolved when they chipped away the rocks to make them function better; and thus creating new tools used for art. The people of that time period were the first to visually represent the things they found in their natural environment. Scholars are still trying to answer the question of why these paintings were created? Were they a form of hunting magic, some religious ritual, or a totemic thinking,belief that some people descended from animals? The answer is still unknown. 
Neolithic Era:
  •  During the Neolithic era, people started to settle down in communities and thus were able to focus on other things than striving to survive. Neolithic is most known for craft and architecture as well as tombs carvings and religious objects. Neolithic societies were the first to apply pigment to a man-made surface. It was proven that the paintings,created by man during that time period, were part of a ritual to honor a deity.

Sculptures
By Elodie Chidiac

Paleolithic Era
  • Even though humans were nomads and were striving to survive, they still expressed themselves through art using whatever technologies available to them. Such materials included stone, mammoth ivory and reindeer horn. Venus figurines are the most common sculptures found in this era. These figurines appeared to be images of females with exaggerated specific body parts.They were found to be emblems of security and success as well as fertility icons.  
Neolithic Era:
  • The first millennium of the Neolithic era flourished the outstanding apparition of an impressive tool. Earlier Neolithic people learned how to make and use iron. With the introduction of iron, the sculptures became more complex and thus the people started to think about expanding their idea to more than just stick figures.Neolithic Venus were later discovered in may temples. These female statues, interpreted the women's primacy in religion and implies women's equality. Since non male statues were discovered, it implies that there was a slight superiority of women in social classes.

Weaving

Paleolithic Era:
  • During the the age of agriculture, it has been proven that there was also an explosion of technological innovations. Weaving of textiles, made it possible for the stable societies to trade with others, by just collecting the fibers of domesticated plants such as cotton. It is clear, that weaving was found to be a technology in which women are the innovators.
Neolithic Era:
  • Clothes, textiles and straw mats hold a prominent place in the daily life of Neolithic farmers.The main weaving fibers were flax and wool. The use of flax came earlier than that of wool and predominated during the Neolithic Period. It was assumed that there were two ways of weaving during the Neolithic, simple and diagonal weave.
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Animal paintings in Lascaux caves created around 15,000 B.C.E. Show lively animals painted realistically.
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The city of Catal Huyuk
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The Turkish site at Catal Huyuk (6000 B.C.E) was one a large plaster of mud but paintings still adorn the remains of the walls today.
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Venus of Willendorf was made between 24,000 and 22,000 B.C.E. and was discovered to be a fertility symbol.
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During the Paleolithic Era, the weaving of cloth was widely regarded as a women's specialization.
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Qashqai women weaving carpet using different patterns.
Citations
Strayer, Robert W. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History with Sources. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. Print. pg 16-17"Venus Figurines." 
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Apr. 2012. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_figurines>."Nude Woman (Venus of Willendorf)." 
- Smarthistory. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/nude-woman-venus-of-willendorf.html>.
"The Oldest Art: Cave Wall Paintings." - Softpedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Oldest-Art-Cave-Wall-Paintings-78754.shtml>."PaleolithicAge." Neolithic Venuses. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. <http://barclay1720.tripod.com/hist/paleo/neovenus.htm>."Neolithic Culture." Neolithic Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Oct. 2012. http://www.fhw.gr/chronos/01/en/nl/culture/weavfr.html.