Prehistoric Art Virtual Museum HUMN 1101

Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel

38,000 BCE

This part lion, part human figurine was carved out of mammoth ivory and stands 11 inches high, the largest of all Ice Age sculptures found in the Swabian Jura (Lion Man).

Prehistoric Timeline

Period: 38,000 BCE to Dec 25, 1000

Sulawesi Cave Art

37,900 BCE

The cave art has drawings of hands and a pig-deer like species. It is believed that mammal species played a huge role in the peoples' beliefs (Vergano).

Mammoth from Vogelherd Cave

35,000 BCE

This fully intact figurine of a mammoth weighing 7.5 grams was found in Swabian Jura of Germany and it is thought that it was made by the first modern people (Ice Age Art).

The Red Bears

30,000 BCE

The bear found in the Chauvet Cave is painted in red. The artist who drew the image used an artistic technique known as stump-drawing by ussing their fingers to paint the muzzle and carefully draw the outlines of the bear for more perspective (The Red Bears).

Burrup Peninsula Rock Art

30,000 BCE

The rock art in the Burrup Peninsula has petroglyphs that symbolize humans and animals that no longer inhabit the region such as the Tasmanian tiger (Dineley).

The Venus of Willendorf

25,000 BCE

Standing 11 centmeters high, is a figuerine sculpted from yellowish limestone representing an obese woman discovered by Austrian archeologist Josef Szombathy (Venus of Willendorf).

Venus de Brassempouy

22,000 BCE

The head is about 3.65 cm. high with eyes and a nose, but no mouth. It is made out of mammoth ivory which can be harmed by light, moisture, and temperature (Dowson).

Lascaux Cave Paintings

15,000 BCE

The paintings are around 20,000 years old and consist of mostly large animals that were once native in that region (Cave Art Paintings).

Tuc d'Audoubert Cave Bison Sculpture

13,500 BCE

Located in France, the sculptured is about 2 ft. long and carved out using a small tool for the beard and the sculpture's fingernails for the jaws. Cracks are shown due to drying out over time (Cave Bison Sculpture).

Göbekli Tepe

9500 BCE

Unlike the Stonehenge, these pillars are made of cleanly carved limestone with animal carvings on each pillar and is the oldest example of monumental architecture (C. Mann).

Cueva de las Manos

8000 BCE

This cave art in Argentina known as Cave of the Hands, got its name from the outlines of human hands and the people who painted it used natural mineral pigments for color.

Magura Cave Painting

8000 BCE

Over 750 drawings, the cave contains images of people dancing, hunting, and a variety of plants and animals. The people before drew their own symbolic images to preserve their religious calendars and holidays (Bulgaria Magura Cave).

Mother Goddess of Çatalhöyük

5800 BCE

This figurine found in Çatalhöyük, Turkey is made of a variety of material but is mostly out of fired clay and the head has been restored. It shows a woman seated between two animals (Mother Goddess).

Thinker of Cernavoda

5000 BCE

This figurine was created during the Hamangia culture and made out of terracotta with a dark, brownish-red color. It symbolizes human introspection instead of hunting (Thinker of Cernavoda).

Stonehenge of Salisbury

3100 BCE

This structure was built on a sacred landscape in Salisbury and is made of stones known as sarsens and bluestones weighing from 4 to 25 tons and stands over 30 feet (Jarus).

Egyptian Pyramids

2650 BCE

Pyramids of ancient Egypt are the world's largest tombs and it is believed that they were created to protect the Pharaoh's body and belongings that he will need after death since Ancient Egyptians believed in an eternal afterlife (Ancient Egypt).

Moai Statues

Jan 1, 800

Located at the Rapa Nui National Park in Chile, these large stone heads stand 13 ft. tall and weigh around 14 tons. It is believed they were created to honor their ancestors or other beliefs (Eastern Islands).