Art of the Upper Paleolithic

Upper Palaeolithic small art is an archaeological term for works of art and artistically designed or decorated artifacts of the Upper Paleolithic. Carriers of these works of art is the anatomically modern humans, referred to synonymously in Europe as Cro- Magnon man.

Cabaret is in the archaeological context as "Art Mobilier " (French: Portable Art) referred. It is a counter-concept to the most large-scale rock art in caves and rock shelters, called "Art parietal " (French: related to the wall art, from the Latin paries = wall).

Formation

In the Qafzeh Cave in Israel, there were already 92,000 years ago, a non- purposeful use of shells of a then popular on the coast sea almond ( Glycymeris Insubrica ) and the mineral ocher dye. Pierced shells ( Nassarius gibbosulus ) with dates of 82,000 years there from the Grotte des Pigeons ( region of Oujda, Morocco).

The largest metropolitan earlier artistic expressions of Homo sapiens comes from finds of the Middle Stone Age in South Africa. The associated tool cultures as pre- Still Bay, Still Bay and Howieson 's Poort industry, and dated to the period between approximately 75,000 to 50,000 years ago. In the works of art are also mostly jewelry from pierced sea snails or mussels, but here in conjunction with geometric objects decorated. A large number of pierced and inked with red chalk shells comes from the Blombos Cave ( South Africa). These are up to 75,000 years old, while the oldest ocher pieces are up to 100,000 years old in the lower cave layers. Were ocher apparently already produced in large quantities as 58,000 years old layers in the Abri Sibudu ( KwaZulu -Natal, South Africa) show in the Middle Stone Age. In the Blombos Cave also different Rötelstücke ( red ocher ) have been found with geometric carvings that are least 75,000 years old. Convincing evidence geometrically ornamented objects have also been published with up to 60,000 -year-old engraved ostrich eggshells from the Diepkloof Cave ( Western Cape Province, South Africa). The decorated ostrich eggs were probably used as a water container.

The development of simple ornamented objects in Africa to small figurative art from the European Aurignacian, which are covered here until about 40,000 years ago, is very likely to be a continuous process in the sense of tradition. In Europe there are in the time horizon of the transition from the Middle Palaeolithic to Upper Palaeolithic a series ornamented objects that can be both Neanderthals innovations later ( Châtelperronian ), as could also be attributed to interactions with the immigrant Homo sapiens. Incised ornaments play for works of art of the Cro -Magnon a major role, where they decorate the ivory - cabaret ( cf. Venus of Hohle Fels ) or were applied as petroglyphs on the rock walls.

The use of jewelry and decorative ornaments was attributed until recently, only Homo sapiens and counted as part of "modern behavior ". In 2010, as the earliest evidence of Cro -Magnons and therefore produced as definitely Neanderthals jewelry pieces were about 50,000 -year-old, pierced and painted with ocher colors shells from the Spanish limestone caves Cueva de los Aviones and Cueva Antón known that are older are.

A figurative altpaläolithische cabaret, however, is not yet proven. Two putative Figurines altpaläolithischem findings related, the Venus of Berekhat Ram (Israel) and the Venus of Tan- Tan ( Morocco) will not be accepted by the scientific community and considered Nature Games.

Genre Upper Paleolithic cabaret

The small figural art in Europe begins with the Aurignacian. Among the oldest works include ivory miniature art of the Swabian Alb, such as the Venus of Hohle Fels and the Lion Man by Hohlenstein. Overall for the Upper Palaeolithic form Engravings, often on Loch rods from antler, bone, stone, or jet, quantitatively the largest group of mobile cabaret; here there are only representations of animals, a v. of species of deer, ibex and wild horses. Engraved Signs and symbols can be found on projectile points, harpoons, the " demi - baguettes rondes " or smaller hole rods.

Next to mention is the group of plastically worked Atlatl Hook ends, which are usually wild horse heads, musk oxen, and also stylized fish. Jewelry pendants and amulets were made ​​of animal teeth, tiny bone fragments, ivory, fossil snails, created et al. The small, highly abstracted "dancing " female statuettes are a special feature of the Magdalenian; for an older time period - the Gravettian - are lavish, often faceless female figures ( " Venusfigurinen " ) typical, such as the Venus of Willendorf and the Venus de Macomer. Some places of discovery, such as village patrons, comes extensive series of volatile engravings on slate, on which mainly animals and dancing women are also shown.

The Magdalenian (ca. 18000-12000 BC) - - only the last phase of the Upper Palaeolithic For Switzerland sure is because a repopulation of the central mountain zones only during the Late Glacial to the reheating and the resulting collapse of the würmeiszeitlichen ice was possible. Only finds from the recent Magdalenian are known from the approximately 30 known sites in Switzerland and are within the outlined by André Leroi - Gourhan styles of the art style IV, the engravings on slate, bone and antler, small figural sculpture and amulet and pendant styles include. The sites are distributed irregularly along the southern Jura slope and the southern area of the Swabian Alb.

Important sites

• Laugerie -Haute, Aquitaine
• La Madeleine, Aquitaine
• Brassempouy ( the Venus of Brassempouy from the " Grotte du Pape ")

• The cave Kesslerloch in the canton of Schaffhausen
• The Rislisberghöhle at Oensingen
• The Abri Swiss image in the canton of Schaffhausen
• Field sites such as the Moosbühl in the canton of Bern
• Champréveyres and Monruz in the canton of Neuchâtel

• Vogelherdhöhle cave in the Lone Valley
• Hohler Fels and Geißenklösterle at Schelkingen
• Peter rock in Brudertal at Engen (all four in Baden- Württemberg)
• Klaus cave at essing, Bavaria
• Patron village and Andernach, Rhineland -Palatinate

Exhibition

• 2013: Ice Age Art Arrival of the Modern Mind, British Museum; London, catalog.