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An essay on the archaeological issues of stonehenge
Paleolithic age lower middle upper
About the stonehenge research 1 page
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1. Hall of Bulls
Lascaux Cave, Dordogne, France
Ca 15,000-13,000 BCE.
The Hall of Bulls was a painting which depicted bull like animals that were carved inside a cave in Lascaux, France. The painting depicted animals that probably were hunted and eaten such as bison and deer as well as animals that were feared such as lions and bears (Tedesco). These paintings were created in the years of 15,000-10,000 BCE and were part of a larger period called the Upper Paleolithic time period. The painting is a unique piece of art because it was created in a cave and the methods used to carve and paint these pictures is much different than methods used today. In order to see into the caves, artists at the time used lamps carved out of
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stone and filled with fat (Davies 5). The walls of the caves were limestone, which when scraped produced a white surface enabling the painters to engrave images onto the wall either with their fingers or a sharp instrument. They were also able to produce colors by using native plants and other natural resources. For example, charcoal and charred bones produced a black color, while, iron ore gave them reds, browns and yellow tones. The unique methods that were used to create these paintings are what make them so interesting. After mixing the color powders with cave water and other blenders, the color was applied to the cave surface. “Pigment was chewed up in the mouth and then blown or spat directly onto the walls to form images” (Davies 5). The purpose of this artwork is not “Art for art’s sake”, but probably had some time of religious or ritual meaning (Davies 5). Davies states that the “power of the image may have resided in its making”, meaning that the viewing of the painting was not as important. Many scholars believe that the paintings were related to some type of mythology and the belief in spirits. The mystery surrounding this work of art lies in the unknown. We do not know what many of the images of this era mean and can only guess as to their explanation. Theories about a belief in a parallel spirit, shamanism, also are mysterious. 2. Woman of Willendorf Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria 28-25,000 BCE This sculpture is representative of the Gravettian period from 28,000-22,000 BCE, when women were frequent subjects in prehistoric sculpture (Davies 10).
It was made out of limestone and was unearthed at a site in Willendorf, Austria in 1908. Interestingly, the “Woman of Willendorf” is very small (hand sized) as compared to other work of the time period. The “Woman of Willendorf” is unique in that the sculpture is not fully completed. The figurine is very abstract and reduces the woman to a basic shape which differs from how animals are depicted (Davies 10). The artist did not create a mouth and only had put a suggestion of a nose. The sculpture also had no eyes as well as no resemblances of any eye structure (Davies 10). The figure feature large breasts, an extended belly and pronounced buttocks (Venus). The primary focus seems to be the sexualization of women and the importance of fertility (Ancient Women).
There are many possible purposes of this work. Scholars are not sure if the sculpture represents a specific woman or the ideal woman. The figure may not dictate the representation of a woman at all, “but, rather the notion of reproduction or, as some have argued, the fertile natural world itself” (Davies
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11). This piece of art was created in a time in where artists were making sculptures instead of making paintings. This sculpture which emphasizes reproductive features may have been created to ensure successful births and to educate women about the birth process (Davies 11). The only mystery regarding this sculpture might be who actually created it, was it a man or a woman? 3. Stonehenge Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England Ca.2100.BCE The uniqueness of Stonehenge is based on how it was built in stages periodically over two thousand years from about .3, 000-1,500 BCE (Greaney).
It was a megalithic structure and represented a large organization of labor and engineering due to the size and weight of the supports and blocks that were used in its creation. There were two types of stones used in the construction, the larger sarsen and the smaller bluestones (Greaney). “The sarsen blocks weigh up to 50 tons a piece, and traveled 200 miles”, indicate the difficulty in moving the stone (Davies 18). What now appears to be a unified design actually happened in four parts. During the middle of the period that it was built, the structure “had grown into a horseshoe-shaped arrangement of five sarsen triliths, encircled by a ring of upright blocks capped with lintel” (Davies16).
There was a purpose for the creation of Stonehenge although it is one that is not backed with many facts. It is to be said that Stonehenge is associated with “the passing of time” and “most also concur that it had a ritual function, perhaps associated with burial” (Davies 16). These two things have led to many believing that Merlin, the magician of King Arthur, created
Stonehenge. Stonehenge was a major contribution to Neolithic architectural design but it also features meticulous stone working and engravings. There are several mysteries about Stonehenge, including, who built it, how did they transport the stones and why was it built. The theories about King Arthur and Merlin and their possible relationship to Stonehenge continue to bring people to the site. New scientific developments and carbon dating now no indicate that Stonehenge was created much earlier than originally thought. 4. The Great Pyramids Giza, Egypt Menkaure 2533-2515 BCE, Khafra 2570-2544 BCE, Khufu 2601-2528 BCE The Pyramids of Giza are monumental in their size and their extraordinary simplicity (Davies 57). The three Great Pyramids at Giza are the best known and were built by Sneferu, the founder of the Fourth Dynasty. The largest pyramid and the first, Khufu, were built in honor of Sneferu’s son. The other two pyramids are named Khafra and Menkaure, which is the smallest. These pyramids are unique because of the dramatic change in architecture from a step pyramid to a smooth –sided one (Davies 55). They Pyramids at Giza are built on a squarer base with the four sides shaped as “equilateral triangles taper up from the desert sand toward the sky” (Davies 57). The pyramids were surrounded by a wall and the entrance to each was on the north side of the structure. Because of their construction, “at any time of day, one side will hold the sun’s full glare while another is cast into shadow” (Davies 57). The purpose of these structures was to serve as a burial tomb. “The pyramid, as an eternal tomb for the pharaoh's body, may have offered the people reassurance of his continuing influence with the gods. The pyramid wasn't just a symbol of regal power, but a visible link between earth and heaven” (Kyrstek). Khufu’s pyramid is the largest ever built and contains three burial chambers, an underground chamber, an above ground chamber said to be for the queen and finally a chamber in the center of the pyramid for the king (National Geographic). One of the mysteries about the pyramids is how they were constructed. This includes the amount of stone and how it was transported to the site and the number of laborers required to complete the project, The pyramid of Khufu was built over a period of 23 years and required a tremendous amount of stone Davies (56). This would imply that the work force significantly changed over the time period of construction. 5. The Great Sphinx Giza, Egypt 2570 – 2544 BCE The Great Sphinx is an immense stone sculpture which represents part man and part animal. It has the body of a lion and the head of a human. It is unique in that it is carved out of a single ridge of limestone and is located to the south of the pyramid of Khafre near the city of Cairo (Gray). Scholars believe that the sculptors combined a portrait of either Khafra or Khufu with the lion to indicate the strength or power of the king (Davies 57). Another difference in the design of the Great Sphinx and that of the Great Pyramids is that the Sphinx faces the rising sun in the east which signifies “eternity through its daily rising and setting” (Davies). There is significant erosion on the body of the Great Sphinx and scholar do not believe that it was all done naturally. The face is badly damaged with the nose missing and the eyes and the surrounding areas altered from the original state (Gray). It is believed that Islamic residents of Giza, who were uncomfortable with the human representation of the Sphinx, damaged the massive sculpture (Davies 57). There are many questions that remain about the Sphinx, specifically its date of origin. While a few stubborn Egyptologists still maintain that the Sphinx was constructed in the 4th Dynasty by the Pharaoh Chephren (Khafre), an accumulating body of evidence, both archaeological and geological, indicates that the Sphinx is far older than the 4th Dynasty (Gray). Another mystery is why the head is not proportional in terms of size with the rest of the body.
The Woman from Willendorf, just as the name suggest was discovered in Willendorf, Austria in 1908 during an archeological excavation of the area. The small figurine is heavily regarded as one of the most important Paleolithic discoveries. Carved in the round from limestone the figure the figure is undeniably female with it’s exaggerated features. Some of the most recognizable features of the rounded figure include the large pendulous breast, the
One can immediately see the involvement of age in this sculpture because of her hunched back, bone structure, wrinkles, baggy eyes, saggy breasts, and all the other imperfections, but also shows that she has some kind of background history. She is also missing her arms, which one would be carrying a basket with fruits or vegetables, and the other could be carrying a chicken. Her dress, slipped off of one shoulder, epitomizes women of age during childbearing years had
Stonehenge was built in several different phases beginning with the large white circle, 330 feet in diameter, surrounded by an eight foot-high embankment and a ring of fifty-six pits now referred to as the Aubrey Holes.(Stokstad, p.53; Hoyle) In a subsequent building phase, thirty huge pillars of stone were erected and capped by stone lintels in the central Sarsen Circle, which is 106 feet in diameter.(Stokstad, p.54) This circle is so named because the stone of which the pillars and lintels were made was sarsen. Within the Sarsen Circle were an incomplete ring and a horsesho...
Standing there over such a long time, it has been the subject of research and mystery in general, for a really long time. Dozens of notable scientists, emperors and others expressed their admiration and interest through different means of explorations and excavations. There have been various theories on how it was built, and what the purpose of it was, and some of them are really intriguing and interesting such. Some thought it was built as a solar-lunar calendar, some said that it had medical purposes for the giants that had built it, it was considered a ceremonial place, temple of veneration, a portal and lastly but not less important, there were some associations of Stonehenge to the aliens. The two specific theories on the Stonehenge’s importance will be discussed and summarized in this essay.
The painting depicts a mother and her four children, who are all leaning on her as she looks down solemnly, her tired, despondent expression suggests she felt trapped in her roles as being a mother and a wife. The woman and her children are clearly the focal point of the artwork as the bright colours used to paint them stand out impeccably against the dull, lifeless colours of the background. This painting appears to be centred around the ideology that women are home-keepers, whose main role is to satisfy and assist her husband while simultaneously minding the children and keeping the home tidy and ready for his return. The social consequences of this artwork could have been that the woman could have been berated for not taking pleasure out of being a mother and raising her children, as a woman should. She could have been made redundant as her husband may have felt as though she is no longer useful if she couldn’t adequately adhere to her roles as a mother and a
It offers and understanding that women were held at a different standard then than they are now. This figurine shows that women had a larger mid-section but was because they either needed the body fat for long, cold winters or the better idea was because it showed they were fertile and they were able to produce babies and keep the legacy going on. It also provides a better image of what the men and women had to go through in order to survive, like the long hard winters, the needing to hunt for food and could mean sometimes not having food. Venus of Willendorf was not considered an obese women, “where features of fatness and fertility would have been highly desirable”, (PBS, 2006). I can use this article because it explains the whole point about a women’s image. Women were not looked at how skinny and “good looking” they were in a pair of jeans. Women, in this time, were looked at as if they can be fertile or not. Being able to have children was a huge thing in this time since it was one of the point of living, to have a
However, that meaning is not always known. It is believed that Stonehenge was most likely made to bring people of a community together as well as to mark a place where individuals could gather to perform rituals, although many theories about why it was built and the purpose it serves exist. For example, recent studies show that the monument may mark the graveyard of a ruling dynasty. There is evidence of over 200 cremated human remains that have been buried at the site within a period of 500 years. Some evidence suggests the site may have been a piece in a larger series of structures used for funerary rituals. The only thing that is knows for sure “is that Stonehenge held meaning for the Neolithic community that built it”
The composition of this painting forces the eye to the woman, and specifically to her face. Although the white wedding dress is large and takes up most of the woman’s figure, the white contrasts with her face and dark hair, forcing the viewer to look more closely into the woman’s face. She smokes a cigarette and rests her chin on her hands. She does not appear to be a very young woman and her eyes are cast down and seem sad. In general, her face appears to show a sense of disillusionment with life and specifically with her own life. Although this is apparently her wedding day, she does not seem to be happy.
Unlike the La Jolla Project, Stonehenge was probably not an abstract sculptural installation made of polished granite blocks. Stonehenge was built starting in 3100 B.C.E.(Encyclopedia Brittanica 287). The builders used mostly sarsen, a gray sandstone. Bluestones, or blocks of bluish dolerite, were also used. The number of stones used is unknown because the present structure of Stonehenge is the product of at least four major building phases. The stones have endured many centuries of rough weather and erosion.
The Venus of Willendorf was believed to be created 25,000 years ago, is none-freestanding sculpture and is sculpted out of oolitic limestone. The subject matter, I believe it to convey a fertility figure for men and woman to gaze upon. The Venus of Willendorf is a none-freestanding female nude stature, which is an 11 centimeters high, made out of oolitic limestone and now resides in Naturhistorisches Museum. She was found in 1908 in Austria in a village called Willendorf. The stature has been carved out of oolitic limestone and has been given a red ochre tint. This small oolitic limestone figure representing a woman in the nude has no known artist and no information on why it was created. I believe that
This woman was most likely a freeborn, although lower class, woman. Based on the known trends of Syrian art at the given period, it is likely that the woman had vey little monetary wealth upon her death, explaining the lack of any jewlery besides the headress being depicted in this statue. The woman was probably born in Syria of Arabic descent, and her age at the time of death was somewhere between thirty-five and forty. There are deep lines in her cheeks depicting this aging process, but the lack of other facial wrinkles gives the assumption that she died rather young. Based om the sunken cheekbones and large eyes, as well as the fact that she was most likely poor, it can be assumed that had been in relatively poor health at the time of her death, probably heightened by meager food and strenous activity.
Soon after, many visitors began coming to the cave. What was it these people were so excited to see? When visitors first entered the cave they had to go down a twenty-meter slope, which led to the first hall, The Great Hall Of Bulls. The first thing they saw in the Great Hall of Bulls were the black bulls. Attention is quickly focused on them because of their great size compared to the other paintings. Also found in the Great Hall of Bulls are pictures of horses, deer, a small bear, and a primitive unicorn. “The strange so-called Unicorn appears to be walking towards the interior of the cave.
The Venus of Willendorf and the Venus de Milo are two ancient day venus sculptures representing two different views on beauty. The Venus of Willendorf is a small 4.5 inch limestone figure of a Goddess which is believed to be used as a fertility symbol, while the Venus de Milo is a tall ancient Greek statue of a Goddess which is said to represent love and beauty. The Venus of Willendorf’s body structure is very different than that of Venus de Milo. The venus of Willendorf appears to be a short lady with a large emphasis on her reproductive organs, breasts and stomach area whereas the Venus de Milo appears to be very tall with smaller breasts, and a really athletic build. She appears to have abs and looks as if she has not had children before, while the Venus of Willendorf looks like she has had children due to her huge breasts and stretched out belly button. The Venus
The Venus of Willendorf is one of the earliest sculptures of the body made by humans during the Paleolithic era. She was made from limestone native to her location and covered with red orche. Despite standing only 4.4 inches, the purpose of the Venus of Willendorf is widely debated. Some will say the exaggerated breasts, navel, and vulva connects her to fertility as a representation of a mother goddess. Others, such as those in my class, believe her to be a figure of body image. The stumpy female figure features hanging breasts, an obese middle and belly, and distinct buttocks in all, represents a realistic form of a severely overweight woman. Due to the hash ice-age environment of where she’s from leads one to believe fatness and fertility would have been highly desirable. Whether the sculpture was based on a fantasy or a real life model the infatuations with the idea of self-acceptance through body
Rossetti shows us the woman being painted as many different things. Although she is just a painting, the woman symbolizes how the artist views women in real life: as objects. Irony is used when the woman is painted as “a queen”(5). She is put on a pedestal in a position of power, yet she is only described as being “in [an] opal or ruby dress”(5), cementing her role as an ornament. The ruby symbolizes passion and perhaps promiscuity. Opal is a white stone that reflects many colors. White symbolizes purity; while the different colors reflected symbolize how her meaning can change, and how the artist controls her identity and can make her fit any persona he desires. The woman is also depicted as a “nameless girl”(6), indicating her identity is not important to the artist. It also shows that he does not personally know the women he’s painting, but only their looks, affirming that he bases their value off of their appearances. Lastly, the artist portrays a woman as “a saint [and] an angel”(7) and compares her to the “moon”(11), an allusion to Artemis, the goddess of virginity. In this painting, she is established as a pure virgin, which was a requirement of the time period Rossetti lived in. However, because it is one of the fantasies the artist creates, and the poem antagonizes him, this line also expresses the idea that a woman’s purity should not define her. He makes the innocent virgin and the licentious queen the only ways women can be viewed. Yet, they are the same to him. Lacking depth, their physical description is the only thing giving them any meaning. Rossetti describing the portraits conveys the idea that no matter the position in society; or what their actual personalities are like, women are just blank canvases for men to project their fantasies onto. Uninterested in a real person, the artist worships the idea of a