CHAPTER 1—ART BEFORE HISTORY
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. ____ was used almost exclusively for the representation of animals in Paleolithic art.
a.
composite creature
b.
foreshortening
c.
the profile view
d.
linear perspective
2. The Human with feline head was found in ____.
a.
France
b.
Belgium
c.
Germany
d.
Spain
3. The use of ____ along with its large scale suggests that the Human with a feline head was important to
its creator.
a.
wood
b.
mammoth tusk
c.
stone
d.
pebbles
4. The emphasis on the anatomy of the Nude Woman, from Willendorf, suggests early man’s interest in
____.
a.
gold and jewels
b.
health and fertility
c.
athletic competitions
d.
the domestication of animals
5. Figures sculpted in the round can be defined as ____.
a.
freestanding
b.
engraved
c.
high relief
d.
bas relief
6. ____ is the location of some of the oldest and most well known cave paintings.
a.
Italy
b.
England
c.
Germany
d.
France
7. One of the most famous Paleolithic cave paintings, the Hall of the Bulls, was discovered in ____.
a.
The Lascaux caves
b.
Altamira
c.
England
d.
Jericho
8. What is a ground line?
a.
It is the baseline in which figures appear to stand
b.
It is a measured line on the wall surface
c.
It is an engraved line on the wall surface
d.
It is a baseline in which figures appear to move around
9. The convention of representing animals’ horns in twisted perspective in cave paintings or allowing the
viewer to see the head in profile and the horns from the front is termed ____.
a.
optical
b.
fanciful
c.
descriptive
d.
true
10. One of the suggested purposes for Paleolithic cave paintings is thought to have been:
a.
decoration for the cave
b.
insurance for the survival of the herd
c.
the creation myth of the tribal chief
d.
a record of the previous season’s kills
11. The Rhinoceros, Wounded Man and Disemboweled bison is unique in Paleolithic art in the presence of
a(n) ____.
a.
bison
b.
male figure
c.
bucrania
d.
altar with bear skulls
12. Of the following ____ is one of the primary characteristics of Neolithic society.
a.
using bronze tools
b.
domestication of animals
c.
building houses from megaliths
d.
cave dwelling
13. By 8000 BCE, Jericho had undergone spectacular development as its wealth grew. Which argument
appears most valid for the fortification of Jericho?
a.
It was an offensive base for invasion
b.
It provided protection from marauding nomads
c.
It provided protection from natural disasters
d.
It was a promotion of a powerful merchant class
14. One of the earliest fortified cities in the Neolithic period was ____.
a.
Babylon
b.
Thebes
c.
Sumer
d.
Jericho
15. Whatever their purpose, one of the most outstanding differences between Neolithic figures, such as the
human figure from Ain Ghazal and Paleolithic statues is ____.
a.
its large scale and sophisticated technique
b.
the representation of animals
c.
its placement in fortification walls
d.
its careful differentiation of gender
16. What is bitumen?
a.
an engraved plaque
b.
a tar-like substance
c.
a type of clay
d.
a handle for a knife
17. In style and concept the mural of the Deer Hunt from Çatal Höyük is a world apart from the wall
paintings of the Paleolithic period. Which of the following statements best supports this assertion?
a.
the domesticated animals depicted
b.
the subject of the hunt itself
c.
the regular appearance of the human figure and the coherent groupings
d.
the combination of men and women depicted
18. The regular appearance of ____ distinguishes paintings produced in the Neolithic period from those in
the Paleolithic period.
a.
bison
b.
human figures
c.
animals
d.
landscape elements such as trees and flowers
19. Çatal Höyük has a most remarkable mural, a landscape. Which statement best defines the term
landscape?
a.
It is a picture of a natural setting in its own right with narrative content
b.
It is a picture of a natural setting in its own right without any narrative content
c.
It is a picture which must have trees and narrative content
d.
It is a picture which must have trees and no narrative content
20. Monuments from the Neolithic period in Western Europe, such as Stonehenge, are characterized by
____.
a.
Megalithic architecture
b.
Buildings without streets
c.
Fortifications
d.
Multi-storied buildings
21. A henge or ____ was a type of megalithic monument found almost exclusively in Britain.
a.
huge stones arranged in a diamond
b.
passage grave
c.
fortification wall inset with towers
d.
an arrangement of megalithic stones in a circle
22. What is a megalith?
a.
It is a great blue stone
b.
It is volcanic rock quarried in Great Britain
c.
It is a great stone
d.
It is rock quarried in Jericho
23. In the Neolithic period, agriculture and raising stock became humankind’s major food sources. Which
area transitioned to these activities first?
a.
Western Europe
b.
France
c.
Great Britain
d.
Ancient Near East
24. What is a composite view of human representation?
a.
frontal torso, profile head, legs and arms
b.
several views sectioned together
c.
several views superimposed on each other
d.
frontal torso and head, profile legs and arms
SLIDE IDENTIFICATION
Select the response that identifies or corresponds best to the image on the screen.
25. Spotted horses and negative handprints (Figure 1-10)
a.
Paleolithic
b.
Mesolithic
c.
Proto-Neolithic
d.
Neolithic
26. Bison licking its flank (Figure 1-8)
a.
marble
b.
reindeer horn
c.
terracotta
d.
bitumen
27. Animal facing left (Figure 1-3)
a.
France
b.
Spain
c.
England
d.
Africa
28. (Figure 1-6)
a.
Nude woman
b.
Mother Goddess
c.
Woman holding a Bison horn
d.
Human figure
29. (Figure 1-9)
a.
Stonehenge
b.
Lascaux
c.
Vallon-Pont-d’Arc
d.
Altamira
30. (Figure 1-13)
a.
Jericho
b.
Çatal Höyük
c.
Lascaux
d.
Vallon-Pont-d’Arc
31. (Figure 1-15)
a.
Apollo 11 Cave
b.
Çatal Höyük
c.
Ain Ghazal
d.
Lascaux
32. (Figure 1-4)
a.
Germany
b.
Africa
c.
Spain
d.
France
33. (Figure 1-8)
a.
deity
b.
knife handle
c.
spearthrower
d.
bead
34. (Figure 1-17)
a.
Paleolithic
b.
Neolithic
c.
Mesolithic
d.
Monolithic
35. (Figure 1-7)
a.
wood
b.
stone
c.
clay
d.
ivory
36. (Figure 1-4)
a.
Shaman
b.
Human with Feline Head
c.
Goddess
d.
God
37. (Figure 1-20)
a.
Jericho
b.
Çatal Höyük
c.
Stonehenge
d.
Makapansgat
38. (Figure 1-4)
a.
Mammoth Ivory
b.
Human Bone
c.
Antler Horn
d.
Wood
39. (Figure 1-6A)
a.
Jericho
b.
Brassempouy
c.
Lascaux
d.
La Magdelaine
40. (Figure 1-5A)
a.
granite
b.
ivory
c.
onyx
d.
sandstone
41. (Figure 1-12A)
a.
Main Gallery
b.
Bilateral Gallery
c.
Axial Gallery
d.
Recessed Gallery
42. (Figure 1-14)
a.
Jericho
b.
Stonehenge
c.
Brassempouy
d.
Makapansgat
43. (Figure 1-19A)
a.
Azores
b.
Scotland
c.
England
d.
Ireland
SHORT ANSWER
1. Is it valid to refer to the Makapansgat pebble as an “artwork”. Why or why not?
2. What feature of the Human with feline head suggests that it was important?
3. What accounts for the prevalence of female figures in Paleolithic art?
4. Why did prehistoric man consistently represent animals in prehistoric art in the profile view?
5. How is the method of representing animals at Lascaux typical for Paleolithic art?
6. What assumption about style has the radio carbon date of the Chauvet caves challenged?
7. What set of criteria distinguish the Neolithic period from preceding eras?
8. Which region provided the necessary preconditions for the development of agriculture?
9. How do the architectural remains at Jericho support the advanced state of civilization there?
10. What technique was used to create the statuettes from AinGhazal and what moment in the
development of sculpture do they mark?
11. Explain the importance of the mural painting found at Çatal Höyük.
12. What do scholars believe was the purpose of Stonehenge and what does it reveal about the state of
civilization at the point?
ESSAY
1. Evaluate the social and economic changes that took place in human development from the Paleolithic
through the Neolithic periods and the ways in which art was affected by those changes. Use examples
to support your essay.
2. Develop an argument to support the belief archaeologists generally consider to have been Stonehenge’s
original purpose. What evidence supports this belief and why is it significant?
3. Discuss Neolithic urban development and why it was so extraordinary. Use examples to support your
essay.
4. Compare and contrast the Makapansgat pebble with the Paleolithic Nude Woman. Include in your
essay the differences and similarities, if any, and their impact on the chronology and explanation in
terms of art history.
5. Contrast the cave paintings of Chauvet and Lascaux. Why is each significant? What does each cave
offer for further understanding the artistic output of the Paleolithic artist? Include in your essay
similarities and differences that provide information on the stylistic compositions of each cave.
6. Contrast the approach to human figural representation between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods.
Include in your argument the differences and similarities. Be specific in your discussion and use
examples to support your essay.
7. Evaluate the significance of sculpture in Paleolithic art. Include in your argument the differences and
similarities evident in production and types of sculpture. Use specific examples to support your essay.
OTHER
SLIDE QUESTIONS
1. How does this figure of a woman differ from others created in the Paleolithic period?
2. What aspects of the setting for this relief influenced its design?
3. What does the location of this suggest in terms of the spread of Neolithic civilization?
4. How do scholars interpret features of this cave painting such as the handprints?
5. What features of these two works, although in different media, encourage art historians to speculate
that they were significant and had a special purpose?
6. What is one of the suggested functions of this figure?
7. Although these works were made from different media, what stylistic qualities do they share?
8. How does the subject matter differ from the Paleolithic period?
9. What “first” does this work represent?
10. What does this reveal about the level of civilization in the Neolithic period?
11. How does the representation of animals differ from other cave paintings? What earlier hypothesis
about style does this challenge?
12. How are these images different?