Prehistoric Art

Stone Age art illustrates early human creativity through small portable objects, cave paintings, and early sculpture and architecture.

The oldest examples of Paleolithic dwellings are shelters in caves, followed by houses of wood, straw, and rock.

The Paleolithic era has a number of artifacts that range from stone, bone, and wood tools to stone sculptures. 

Paleolithic cave paintings demonstrate early humans' capacity to give meaning to their surroundings and communicate with others.

Paleolithic sculptures found in caves are some of the earliest examples of representational art.

During the Mesolithic period, humans developed cave paintings, engravings, and ceramics to reflect their daily lives.

Art in the Neolithic Near East either points to or owes its existence to developments during the era.

Neolithic art in Western Europe is best represented by its megalithic (large stone) monuments.

The Bronze Age saw the birth of civilization and the development of advanced cultures in Europe, the Near East, and East Asia.

Petroglyphs, or rock engravings, exist around the world and range in possible purposes from ritual to communication to narration.