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Art history
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| What is Prehistory? | Period before writing (2,000,000–3,000 BCE). Humans develop tools, art, farming. Ends when writing systems appear. |
| What major transition ends Prehistory? | Invention of writing (~3,300 BCE in Mesopotamia). Allows record-keeping and organized states. Marks start of History. |
| What are key human advancements in Prehistory? | Tool-making, fire use, early art, first villages. Domestication of animals and plants. Formation of stable communities. |
| Key traits of the Paleolithic? | Nomadic lifestyle; hunting/gathering. Chipped stone tools + cave shelters. First symbolic art appears. |
| What defines the Neolithic Revolution? | Shift to farming + animal domestication. Permanent villages and pottery/weaving. Polished stone tools replace chipped ones. |
| Difference between chipped and polished stone? | Chipped: struck to form sharp edges. Polished: smoothed + shaped with abrasion. Polished tools stronger and more durable. |
| What metals mark each age? | Copper → first metal used (soft). Bronze → alloy of copper + tin (strong). Iron → hardest, most widespread metal. |
| Why was bronze revolutionary? | Harder than stone or copper. Allowed durable weapons + tools. Expanded trade networks for tin. |
| Advantages of iron weapons? | Stronger and sharper than bronze. Iron ore more common than tin. Enabled large-scale military power. |
| What are prehistoric graffiti? | Rock engravings carved with sharp stones. Used for animals, signs, and rituals. Earliest form of graphic expression. |
| Materials used for cave painting? | Mineral pigments (charcoal, ochre, manganese). Mixed with fat or water as binders. Applied with fingers, brushes, or pads. |
| Purpose of prehistoric cave art? | Ritual magic for hunting success. Teaching or recording animal behavior. Spiritual connection with nature. |
| Why is Chauvet Cave important? | Contains some of the oldest art (30,000+ BCE). Shows advanced shading + perspective. Preserved deep inside sealed chambers. |
| What makes its style advanced? | Realistic bodies + dynamic movement. Black outlines with layered shading. Overlapping figures show depth. |
| What techniques were used? | Engraving into rock surfaces. Drawing with charcoal and minerals. Painting with mixed pigments. |
| Purpose of Venus figurines? | Symbols of fertility and abundance. Exaggerated body parts emphasize reproduction. Used as amulets or ritual objects. |
| Key traits of the Venus of Willendorf? | 24,000–19,000 BCE limestone figure. Round volumes, no face, braided hair. Represents ideal fertility body. |
| Why are facial features absent? | Identity not important—symbolism is. Focus on fertility and survival. Possibly a universal “mother goddess.” |
| What is a menhir? | Single upright stone placed vertically. Marks ritual, sacred, or territorial sites. Dates 5000–3000 BCE. |
| What is a dolmen? | Tomb made of upright stones + a roof slab. Used for collective burials. Often originally covered with earth. |
| What is a cromlech? | Circular arrangement of stones. Used for rituals or astronomy. Example: Stonehenge (2800–1100 BCE). |
| Why are tombs on the west bank of the Nile? | West = land of the dead (sun sets there). Symbolic journey to afterlife. Common placement for mastabas + pyramids. |
| How did pyramids develop? | From stacked mastabas (step form). Evolved into smooth-sided pyramids. Represent pharaoh’s ascent to sky. |
| What is a mastaba? | Rectangular, flat-roof tomb. Used for officials in Old Kingdom. Precursor to pyramids. |
| Key features of the Great Pyramid (Cheops)? | ~150 m tall originally. 2.3 million stone blocks. Requires precise math + astronomy. |
| What is the Great Sphinx? | Carved from one limestone block. Lion body + human head (royal power). Guardian of the necropolis. |
| Name the three Giza pyramids. | Cheops (largest). Chephren (middle; near Sphinx). Mycerinus (smallest). |
| What is the canon of proportions? | Grid system for ideal body measurements. Ensures consistent, symbolic style. Used before painting the wall. |
| How are bodies represented? | Face + legs in profile. Torso + eye frontal. Rigid poses symbolize order. |
| Color + outline rules? | Thick black outlines. Flat bright colors (no shading). Hierarchy: important figures larger. |
| What were Minoan palaces used for? | Political, economic, and religious centers. Storage, workshops, ceremonies. No walls—protected by the sea. |
| Where are major Minoan palaces? | Knossos, Phaistos, Malia (Crete). Active around 2000–1400 BCE. Highly advanced architecture. |
| Key traits of Minoan culture? | Trade-based, sea-oriented society. Colorful frescoes and rituals. Myths connected to bulls. |
| What makes Knossos complex? | 1,000+ rooms on multiple levels. Corridors, ramps, and staircases. Built on sloping terrain. |
| What rooms did Knossos contain? | Storage for oil, grain, wine. Workshops (ceramic, metal, wool). Religious + administrative spaces. |
| Why linked to the Labyrinth myth? | Maze-like layout across many sections. Ruled by King Minos in legend. Home of the Minotaur (man-bull). |
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