The oldest painting that has survived to this day. ancient art

We believe that ancient people were stupid and primitive.
They didn't know and couldn't do anything.
But look at these drawings on the walls of the caves, they are several tens of thousands of years old (think about this figure!)!!!
Think how many of us, so smart, advanced,
many who know and know how, will be able to portray a wounded bison in such a way,
convey not only the correct structure, proportions, but also convey
to the viewer his pain, to show that he is still alive and feels everything! ..
I think that people were no more stupid than us, but they had no experience,
there were no textbooks and books to learn much.
But they were able to observe, draw conclusions, and on the basis of these conclusions
educate themselves and teach others.
This is probably how art was born.

People made the necessary tools, some vessels,
without really looking at what they look like.

But for some, these items turned out better, first of all, more convenient.
They began to try to make it even more convenient, and then more beautiful.
Those who did not succeed themselves were asked to do those who could
make this work better, more convenient, more beautiful.
This is probably how artists and fine art objects appeared.
art.
The oldest works of art that have survived to this day
were created about 40-20 thousand years ago, in the Stone Age.
Everyday items - stone tools, vessels
from clay, people gave an artistic appearance, that is, they decorated these objects.
With paint, as well as carving on stone, the most ancient people depicted
on the walls of the caves are scenes of hunting and recreation.
These images are called cave or rock paintings.

People believed in magic, they believed that if you draw a beast,
pierced by an arrow, then the hunt will be successful.
So, a drawing of a wounded bison was found in the Altamira cave (Spain)
on the ceiling, executed with amazing craftsmanship,
with knowledge of anatomy and proportions. And how talented
with what plausibility are depicted running animals,
with what flexible lines the body is drawn! Such a pattern
the modern artist can envy.

Paints in ancient times were made from mineral dyes mixed with water,
plant sap, animal fat.
Along with cave paintings at that time, various
figurines made of bone and stone, which were worshiped as deities.
From clay, wood, and later from bronze they made dishes,
other household items.

No one can say exactly when, where and why art "began"
grew out of "non-art", formed and video changed
along with the person who created it.

On the land of the present state of Iraq was located
the ancient Sumerian state of Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia).
The first states on Earth arose in Mesopotamia.
From here a culture arose that came to Europe.
Temples with towers were built in the cities of Mesopotamia.
There developed a custom, according to which each ruler built
a new palace for himself. Sometimes it had about two hundred rooms.
The inhabitants of Mesopotamia learned to draw arches and vaults - semicircular ceilings. The walls were decorated with convex reliefs depicting
victorious battles or scenes from court life.
Also on the walls were patterns of bright glazed bricks:
bulls, lions, flowers, fantastic beasts called
protect from evil spirits. Such images, for example,
decorated the city gates of Ishtar in Babylon.
In the countries of Mesopotamia, clay sculptures were also created.
or figurines of people and animals carved from stone.
Stone for this was brought from other places. Of course, human figures
in the most ancient murals are somewhat constrained and clumsy,
and the sculptural images are rough, however,
they were very expressive and truly artistic.

The fine arts reached their peak
in the 6th century BC e. in Babylon (this is the current state of Iraq).
In the same century, Babylon was destroyed by the Persian conquerors.
The famous Ishtar Gate was also destroyed, but in the 20th century
they were reconstructed from the remaining parts found among
ruins during excavations.
Unfortunately, now they, too, have been destroyed.

We believe that ancient people were stupid and primitive. They didn't know and couldn't do anything. But look at these drawings on the walls of the caves, they are several tens of thousands of years old (think about this figure!)!!! Think how many of us, so smart, advanced, knowing and able to do a lot, will be able to depict a wounded bison in such a way, convey not only the structure and proportions correctly, but also convey his pain to the viewer, show that he is still alive and feels everything !. I think that people were no more stupid than us, but they had no experience, no textbooks and books to learn a lot. But they were able to observe, draw conclusions, and on the basis of these conclusions they learned themselves and taught others. This is probably how art was born.

People made the necessary tools, some kind of vessels, not really looking at what they look like. But for some, these items turned out better, first of all, more convenient. They began to try to make it even more convenient, and then more beautiful. Those who did not succeed on their own were asked to make those who knew how to do this work better, more convenient, more beautiful. This is probably how artists and objects of fine art appeared.

The oldest works of art that have survived to this day were created about 40-20 thousand years ago, in the Stone Age. People gave artistic appearance to everyday objects - stone tools, clay vessels, that is, they decorated these objects. With paint, as well as carving on stone, the most ancient people depicted scenes of hunting and recreation on the walls of caves. These images are called cave or rock paintings.

People believed in magic, they believed that if you draw a beast pierced by an arrow, then the hunt will be successful. So, a drawing of a wounded bison was found in the Altamira cave (Spain) on the ceiling, made with amazing skill, with knowledge of anatomy and proportions. And how talentedly, with what plausibility the running animals are depicted, with what flexible lines the body is drawn! Such a drawing can be envied by a modern artist.

Paints in ancient times were made from mineral dyes mixed with water, plant sap, animal fat.
Along with cave paintings at that time, various figurines of bone and stone were created, which were worshiped as deities. Dishes and other household items were made from clay, wood, and later from bronze.

No one can say exactly when, where and why art “began”. It did not start at a strictly defined historical moment - it gradually grew out of "non-art", formed and changed video along with the person who created it.

The ancient Sumerian state of Mesopotamia (Mesopotamia) was located on the land of the present state of Iraq. The first states on Earth arose in Mesopotamia. From here a culture arose that came to Europe. Temples with towers were built in the cities of Mesopotamia. A custom developed there, according to which each ruler built a new palace for himself. Sometimes it had about two hundred rooms. The inhabitants of Mesopotamia learned to draw arches and vaults - semicircular ceilings. The walls were decorated with raised reliefs depicting victorious battles or scenes from court life. Also on the walls were patterns of bright glazed bricks: bulls, lions, flowers, fantastic animals, designed to protect from evil spirits. Such images, for example, adorned the city gates of Ishtar in Babylon. In the countries of Mesopotamia, figures of people and animals molded from clay or carved from stone were also created. Stone for this was brought from other places. Of course, the figures of people in the most ancient murals are somewhat constrained and awkward, and the sculptural images are rude, nevertheless, they were very expressive and truly artistic.

In Egypt, the development of art was closely connected with the construction of cities, religion and the cult of the dead. Architecture was influenced religious beliefs and ideas about the divinity of the monarch. The Egyptians erected monumental tombs in which they left clothes, jewelry, weapons of the deceased - the tomb was supposed to serve as an eternal refuge for the pharaoh. The oldest burial structures that appeared in the predynastic period were mastabas - rooms made of stone or brick, which looked like a trapezoid in section.

A new type of tomb was the stepped pyramid. Its first builder is Imhotep, the vizier of Pharaoh Djoser. This construction option appeared as a result of the location of several mastabas different sizes one above the other. Filling the voids between the steps led to the emergence of the classical type of pyramids, which became symbols of Egyptian civilization. The most famous pyramids were built in Giza. Most scholars believe that the pyramids were built as tombs for the pharaohs. ancient kingdom Cheops, Khafre and Menkaure. After them, the size of the pyramids began to decrease, and during the Middle Kingdom they were erected very rarely.

In the period of the New Kingdom, to protect against tomb robbers, hypogees began to be carved in the rocks - royal tombs, which consisted of many rooms and long corridors. The entrances to them were decorated with bas-reliefs and statues. Similar burial structures are located in the Valley of the Kings near Thebes.

Outstanding monuments of Egyptian architecture are temples, impressive in their gigantic size, composition and magnificence.

The remains of temples built in honor of the god Amun-Ra in Luxor and Karnak have been preserved. These complexes consist of more than 100 spacious rooms, courtyards, statues of gods, sphinxes, obelisks. A special type of temples are sanctuaries carved into the rocks. Among them stands out the temple of Ramses II in Abu Simbel. Its facade faces the Nile, on both sides of the entrance are colossal statues of a seated pharaoh.

Egyptian sculpture is represented by statues and reliefs that adorned palaces, tombs and temples. The craftsmanship of Egyptian artists is evidenced by items made of gold and precious stones found in the tombs of the pharaohs. The walls of the buildings were covered with images of pharaohs and gods, scenes of the afterlife, etc.

In Mesopotamia, architecture was monumental. In the south of Mesopotamia, there was a shortage of stone and wood, but clay was in abundance. It was used in unfired form at all construction sites. Public and religious buildings were built of blue, white, green, yellow bricks, which gave them a special look. In Mesopotamia, art was placed at the service of kings and temples. Huge temples - ziggurats amaze the imagination.

They were pyramidal in shape an odd number terraces tapering to the top, each of which was painted in different colors using ceramic tiles. Ziggurats served as sanctuaries and astrological observatories. In the future, the construction of palaces gained scale. In Babylon they were built of brick, and in Assyria of stone. In the center of the palace there was a courtyard through which light penetrated, ceremonial rooms, the chambers of the monarch, utility and administrative premises were located around. Particular attention was paid to the magnificent decoration of temples and palaces with images of people, animals, fantasy creatures. The stone palaces of the Assyrians were surrounded by high walls with towers, the ruins of which have survived to this day. Cities were also protected by fortress walls. For example, in Uruk (2300 BC) there was a double wall 9 km long with 800 towers.

The inhabitants of Mesopotamia were skilled craftsmen in the creation of bas-reliefs, decorative items, weapons and jewelry.

The oldest architectural monuments In India, they belong to the Indus civilization. In the basin of this river, the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were discovered, in which there were houses of two or three floors, paved streets, water supply and sewerage systems, sanctuaries, ritual pools. Indian temples impress with their size, a large number of internal and external decor details. There were several types of religious buildings in this region: hypogee temples, stupas, temples made of wood. The early period is characterized by sanctuaries carved into the rocks, with images on the columns and internal walls. In the III century BC. e. there are monuments of Buddhist art - stupa. They were built of stone and decorated with statues and bas-reliefs, reflecting the plots of Buddhist legends. In the views of Buddhists, the temple embodied the structure of the universe: the dome symbolized the vault of heaven, the top - a symbol of faith, the room with four entrances - the four cardinal points. Temples made of wood - pagodas - had the shape of a very high prism, their roof was pointed. This type of structure was adopted by the Chinese.

In China, architecture reached its peak in the 1st millennium BC. e. Wood and brick were widely used as building materials in this country. Temples - pagodas - consisted of several floors with balustrades and terraces. The Great Wall of China, which began to be built in 215 BC, is a colossal protective structure. e. forces of 300,000 people by order of Emperor Qin Shi Huang in order to protect against invasions from the north. The length of the wall is 2000 km, and the thickness is so great that two riders could freely pass on its crest. Great Wall was reconstructed in the XV century, acquiring a modern look.

Art of Greece and Rome

The Greek world made a fundamental contribution to the development of European art. Being in close connection with religion, Greek art reached the highest level. The apogee in its development falls on the 5th century BC. e. The Greek people, inspired by their victories, erected magnificent temples with statues, public buildings. Stone and marble were used in their construction. by the most beautiful monuments Greek architecture are temples that do not look like either Egyptian sanctuaries or ziggurats. The Greek temple was a monumental structure containing only the statue of the god and the treasury; it was not designed to receive many believers. The lines of this building are simple and harmonious, one of its main elements is the column. According to the shape and ornamentation, three styles of columns are distinguished: Doric, Ionian and Corinthian. The Doric style is simple and powerful. The capital (the upper part of the column) is strict, geometrically correct. The Parthenon was built in the Doric style - the temple of the goddess Athena on the Athenian Acropolis, as well as the sanctuary of Apollo in Delphi.

In the Ionian style, the forms are lighter, the column becomes more graceful, and the capitals are characterized by scroll decoration. The Erechtheion dedicated to the goddess Athena, the temple of Athena Nike (Victorious Athens) and the sanctuary of Artemis in Ephesus were created in this style. The Corinthian style became widespread at the end of the 5th century BC. e. Its main features: a slender column with flutes (grooves) and a capital, embraced by a bouquet of leaves. This style was used in the construction of the temple of Olympian Zeus, which is at the foot of the Athenian Acropolis.

Especially many monumental buildings - temples and public buildings - were built in Athens under Pericles. The work was supervised by the architect and sculptor Phidias. As a result, in 20 years Athens has become one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Sculptors, like architects, looked for inspiration in mythology and in the world around them. The image of man, his physical and spiritual beauty began to come to the fore. The creations of the great Greek sculptors are distinguished by harmony and tranquility. Phidias created from ivory and gold a statue of Olympian Zeus, attributed in antiquity to the seven wonders of the world, and the goddess Athena the Virgin (Parthenos). The Greeks erected statues not only of gods, but also of athletes - winners Olympic Games. Works in bronze by Myron ("Disco Thrower") and Polikleitos ("Doriphorus", or "Spearman") depict athletic figures in motion. Polykleitos developed the canon classical art, defining ideal proportions human body.

In the Hellenistic era, sculptures of a new type began to appear, reflecting emotions and moving away from religious aspects. New, graceful images emerged from under the chisel of Praxiteles. These are marble statues of "Eros", "Hermes with the baby Dionysus", "Aphrodite of Cnidus". Lysippus was a master in bronze casting and in depiction of movement. He left a series of bust portraits of Alexander the Great, statues of the gods. The sculptor and artist Skopas expressed passion, anxiety and pain in his works. Greek painting on ceramics went from geometric, vegetative and zoomorphic motifs to images of people in scenes from myths, episodes from the Iliad and the Odyssey. The vases were two-tone: black background and red figures or red background and black figures. Greek art of the 6th-5th centuries, characterized by respect for proportions, balance, harmony with nature, is called classical. Hellenistic art was different from classical art, it combined Greek and Eastern traditions.

The Romans achieved outstanding success in architecture, laying its foundations in the Etruscan period, which was applied, town-planning in nature, being subordinate to public needs. The Romans introduced elements such as vault and dome. They were widely used in the construction of large buildings. Public life in Rome was centered on the central square - the Forum. The palace of the Senate, administrative buildings, the basilica were built here, where court sessions were held and deals were concluded. In Roman urban planning, there was a tendency to concentrate in one place all the buildings of public, religious and administrative purposes. All emperors decorated Rome with monumental forums. In memory of Roman victories, triumphal arches and columns were erected (Trajan's column, Marcus Aurelius's column). Roman amphitheatres are impressive structures. There were performances that gathered a huge crowd of people. The most famous among them is the Colosseum, where about 50,000 people could watch gladiator fights at the same time.

The oldest temples in Rome were built according to Etruscan models. In subsequent periods, monumental sanctuaries made of marble appeared. Among the public buildings can be noted the terms (public baths), where citizens met to talk about politics and philosophy. Important structures were bridges that connected communication lines, and aqueducts that provided water supply to the city.

In Roman sculpture, represented by statues and bas-reliefs, realism dominated. Of all the genres, the Romans preferred portraits, and it is not for nothing that numerous busts of famous people have come down to us. Roman painting can be judged from the bright, multi-colored frescoes in Pompeii and Herculaneum, depicting scenes from myths. The art of floor mosaics with geometric black and white ornaments or stylized images of people and animals was also developed. Unlike Hellenistic, in Roman painting, preference was given to eventful, historical or everyday aspects.

Although the topic of this article is primarily related to anthropology and, in particular, to anthropogenesis, nevertheless, art and its manifestations are an extremely important part of human society throughout its history. Art is an integral part human mind and in primitive times, it was it that formed what can be called the information space of those distant times. That is why I want to talk about the chronology of the oldest works of art discovered on this moment archaeologists.

Pebbles from Makapansgat.

This archaeological find is among the oldest known evidence of "inappropriate actions." It is natural that our ancestors were only concerned with purely utilitarian things, issues related to survival. The activities that we now call art do not help in any way in survival. However, in the Makapansgat cave in the territory of modern South Africa, an amazing pebble was discovered - a red, round pebble with natural holes that look like a face. Pebbles were found among the remains of the so-called African Australopithecus, which lived in South Africa from 3.5 to 2.5 million years ago. Australopithecus are so distant ancestors of people that they are united with us only by a common family - they and we are hominids (great apes). Australopithecus were not even completely upright, not to mention intelligence, although they used the most primitive tools.

Australopithecus African. Reconstruction by Roman Evseev (1)

Scientists who explored the Makapansgata cave and, in particular, this funny stone, found that the rock of which it consists is not characteristic of that area, and was transported by ancient hominids to their site at least 30 kilometers away.

Makapansgata Cave (2)

Although that pebble weighing about 250 grams cannot be called a work of art of the ancients, but in view of the fact that they moved it to such a considerable distance, and its only natural feature is the similarity with the face, we can conclude that this is what attracted our ancient ancestors. Despite the natural origin of pebbles, the representative of the ancient hominids treated him unnaturally and performed an inappropriate action with her, especially considering that the African australopithecines did not have bags and, moreover, clothes with pockets in which all sorts of trinkets could be carried. Such a find shows the presence of a certain artistic vision, the appearance of imagination and abstract thinking in Australopithecus. The emergence of artistic perception in hominids, of course, is associated with the development of the brain and visual system. As the anthropologist, candidate of biological sciences Stanislav Drobyshevsky notes, in his work on the development of the brain primitive people: “The occipital lobe is mainly responsible for vision. Obviously, it was the evolution of the occipital lobe (of course, together with the frontal lobe) that made possible development visual images.”(3)

Head stones.

During excavations of various sites of ancient people, archaeologists discovered many stone artifacts resembling human heads or faces. The most famous can be considered stones from Olduvai (Tanzania, about 1.8 million years ago) and Pampau (Germany, about 400 thousand years ago). Of course, such finds could be considered simple pebbles, which by chance took such a shape, but the abundance of artifacts of the same type near the sites of the ancients makes it possible to judge their non-randomness. Most likely, our ancestors saw in them the same thing that we do, so they were collected, and possibly made. In addition, literally made monuments of symbolic thinking began to appear about 400 thousand years ago - various bones with notches inscribed on them in the form of parallel lines, and some kind of schematic ornament, sometimes reminiscent of human figures. All these finds, including the most ancient one from Tanzania, already date back to the time of the appearance of the first people, namely the skilled man. Around the same time (about 1.9 million years ago) people began to use fire for cooking. It should be noted that there are so many finds from Olduvai and they were of such importance for science that a whole cultural layer was named after this place. The Olduvai culture is the most primitive stone-working culture and dates back from 2.7 to 1 million years ago.

Stone heads from various places and times.

Notched bone

Paleolithic Venus.

In a later period (about 200 thousand years), the so-called Paleolithic Venus- the first man-made works of artistic activity, which are anthropomorphic stone figures. These figurines depict women, hence the name "Venus". The first figure, Venus from Berekhat Rama (Dimensions: 3.5 by 2.5 by 2.1 cm) 150 - 280 thousand. The second - Venus from Tan-Tan (Dimensions: 5.8 by 2.6 by 1.2 cm .) has not yet been carefully analyzed, and it would be risky to name its age. Although both figures are clearly visible some kind of notches that give them a characteristic shape, their man-made origin is questioned by some archaeologists.

Venus from Berekhat Rama and Venus Tan-Tan.

The first manifestations of art.

In the future, starting from about 85 thousand years ago, art began to firmly enter the life of ancient people (4). All kinds of jewelry in the form of beads made of shells, bones and teeth are found everywhere. Basically, these finds are concentrated in the South, North and East Africa, the birthplace of modern humans, notably Taforalta in Morocco and Blombos Cave in South Africa. It was then that the first burials of people with signs of ritual behavior were discovered - separate graves with certain symbolic things in them, for example, horns and jaws of animals in the hands of those who died from the burials of Kafzeh 11 and Skhul 5 (Israel, 90 thousand years ago). However, this is not a confirmed fact - there is no certainty that the dead were buried in this way, and not that these objects got there by accident, or is it just a mistake during excavations and further interpretation. In the same places, the first burial of two people, similar in antiquity, was found in one grave - a mother with a child.
The first archaeological finds of ocher (a natural dye found in the form of stones of different densities) in ancient caves date back to about 78 thousand years ago. And although, later, ocher was widely used to make paint, there is no evidence that it was used for the same purposes even then. Ochre could also be used for tanning skins, and applied to leather to protect against insects. But there are finds of pieces of ocher with a primitive ornament applied to it. However, wooden sticks with traces of powder ocher are also found, apparently something was painted with them. For it is difficult to imagine their other application.

Shell beads from Blombos Cave
Ocher with ornament

The use of red ocher by girls from Namibia today

Neanderthal jewelry.

It should be noted that most of the finds of that time belong to Africa. The Neanderthals living in Europe and Asia had practically no signs of artistic activity, although bones and stones were also scratched (4). In a later period, Neanderthals also began to make beads from drilled teeth, but this was a very rare occurrence, and it dates back to about 30 thousand years ago, i.e. already by the period when they had been coexisting with the Cro-Magnons for quite a long time.

Neanderthal beads

Of interest is the "mask" from La Roche-Cotard (France). It is a piece of stone with a natural hole and a piece of animal bone planted in it. In principle, this construction may resemble a human face, but it is important to note that we are now judging in terms of modern man, but it is completely unclear what the Neanderthals saw in this. Perhaps this find has nothing to do with artistic activity. Although it is hard to believe that this artifact appeared by chance due to some other actions, since the bone inserted into the hole was fixed there with small pebbles.

"Mask" from La Rocher-Cotard. The same fixing stones are visible in the left "eye socket"

But, despite the "neglect" of art, the Neanderthals developed their minds to a primitive understanding of ritualism and some spiritual manifestations. So, in the parking lots in the mountains of Switzerland and Yugoslavia, monuments called the “cult of bear skulls” were discovered - caches with skulls of cave bears. Meanwhile, Neanderthals still practiced the burial of their dead, although no utensils or burials of several people were found in their graves. The oldest burial was discovered in Sima de los Huesos in Atapuerca (Spain) about 325 years ago (5). It was simply a deep mine where corpses were dumped. This burial is called "hygienic" - presumably the mine was used to move the corpses away from the dwelling, because animal corpses were also dumped there. However, which is characteristic, only the bones of carnivorous animals were found in the mine, and not a single one of a herbivore. This hints that those who lived there associated themselves with predators. Neanderthals, in the period from 68-78 thousand years ago. they literally dug graves for each deceased (exclusively single ones) and even sometimes put some kind of “monuments” on them in the form of stone slabs of an uncharacteristic shape or noticeable objects. But we cannot say that these were precisely the monuments in our understanding. With the same success, it could have been just marks about the location of the grave, so as not to dig it up accidentally in the future. By the way, they were buried in some kind of cemeteries - a place specially designated for this, at a distance from the parking lot.

The origin of ancient painting.

by the most famous monuments Artistic activities of ancient people are undoubtedly rock paintings. Of course, they look the most vivid and memorable, but at the same time, the oldest drawing from the Apollo 11 site in Namibia, in principle, is not so old. This small limestone slab with an image of some animal, probably a predator, was originally dated to about 26-28 thousand years ago, but subsequent, more thorough analysis showed that its age is 59 thousand years ago.

The oldest drawing from the site of Apollo 11 in Namibia

Of course, looking at this drawing it is difficult to understand what exactly it depicts, but one cannot fail to note the relatively good quality of the drawing - the artist clearly tried to keep the proportions and reflect the anatomical details of the depicted animal. Theoretically, one cannot exclude the presence of some kind of painting and in more early periods, because ocher, the main dye of the ancients, is found in sites many tens of thousands of years before. But material evidence of this has not been preserved, or they have not yet been found.
Virtually all rock paintings were created by sapiens, the most ancient, of course, are in Africa. In Europe, they begin to meet about 40 thousand years ago, from the moment the first sapiens migrated. The Neanderthals who lived there earlier had no artistic inclinations. Recently found the oldest drawing of Neanderthals in the caves of Spain near Malaga, dates back to 43 thousand years ago. This is reported by the New Scientist magazine (6), and it is important to note here that this is not an official scientific article, therefore the age data is not official.

Drawing from a cave in Malaga

The article says that seals are depicted here. However, looking at this extremely primitive drawing, it is difficult to understand what it is, although some resemblance to seals is still visible. But the aforementioned Drobyshevsky in his commentary article doubts the involvement of Neanderthals in the drawing. He recalls that the first sapiens appeared in Europe about 42 thousand years ago. and could very well be in Spain. In addition, sapiens, unlike Neanderthals, loved the sea and seafood. Neanderthals, on the other hand, practically did not use such food. (7)
From about 30 thousand years ago. rock paintings begin to become almost commonplace for ancient people. Now we can observe a huge variety of similar monuments of different quality of execution. It is noteworthy that sometimes we see very good artwork, which could now be called paintings, such as the images of animals from the Chauvet cave, (France, about 30 thousand years ago) where the use of composition and perspective is clearly visible. Or color paintings from Font-de-Gaume (France, about 17 thousand years ago), in which a peculiar style used by the artist is visible. Along with this, there are also much more “simple” drawings that a teenager or even a child could easily depict now, as in the Kapova cave (Bashkiria, 36 thousand years ago).

Chauvet cave

Font-de-Goume Cave

Kapova cave

There is also an interesting trend in the motifs of ancient rock art. So, on the territory of Europe, images of animals predominate. Whereas in Africa, images of a person and geometric shapes. At the same time, hunting scenes are the main motif of the images. Still everywhere there are prints of human hands. Ritual meaning is not ruled out in handprints, although perhaps this is only the simplest way to depict some relatively complex texture.

African cave paintings hunting

Cueva de las Manos, Cave of the Hands. Argentina, circa 9000 BC

Of particular interest are those drawings that, oddly enough, were not intended for general attention. Many of them have also been found. Such drawings are made in deep and narrow crevices inside the cave, where sometimes a person can hardly fit.

Archaeologists Dirk Hoffman and Alistair Pike. Left assistant Gustavo Sanz Palomera.
Photo: Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the Government of Cantabria, Spain.

The photo above shows the explorers of the Arso Bi Cave in Cantabria, Spain (8) examining one of these drawings. The photo clearly shows that the drawing on the vault would now even be problematic to photograph. It is completely unclear for what purpose such paintings were made. Perhaps they are related to some kind of initiation rituals or something like that. Or it was really done “for oneself,” say, as personal diaries are now kept.
Rock art actively existed for a very long time, until about the Bronze Age, and in some places until our era. However, even now, rock paintings are used in shamanic practices by various tribes of Indians and Africans.

Ships in the cave of Laja Alta, Spain (probably around 6000 BC)

Rock paintings from the Tassilin-Adjer plateau, Algeria. Dated to around 200-700 AD. These drawings belong to the "camel period" according to the periodization of the rock art of Africa.

Man-lion and ancient sculptures.

But we must not forget about the development of sculpture, which was given very little space in this article. In general, its development proceeded in a similar way, although it was associated with certain difficulties in the processing of hard materials, especially stone. Ancient sculptures, as well as drawings, were mainly carved images of animals, often made from mammoth tusks. Particular attention should be paid to the figurine called "Man" (9).
The man-lion (German: Löwenmensch, English: Lion-man) is a figurine carved from mammoth ivory found in the Swabian Alb near Ulm, Germany. The age of the figurine is approximately 40 thousand years. What is interesting about it is that it is the oldest zoomorphic image discovered. At 29.6 cm tall, the figurine is a cross between a man and a lion - an almost human body with a pronounced lion's head. Initially, the researchers regarded Manlion as a man, but further research by Elisabeth Schmid suggested that it was a woman. However, there is no objective data that speaks about the gender of the figurine; all these assumptions are mainly of an ideological nature. As with the vast majority artwork ancient people, it is now impossible to establish its purpose, although it is easy to assume some kind of sacred meaning, the connection between man and nature, the mystical ideas of ancient people.

All these figures are united by one characteristic- pronounced genitals and breasts, as well as a large belly, possibly reflecting pregnancy, while little attention is paid to the limbs and head, or they are absent altogether. Perhaps the most likely meaning of Venus is mystical - the amulet of fertility and fertility. Although, again, this is just an assumption, which may be contradicted by the fact that not absolutely all "Venuses" pay so much attention to feminine aspects.
It is also worth mentioning that during excavations in Hole Fels, next to the Swabian Venus, another interesting artifact was discovered - a bird bone with holes, most likely serving as a flute. The age of the flute is also about 35 thousand years. This is probably the most ancient musical instrument. However, this is a topic for a completely different story.

Swabian bone flute

In conclusion, it should be noted that, in principle, the title of this article is incorrect and is put here "for the red word." Those monuments of ancient culture, which were surveyed in this article, should not be called art. Art as such, in the form in which we understand it now. It would be correct to call it artistic activity. Now we can do nothing more than speculate about what they are, and most importantly, what they were made for. Of course, they are the object of some kind of information plan, information exchange, development of perception and society. But if we talk about ancient monuments, then we do not have any confirmed data about what exactly it was. At the same time, many finds made a long time ago have not received confirmation. And others, after a detailed study, turn out to be completely different from what was previously thought. Often just trash.
Most likely, the origins of the art, which is akin to what we understand, should be sought around the period of the pre-ceramic Neolithic (about 12,000 years ago) and a little earlier, during the transition from hunting and gathering to a productive economy and settled way of life.
Despite the fact that we do not have a clear idea about the development of the imagination and culture of our distant ancestors, as well as the mind in general, even the existing picture is extremely interesting and vivid. Three million years ago, a humanoid found a small red stone with a face and carried it in his hand for thirty kilometers because he was interested in it.
And after three million years, we bring home funny pebbles from a walk. And we also create amazing works of the most diverse art, fly into space and develop artificial intelligence, actively seek ways to combat old age, and create amazingly destructive weapons.

Special thanks for the help to Elena Marchukova.

Materials:

1. http://other-worlds.ucoz.ru/

2. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/915

3. General trends in the evolution of the human brain. Anthropogenesis.ru (online resource) http://antropogenez.ru/zveno-single/156/

Updated: September 22, 2018 by: Roman Boldyrev

The art is almost as old as the people themselves, and we try to preserve and protect the art we find. The older the work of art we find, the more valuable it is due to the fact that it can tell us about people who lived long before us.

10 Oldest Prehistoric Rock Art
290,000 - 700,000 BC

The oldest examples of prehistoric rock art found to date are a kind of pictogram that scientists call "cupules" (cup marks), which sometimes include linear carved grooves. These pictograms are indentations carved into both vertical and horizontal rocks. They are often arranged systematically in rows or columns. They can be found on every continent and ancient people made them over several time periods. For example, some Aboriginal people from Central Australia still use them.

Most ancient example such a pictogram was found in rock dwellings Bhimbetka Caves in central India. Thanks to the excellent conditions in the caves, the specimens are remarkably preserved. This allowed scientists to conclude with almost 100 percent certainty that these pictograms belong to the early Paleolithic period. In addition, evidence has been found in caves that the remaining nine examples of these pictograms date from the same time period. Although the caves have not yet been radiocarbon dated, Indian artifacts from the Acheulian period are thought to be as old as artifacts found in Africa and Europe. Their age is an astonishing 290,000 years.

A second collection of approximately 500 pictograms dating from roughly the same period was found in the Daraki-Chattan cave, along with a hoard of early stone tools. Daraki Chattan is one of the most iconic places in the world.

Some archaeologists believe that the pictograms should not be considered works of art, because they could have a consumer purpose. It is possible that they were used as mortars for pounding or for ceremonial purposes, as they are currently used by some peoples. However, they are one of the most common forms of prehistoric rock carving and have had a variety of uses. Therefore, it is quite logical to assume that at least some of them were created for artistic or aesthetic purposes. In addition, many pictograms carved into vertical rocks simply could not have a consumer purpose.

9. The oldest sculpture
230,000 - 800,000 BC


Photograph: Jose-Manuel Benito

The oldest undisputed depiction of the human body is the Venus of Hohle Fels. This figurine is 40,000 years old.

However, a much older statuette has recently been unearthed, which, although the subject of heated controversy, has every chance of taking the title of the most ancient statuette from the “Venus of Hole Fels”. This figurine, discovered in the Golan Heights in Israel, is called "Venus of Berekhat Ram" (Venus of Berekhat Ram). If this figurine is indeed a work of human art, then it is older than the Neanderthals and most likely was made by a Homo erectus (Home erectus).

The figurine was found between two layers of volcanic rock and soil. Its age can range from 233,000 to an astonishing 800,000 years. Initially, the figurine was considered a stone that simply looks like a person. However, microscopic analysis carried out by Alexander Marshak clearly showed that traces of human activity are visible on the stone. It is believed that the "Venus of Berehat-Ram" originally had a slightly anthropomorphic form, which was further accentuated with the help of human tools. If we consider the base of the figurine, it is clearly seen that it was carved so as to be flat, that is, so that the figurine would stand upright.

Speculation regarding human involvement in the creation of the figurine gained even more ground when similar finds were made in other parts of the region. One of these finds was the "Venus of Tan Tan" (Tan Tan) discovered in Morocco. Its age ranges from 300,000 to 500,000 years. Apparently, both figurines were used for ceremonial or religious purposes. The Venus of Tan-Tan was painted a brownish-yellow that was often used for ceremonies.

8. The oldest engraving on an eggshell
60,000 BC


Photograph: Vincent Mourre

The ostrich egg shell was an important tool for many early cultures and their decoration has become an important form of self-expression for people.

In 2010, scientists excavating the Diepkloof Rock Shelter in South Africa unearthed a huge hoard of 270 ostrich egg fragments, which were decorated with decorative and symbolic designs created by hunter-gatherers from the Howiesons Port Industries culture. Port). The fragments have been treated with numerous pigments and engraved with egg-hatching patterns. Two main types of patterns have been recorded: patterns associated with hatching and another type of patterns where sub-parallel or converging lines were used. Because patterns have changed over time, and because scientists have finally found a large enough specimen, they have been able to establish the existence of pattern traditions among cultures dating back to the Stone Age, at least as far as engraving.

Large holes made in eggshells have suggested that ostrich eggshells were used as a prehistoric version of vessels for storing liquids.

7. The most ancient rock paintings in Europe
42,300 - 43,500 BC

Until recently, Neanderthals were considered incapable of creating any kind of art (the recent discovery of decorated stones and fragments of egg shells puts an end to this opinion). Scientists were also certain that the Neanderthals did not create any examples of rock art. That changed in 2012 when scientists working in the caves of Nerja, in the Spanish province of Malaga, discovered drawings that were made more than 10,000 years earlier than the famous prehistoric cave paintings in the Chauvet cave. located in the southeast of France. The remains of charcoal found next to the six drawings were subjected to radiocarbon age determination, which showed that the drawings were between 42,300 and 43,500 years old.

The drawings depict the seals that lived in the region at that time, which were the staple food of the Neanderthals. Project leader Jose Luis Sanchidrian of the University of Cordoba also noted that the drawings have nothing in common with other works of people created in the Paleolithic era. In addition, he said that in the part of the peninsula where the caves of Nerja are located, no remains of modern humans have been found.

6. The earliest drawings made using handprints
37,900 BC

The rock paintings in the Sulawesi Caves in Indonesia are some of the oldest examples of representational art in history. Given the fact that they are 35,400 years old, they are almost as old as some examples of ancient non-representational art, including the El Castillo Cave Paintings (40 years old). 800 years old) and prehistoric cave paintings in Chauvet Cave (which are 37,000 years old).

However, the most stunning example of prehistoric rock art in the caves of Sulawesi is a drawing made using a handprint. Currently, it is considered the oldest of all drawings of this kind discovered to date. The age of this drawing is 39,900 years. This pattern is part of a collection of 12 rock paintings. The age was determined using the method of radioisotope uranium dating of the mineral coating on the sedimentary layer on which the drawings were applied (the drawings themselves may be even older). If radioisotope dating shows that the drawings are older than the sedimentary layer, they could be the oldest images of any type ever discovered.

Prehistoric people would blow ocher paint through tubes onto their hands to create prints. This trick is still used by children today. All prehistoric art is haunting, and there's something particularly evocative about handprints. Perhaps this is the realization of the fact that each of them represents a real person who has long been lost in the sands of time.

5. The most ancient figurines carved from ivory
30,000 BC


Photo: University of Tubingen

In 2007, archaeologists from the University of Tübingen were working on the Swabian Jura, a plateau in the federal state of Baden-Wurttemberg in Germany. They discovered a cache full of small figurines carved from ivory. These figurines are approximately 35,000 years old. They are considered to be the first ivory carvings that we know of today.

Only five figurines carved from mammoth bone have been found in the Vogelherd Caves in southwestern Germany. Numerous caves in this region are rich in archaeological finds. It was here that archaeologists discovered the famous Lion Man of Hohlenstein Stadel and the statuette of Venus from Hole Fels. Among the finds were the remains of a lion figurine, two fragments of a mammoth, and two unidentified figurines.

Radiocarbon dating and the geological context of the finds suggested that the figurines were made by members of the Aurignacian culture, a group of people associated with the first arrival of modern humans in Europe. The analysis showed that the age of the figurines is 30,000 - 36,000 years, and some tests indicate an even older age.

Four years earlier, researcher Nicholas J Conard reported the discovery of three other figurines in the same region, which belong to the same time period. Among them was the oldest known representation of a bird, as well as a figurine that had the image of a half-man, half-beast, and a figurine that looked like a horse. All figurines found are at least 30,000 years old.

4. The oldest example of ceramic art
24,000 - 27,000 BC


Photograph: Petr Novak

The Venus of Dolni Vestonice is similar to other Venus figurines that have been discovered around the world. The length of the figurine is 11.3 centimeters. She is a buxom woman with large breasts and a protruding ass. Two indentations were made on the head of the figurine instead of eyes. This is the first known ceramic figurine made from clay fired at a low temperature. It was made 14,000 years before people started using the clay firing method in pottery. The figurine was dug up on July 13, 1925 in Dolni Vestonice, in the South Moravian Region, Czechoslovakia.

This figurine, as well as several others and thousands of small fragments, indicate that this technology was new for that time. According to test results, the objects were fired at a low temperature of 700 degrees Celsius, so most of the pieces clearly show cracks formed during heating, including Venus itself, which was broken in half when it was found.

Venus was made by representatives of the Gravettian culture, approximately 22,000 - 28,000 years ago. Ceramic products did not take root in this culture, and after this culture, ceramic objects were not created for a long time. These works of art, in all likelihood, come from a period of artistic experimentation in this culture. Four holes were made on the figurine's head, possibly to hold flowers in it, or for ceremonial purposes.

In 2002, a fingerprint was found on the left side of the figurine, which belonged to a child aged 7 to 15 years. While the researchers do not believe that this figurine was actually made by a child, they regard this print as evidence of the social aspect of Gravettes' pottery production.

3. The first known drawing of the landscape
6000 - 8000 BC


Photo: Biblical Archaeological Society

If the controversial fresco found in Catalhoyuk mural turns out to be genuine, it will be officially recognized as the oldest known depiction of the landscape. Although, it can rather be called a series of abstract forms, along with the image of a leopard skin. She can be both.

In 1963, archaeologist James Mellaart was working in Çatal Huyuk in present-day Turkey, one of the largest Stone Age cities ever discovered. He discovered one of the many frescoes that were used to decorate box-shaped dwellings. Mellaart believes that this mural depicts a view of the city, and what many think is the skin of a leopard is actually the nearby Hasan Dag volcano, which was erupting at the time of the mural. Other archaeologists believe that the box-like objects are abstract forms, and the alleged volcanic eruption is a leopard skin, as the city's inhabitants also depicted wild animals in various ways. A study in 2013 provided results in support of the landscape hypothesis, when it was found that a nearby volcano had indeed erupted in the time period consistent with the painting of the mural.

There are two other contenders for the title of ancient image relief. Both of them are maps. One of them, as we mentioned earlier, was discovered in Western Europe, and the other is known as the Pavlov map (it was created in the period from 24,000 - 25,000 BC). However, the Çatal Huyuk fresco most likely had no consumer purpose, making it the first landscape painting created purely for aesthetic purposes.

2. Earliest Christian Illuminated Manuscript
330 - 650 AD


Photo: Ethiopian Heritage Fund

During the Middle Ages and long before, books were an unusually rare convenience, and were rightfully considered precious treasures by the few who could acquire them. Perhaps realizing this, Christian scribes adorned book covers with precious stones and painted pages with stunning colors and intricate calligraphy, creating exquisite illuminated manuscripts.

In 2010, in an isolated monastery in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, researchers discovered the Garima Gospels. The early Christian illuminated manuscript was originally believed to have been produced in 1100. However, radiocarbon age determination showed that the manuscript was much older and was created in 330 - 650 AD. This makes it the earliest Christian illuminated manuscript ever found. It is 500 years older than other similar manuscripts found in the region.

This astonishing book may be related to the period of the life of Abba Garima, the founder of the monastery in which this book was discovered. According to legend, he wrote all the Gospels in one day. To help him in this, God stopped the movement of the sun until the abba had finished his work.

Another contender for this title is the Rossano Gospels from the Cathedral of Rossano in southern Italy. This manuscript was created in the sixth century and can be viewed online.

1. Most vintage paintings painted in oil
7th century


Photo: Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo

In 2008, a new Buddhist mural and several other works were discovered in the Bamiyan Caves in Afghanistan. Traces of an oil-based binder have been found in these artworks, making them the earliest oil paintings. These paintings were created at least 100 years before the oil painting technique was used in the Mediterranean region or Europe. The binder seems to have been used to allow the paint to dry faster on the stone surfaces of the caves.

Since 2003, scientists from Japan, Europe and the US have been working to preserve as much art from the Bamuian Valley as possible through a project partially sponsored by UNESCO. They discovered this substance while doing chemical tests on some of the paintings. Using the method of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, the scientists found that samples from 12 caves, as well as those taken from two destroyed Buddha statues, contained paints based on oil and resin.

These frescoes, dating from around the seventh century AD, are part of a network of caves adorned with paintings depicting the Buddha and mythological figures. The network of caves is also decorated decorative patterns and intricate spiral sketches. Researchers believe that the study of these images can provide valuable information about the cultural exchange between the peoples of East and West Asia, as well as about the famous Great silk road(Silk Road).

+ The oldest wooden statue
Approximately 7500 BC


Slavic idols old Rus', rare and priceless archaeological artifacts made of wood and stone, represented the Slavic gods. The rarity of wooden artifacts is due to the fragility of this material, as well as early Christian persecution of pagans and their works. Many of these idols were made from perishable wood, as the trees were believed to be magical. Idols combined the power of the gods with the magic of trees. Slavic pagans usually set up their idols on mountains with treeless peaks. At the time when Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids were being built, at least one idol depicting a god was already old.

If the statements of the researchers are confirmed, then the most ancient wooden sculpture known to us will be the Shigir idol, made of larch. It was created during the Mesolithic (Mid Stone Age), approximately 9,500 years ago. The Shigir idol has been preserved throughout all these centuries only because it was located at a depth of 4 meters in a peat bog, thanks to which bacteria could not reach the wood.

The idol was originally discovered in January 1890 in the Middle Urals, northwest of Yekaterinburg. It was in the cache, along with other artifacts made from animal horns, bones, wood, and clay, such as daggers, harpoons, and oars. The height of the idol is 280 centimeters. Along the entire length of the monumental figure are seven faces, various carved patterns and religious motifs. The idol is crowned with a head. However, approximately 2 meters of the idol was lost during the Russian political unrest and if the interpretation of the structure of the idol made in 1914 by the archaeologist Tolmachev is correct, it is possible that the original height of the idol was 5.3 meters.

The idol was subjected to radiocarbon age determination at the Institute of History material culture in St. Petersburg by a team of scientists led by Galina Zaitseva. The results of the analysis were confirmed by the Geological Institute Russian Academy Sciences in Moscow and personally Leopold Dmitrievich Sulerzhitsky. Tests have shown ages varying by only a few hundred years. If the test results are true, the Shigir Idol will be officially recognized as the oldest wooden statue in the world and the most ancient sculpture any type throughout Europe.

Due to the coup d'état, this artifact was forgotten for a while, but since 2014, German researchers from the Lower Saxony State Office, dealing with cultural heritage(Lower Saxony State Office for Cultural Heritage) are trying to decipher the meaning of carvings and engravings. They will conduct another series of tests using the mass spectrometry method to obtain more accurate data. The results of these studies should be published in early 2015.