ART IN

Early Civilization
Stone age

is a term used to described a period of history when

stones were used to make tools for survival.

Three Periods of the Stone Age Culture

* Paleolithic - Old Stone Age

* Mesolithic - Middle Stone Age
* Neolithic - New Stone Age
Prehistoric ART

Paleolithic Art
is a product of climate change. As the climate got
colder, part of the early humans’ instinct is to look
for shelters that would provide them with warmth.
Caves became protective havens for the early humans
and these caves paved the way for the birth of their
first attempts to create art.

Hall of Bulls found in a cave in Lascaux, France

Mesolithic Art
The term "Mesolithic art" refers to all arts and crafts created
between the end of the Paleolithic Ice Age (10,000 BCE) and the
beginning of farming, with its cultivation and animal husbandry.
Humans during this age developed engravings, and ceramics to
reflect their daily lives. The Mesolithic is the first era of the
Holocene epoch, which succeeded the Pleistocene, and it ushered
in a new approach to Stone Age art.

Perfect example of Mesolithic rock art

Neolithic Art
has developed especially when life for the early
humans has become more stable. They have learned to
cultivate the land and domesticate animals. By 4000
BCE there were several monumental and architectural
erected. One of them is the Stonehenge. Some sees it as
a complex calendar while other see it as a temple. The
purpose of this fascinating edifice remains a mystery
up to this day and age.

Stonehenge located in Southern England

Egyptian ART

 Due to the indispensability and utility, Egyptians came to the notion that art was
something that can be ascribed and associated with religion.

Three Periods in Egyptian Civilization

* Old Kingdom
* Middle Kingdom
* New Kingdom
 Old Kingdom ( Age of the Pyramids )

The Old Kingdom (2686 BC–2182 BC) was a period of political

stability and economic prosperity, during which great tombs were
built for Egyptian Kings in the form of pyramids. It was
characterized by revolutionary advancements in royal funerary
architecture. Both Egyptian society and the economy were greatly
impacted by the organization of major state-sponsored building
projects, which focused on building tombs for their kings. These
tombs were built in the form of great pyramids, and for this
reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as the “Age of
the Pyramids.”
The Pyramids of Giza: This view shows all
three pyramid structures: the Great Pyramid,
the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure.
 Middle Kingdom ( Political Hierarchy )

The key features of Middle Kingdom shift in an emergence

of powerful groups of landlords that threatened the authority
and rule of the pharaoh. In order for art to be reemerge and
flourish, Egypt needed to have a more stable situation. This
happened during the rule of King Mentuhotep, during his rule
Egypt eventually got back on the track. Art during Middle
Kingdom has some experimentations in terms of style, some
styles that emerged during this period are portrait sculptures
and fresco paintings that were freely drawn.

Mentuhotep II receiving offerings: Mentuhotep

II, seated, holds the crook as a symbol of power.
 New Kingdom ( The Golden Age )

The New Kingdom is known as the golden age of ancient Egyptian

history. Monuments and sculptures were still linked with death and
reverence for the deceased. During with the previous kingdoms,
tombs were just used for worshiping the dead but with the New
Kingdom, they started having mortuary temples. These temples
which were carved out of living rocks served not only a sanctuary
for the dead but also a place of worships for the living. During this
period, Egypt has established itself as a more advanced and
powerful civilization.
Colonnaded design of Hatshepsut temple
 Amarna Revolution

When Amenhotep became the king of Egypt with her Queen Nefertiti in the
18th dynasty he revolutionize the arts and religion. He moved the capital to
Tel El- Amarna thus the name Amarna. He later on change his name to
Akhenaton, which came from Aton who is the sun of God. During this
period the only God to be revered was Aton. Egypt became monotheistic
and Akhenaton ordered all to tear down all monuments of other Gods. He
then fervently ordered the creation and erection of new monuments in
reverence to Aton.

Queen Nefertiti
Tutankhamen

The greatest discoveries from the Egyptian Civilization was the

tomb of Tutankhamen. He became king at a very young age and
died at the age of eighteen. Howard Carter discovered his tomb
in 1922. they were astonished to find gold artworks and that the
coffin was made out of solid gold. The body of the young king
was covered in linen and a gold mask covered his face.

Tutankhamen
Thank You . . .