Compare and Contrast Essay on Paleolithic & Neolithic Art: Animal Representation

Introduction

Paleolithic period refers to the era between 12,000 and 3 million years ago. Stone tools were invented in this period. On the other hand, the Neolithic period is the era between 12,000 and 2,000 years ago. The discovery of agriculture is thought to be the most significant discovery in this period. Just like all other eras of human civilization, these periods were characterized by distinct art. This paper seeks to explore the differences in the depiction of animals between the two periods.

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Differences in the Depiction of Animals

The humans in this period were nomadic hunters and gatherers. Paintings and sculptures were the primary forms of art in the era. Paintings made in this period, such as the cave painting above, depicted scenes of animals and hunting. The animals depicted in the above figure are large and appear in a group (Clottes 397). Some of these animals, such as the horses, were not a normal part of the human diet. Humans and other abstract images are also included in the painting.

Figure 2: Neolithic Hunt; Fine Art America. https://fineartamerica.com/featured/neolithic-hunt-john-connaughton.html Wall paintings, such as the one shown in figure 2, were a common form of art in the Neolithic period. Just like in the era preceding it, the paintings were primarily a depiction of animals and scenes of hunting. This image largely depicts hunting scenes, and the animals depicted were part of man's diet. This shows that though humans had embraced agriculture, they still hunted wild animals for food (Meskell 15).

Sociological Changes behind the Differences

The shift from a nomadic lifestyle to a more settled life informed by the discovery of agriculture in the Neolithic era is the primary cause of the differences in art between the two periods. Permanent architecture such as monuments and tombs also began causing further differences. Moreover, the advancement of tools led to the creation of new forms of art (Khan Academy).

Conclusion

The shift from a nomadic lifestyle to a more permanent lifestyle were the major drivers of the differences seen in art created in the two periods. The switch from cave paintings to wall paintings is among the most significant changes that occurred, as shown in this paper. Animals were usually depicted in hunting scenes in both periods. However, while different animals were depicted in the Paleolithic period, only the animals that humans consumed were depicted in Neolithic art. This probably reflects the reduced interactions with wild animals as man became less nomadic and started settling permanently.

Works Cited

Clottes, Jean. "European Palaeolithic Rock Art and Spatial Structures." The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology and Anthropology of Rock Art (2018): 397. <https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=VlByDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA397&dq=Chauvet-Pont-d%E2%80%99Arc+paintings&ots=OJKxPWpUoj&sig=4isBN6CdhHzktmon_M-_ZLHztrs>.

Canaughton, John. "Neolithic Hunt." Fine Art America, fineartamerica.com/featured/neolithic-hunt-john-connaughton.html.

Khan Academy. "Paleolithic technology, culture, and art." n.d. Khan Academy. 5 August 2019. <https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings/origin-humans-early-societies/a/paleolithic-culture-and-technology>.

Meskell, Lynn. "A society of things: animal figurines and material scales at Neolithic Catalhoyuk." World Archaeology 47.1 (2015): 6-19. <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00438243.2014.991800>.

Saxx. "Cave Painting in Lascaux." Ancient History Encyclopedia, 7 Jan. 2015, www.ancient.eu/image/3539/cave-painting-in-lascaux/.