Are you struggling with writing research paper on anthropology? There are some must-know prehistoric art facts which can help you to write an excellent essay or analysis paper in an anthropology class.
Now, let us define what we mean by the word prehistoric art. This term applies to all art that is produced by all ancient prehistoric civilizations, long before written culture has been developed, commonly known as cave art. We will talk about prehistoric cave art facts like facts about the Stone Age cave paintings, how they were done, and much more.
Exciting Facts about Prehistoric Art
First of all, there are some general facts to remember about this ancient art; then we will move to something more specific. Here are some general facts.
That is the oldest art on earth. Humans were hunters and gatherers, lived in caves and used fingers, horsetails, axes and other tools to create their artwork. There are four major types of the Stone Age art:
- Petroglyphs like engravings;
- Pictographs like cave paintings;
- Sculpture like totems or ivory craft;
- Megalithic art like any objects made from stone.
The longest period of the prehistoric Stone Age is the Paleolithic period; it is divided conditionally into 3 parts:
- Lower Paleolithic (up till 300 ka);
- Middle Paleolithic (up till 45 ka);
- Upper Paleolithic (up till 10 ka).
There is also the transitional Mesolithic period, and a later period called the Neolithic or the New Stone Age. We will focus mostly on the Paleolithic Period.
The Lower Paleolithic Art Facts
We might think that we are the only civilization that has a culture, but this is a mistake. The prehistoric civilization also had a culture of its own. Here is the classification:
Cultures:
- Oldowan culture;
- Acheulean culture;
- Clactonian culture.
This division is very approximate, as the dating of the ages is not an exact science. Some more facts:
- It started when humans learned to make tools;
- First appearance shelters in caves and rocks;
- First petroglyphs;
- Ancient Venus statues.
The Middle Paleolithic Art Facts
Cultures:
- Mousterian culture;
- Levallois Flake Tool culture.
Facts:
- 2nd stage of the Paleolithic period;
- Standardized making of tools;
- Bone instruments;
- Furs or skin for clothing;
- Eggshell engravings, tribal art.
The Upper Paleolithic Art Facts
Cultures:
- Aurignacian culture;
- Perigordian (or Chatelperronian) culture;
- Gravettian culture;
- Solutrean culture;
- Magdalenian culture.
Facts:
- Stone-tool culture;
- The beginning of fine art and drawing;
- Modeling;
- Cave painting;
- Figure carving;
- Ancient pottery.
It took millions of years for humans to develop building, drawing and other skills that we use today. Every culture mentioned above has evolved slowly with the evolution of humans. Some ancient techniques in a way are used in the more modern cultures.
Islamic Architecture Research Topics
Though it apparently has little relation to the above topic, if you look closer, you might find some similarities and traces that show a relationship and a sort of inheritance from the prehistoric art in the Islamic culture. Much of its pottery and building technology is in a way close to the late Paleolithic period.
There is a difference between the Muslim and Islamic architectural concepts. Muslim is a religious, cultural phenomenon. The term Islamic refers to an architectural style which uses domes, mosques and horseshoe gates. Here are some hot research topics in architecture for you:
- A contribution of Islamic architecture to religion;
- Most ancient forms of fortresses in India;
- Use of ceramics in old Persian palaces;
- Music as ambiance atmosphere in the prehistoric era;
- Historical processes in architectural transition;
- The evolution of geometrical patterns;
- The concept of the mosque in early Islamic texts;
- The meaning of architecture in the Islamic civilization;
- The famous historical and archaeological hoaxes in Islamic architecture;
- Sumerian roots of the courtyard as the basic pattern of Islamic architecture.
These topics are only suggestions. Probably your course instructor will give you topics which may be similar or different to these, depending on your course. You should formulate your position based on your research, and cite your sources properly. Narrow your topic down to something provable and controversial.
If you have trouble choosing a topic or formulating a thesis, or if you do not have the time for any extensive research, you can order it, and professional writing service will do it for you. They can suggest you a great research topic and will help you with your research. Good luck with your studies!
