Key Terms for Prehistoric Art
- anthropomorphic
- course
- dolmen (for more information see dolmen)
- henge (for more information see henge)
- Homo sapiens
- lintel
- megaliths
- mortise and tenon (for more information see mortise and tenon)
- Neanderthals
- Neolithic period
- Neolithic Revolution
- Paleolithic Period
- parietal art
- passage grave
- petroglyph
- Prehistoric
- post-and-lintel (for more information see lintel)
- relief sculpture (for more information see relief sculpture)
- sculpture in the round
- shaman
- stele
- temper
- therianthrope
- trilithon (for more information see trilition)
Having a human-like form or attributes.
a layer of brick, or other masonry material, laid in horizontal rows
A megalithic tomb built with two or more upright stones capped by a flat stone. Dolmens dating to the Neolithic period are found in Britain and Western Europe.
A prehistoric monument consisting of an arrangement of stone or wooden uprights, usually circular, and often surrounded by a bank or ditch.
anatomically modern humans who evolved from an earlier species of hominids
In architecture a horizontal block that spans the space between two vertical supports (posts).
A large stone used to construct a structure or monument, such as a tomb or a stone circle. The term megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, especially during the Neolithic period in Europe.
a joint formed by the insertion of a tongue (the tenon) into a hole (the mortise)
an extinct species of humans named after the site in which their bones were first discovered—the Neander Valley in Germany; they existed between c. 120,000–35,000 years ago
literally means “New Stone Age,” and dates from the 6th–4th millennium B.C.E.
dates to c. 10,00–3,000 B.C.E, and refers to when humans began to settle into communities, domesticate animals, and grow crops
literally means “Old Stone Age,” and dates from c. 2.5 millions years ago–10,000 B.C.E. It predates the Neolithic period
Art in caves.
a tomb that consists of one (or more burial chambers) which is covered in earth or stone and that is accessed by a narrow passage made of large stones
(From Greek πέτρα , “stone”, and γλύφειν, “to carve”). An image created by removing part of a rock surface by pecking, abrading, incising or carving. When the the surface of the rock is removed, the lighter rock underneath is exposed, creating the petroglyph. Petroglyphs are found worldwide, and are often associated with prehistoric peoples.
a period before the invention of writing
a construction method in which two vertical bemas (posts) support a horizontal beam (lintel)
Sculpture in which the images have been carved or modeled on a surface so as to stand out from the background. Because it cannot be viewed from all sides, relief sculpture is distinct from sculpture in the round. Relief sculpture can be described as high relief or low relief, depending on how far it projects from its background.
a freestanding three-dimensional sculpture that can be viewed from multiple angles
a kind of priest or healer with powers involving the ability to communicate with spirits of other worlds
An upright stone slab decorated with inscriptions or relief sculpture. Stelae (pl.) were used as commemorative monuments or tomb markers.
often sand or other added materials, temper reduces the elasticity of clay (how much it shrinks) and helps to avoid cracking during the firing process
a supernatural creature that is part animal and part human
See: https://smarthistory.org/required-works-for-ap/global-prehistory-overview-guide/glossary-for-ap-content-area-1-global-prehistory/
Two upright megaliths supporting a horizontal lintel
