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art history 1
stone age, ancient americans, olmec, anasazi, aztecs
21
Art History
Undergraduate 2
09/22/2012

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Term
when did homo sapiens sapiens appear on earth? where?
Definition
120,000 BCE in Australia, Africa, & Europe
Term
what were the earliest pieces of art?
Definition
engraved blocks of red ochre
Term
why did homo sapiens sapiens endure while neanderthals died out?
Definition
homo sapiens sapiens had greater cognitive abilities including the ability to think symbolically (which began the evolution of art)
Term
difference between shelter & architecture
Definition
shelter is the basic necessities needed for survival;
architecture has an "aesthetic intent"
Term
why can the Ukrainian Mammoth-bone houses be considered architecture?
Definition
they have decorative details including floors colored with powdered ochre, & the artistic placement of the bones in inner & outer design
Term
possible purposes of the woman of willendorf (including theorists)
Definition
most accepted: representation of health & fertility, demonstrated in emphasis on large breasts, stomach, and genitals
Clive Gamble: figures symbolized common ground between separate groups, showing that each group was friendly and suitable for mating
Leroy McDermott: made by female, looking down on own body; because of shortened arms & legs, and lack of facial features
Term
why is the woman of willendorf the subject of 'the power of naming'?
Definition
original title, venus of willendorf, suggested a specific meaning that may or may not be accurate (symbol of fertility)
Term
where were 1st cave paintings discovered?
Definition
Altamira, Spain
not initially accepted as authentic until others were found throughout europe
Term
possible purposes of cave paintings (including theorists)
Definition
Abbé Henri Breuil: places of worship; sites of ceremonies & initiations; sympathetic magic- painting thought to be able to reflect future
Steve Mithen: teaching tools for hunting
David Lewis Williams: shamanism; used in ceremonies involving hallucinations
Term
oldest known cave paintings
Definition
Chauvet cave 32,000 BCE
southeastern france
Term
Lascaux cave
Definition
most well-known (because it was open to tourists)
southern france 15,000 BCE
Term
composite pose
Definition
used in paintings in Lascaux cave
horns, eyes, hooves drawn facing forward while heads & bodies are drawn in profile
Term
what is the major area of recent debate in the study of ancient americans?
Definition
the question of original settlement in the americas
20,000-30,000 BCE from Asia
or earlier from Europe
Term
what native plants are at the core of ancient american diets?
Definition
squash, beans, & corn
Term
main features of the Mississippian period
Definition
complex chiefdoms
mound building
Great Serpent Mound
Term
largest city in north america around 1000 CE
Definition
Cahokia
population ~15,000
100+ mounds
Term
monk's mound
Definition
largest mound at Cahokia
Term
evidence of ancient astronomy in americas
Definition
woodhenges: circle of wooden posts used to determine solstices & equinoxes
Term
key elements of mesoamerican art that carried from olmec to others
Definition
monumental stone sculptures commemorating individuals
carved jade
ceramics
architectural features such as pyramids, plazas, ballcourts
heiroglyphic writings
Term
what trade did the olmec participate in? what does it say about them?
Definition
traded obsidian, iron ore, and jade
the import of jade showed that they valued their art (jade was only found in one specific area)
Term
city of La Venta
Definition
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