The 3 Geological Eras

Before written records there are 3 geological eras:

• Paleolithic (“old stone age”)

• Mesolithic (“middle stone age”

• Neolithic (“new stone age”)

The Paleolithic era was a period of time spanning 30,000-9000 B.C.E.

The Mesolithic era was a period of time spanning 9000-8000 B.C.E,

The Neolithic era was a period of time spanning 8000-2300 B.C.E

Paleolithic Era

The Paleolithic era is thought to have begun in Africa and later expanded to other regions.

Artwork from this era often included geometric patterns, animals, and on occasion women.

The representation of figures in this era was perfectly portrayed. The head, body, tail, and all four legs would always be portrayed.

Many of the artworks include two-dimensional paintings and three-dimensional sculptures, monuments, and large-scale objects.

Example:

Africa 25,500-25,300 B.C.E.

Apollo 11 stones

There were seven stone fragments painted with charcoal found in the Apollo 11 Cave in Namibia. Several of the fragments had familiar images of animals. These animals are portrayed in the characteristic profile.

Neolithic Era

The melting of ice and migration of humans during the Mesolithic era would eventually lead to the Neolithic age.

This era revolutionized human life with the beginnings of agriculture, stone implements, and the formation of the first settled communities.

The development of  monumental sculpture conceded with the development of the profile view of the human figures within paintings

Figural representations became more prominent as features were more defined and artworks began to document religious deities in human form

Example:

Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria. 6000–4000 B.C.E.

Running horned woman. Pigment on rock.

The featureless woman represented in the rock painting is wearing body paint, a raffia skirt, and horned headgear. The body paint and horns are evidence of ceremonial attire, and she appears to be much larger than the other beings in the image. This is evidence that she is possibly the representation of a deity or a woman participating in a ritual