Prehistoric Art

William V. Ganis, PhD

Dating Conventions and Abbreviations

B.C.=before ChristB.C.E.=before the Common Era

A.D.=Anno Domini (the year of our Lord)C.E.=Common Era

c. or ca.= circa C.=century

Pebble resembling a human face

from Makaspansgat South Africa

ca. 3,000,000 B.C.E.reddish brown jasperiteapproximately 2 3/8 in. wide

Apollo 11 Cave

Namibia

ca. 23,000 B.C.E.charcoal on stone5 in x 4 3/4 in.

Human with Feline Head

from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany

ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.E.mammoth ivory11 5/8 in. high

Human with Feline Head

from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany

ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.E.mammoth ivory11 5/8 in. high

Venus of Willendorffrom Willendorf, Austria

ca. 28,000-25,000 B.C.E.limestone4 1/4 in. high

Woman of Lespugue

from cave of Les Rideaux, France

ca. 20,000 B.C.E.mammoth ivory5 3/4 in. high

Various European “Venus” figures

Woman of Laussel

from a cave in Laussel, Dordogne, France

ca. 25,000-20,000 B.C.E.painted limestoneapproximately 18 in. high

Bison reliefs

from a cave at Le Tuc d’Audoubert, Ariége, France

ca. 15,000-10,000 B.C.E.clayeach approximately 2 feet long

Chauvet Cave paintings

Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, Ardèche, France

ca. 30,000-28,000 B.C.E.pigment on stone

Pech-Merle Cave paintings

Lot, France

ca. 22,000 B.C.E.pigment on stone

Altamira Cave paintings

Santander, Spain

ca. 12,000-11,000 B.C.E.pigment on stone

Lascaux Cave paintings

Lascaux, Dordogne, France

ca. 15,000-13,000 B.C.E.pigment on stone

Mammoth bone dwelling

from Ukraine

ca. 16,000-10,000 B.C.E.

Great Stone Tower of Settlement Wall

Jericho, Israel/Gaza

ca. 8,000-7,000 B.C.E.

Human Skulls with Restored Features

from Jericho, Israel/Gaza

ca. 7,000-6,000 B.C.E.skulls, plaster, shells

Human figure

From Ain Ghazal, Jordan

ca. 6,750-6,250 B.C.E.plaster, painted and inlaid with cowrie shell and bitumen

Çatal Höyük

Turkey

ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.

Deer Hunt detail of a wall painting from Level III

Çatal Höyük, Turkey

ca. 5,750 B.C.E.

Çatal Höyük

Turkey

ca. 6,000-5,900 B.C.E.

Landscape with Volcanic Eruption

Çatal Höyük, Turkeyca. 6150watercolor copy of a wall painting

Figures of Man and Woman

From Cernavoda, Romania

ca. 4,000-3,500 B.C.E.ceramic4 1/2 in. high

Menhir alignments at Ménec,

Carnac, France

ca. 4,250-3,750 B.C.E.

various Menhirs

Ireland, Scotland, England, France

Dolmens

Ireland, Scotland, England, France

Stonehenge

Salisury Plain, Wiltshire, England

ca. 2,550-1,600 B.C.E.sarsen and bluestone