PREHISTORIC ART

Lascaux. Altamira. Bhimbetka.

Lascaux, France
Located in south western France in the village of Montignac
Upper Paleolithic art estimated at 17300 years old
Discovered in the year 1940
Primarily consists of images of large animals such as cows, bulls, horses, bison, and deer
Approximately 2000 images mainly grouped into animals, human and abstract figures
Painted using mineral pigments
Added to UNESCO world heritage sites IN 1979
Rooms in the caves include- Hall of the Bulls, the Passageway, the Shaft, the Nave, the
Apse, and the Chamber of Felines
"The Crossed Bison is often submitted as an example of the skill of the Paleolithic cave
painters

The crossed bison

Megaloceros

Altamira, Spain
Located in Santillana del Mar in Cantabria, Spain
Upper Paleolithic art belonging to Upper Solutrean and Lower Magdalenian periods
Discovered in the year 1880- first cave where prehistoric paintings were discovered
Magdalenian art- abstract shapes and animal subjects
Solutrean art- horses and goats, handprints
Added to UNESCO world heritage sites
The Polychrome Ceiling is the most impressive feature of the cave, depicting a herd
of extinct steppe bison in different poses, two horses, a large doe, and possibly a
wild boar.

Bison of Altamira

Bhimbetka, India
Located in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh
They belong to Paleolithic age and are 30000 years old
Exhibit earliest traces of human life on the Indian subcontinent and mark the
beginning of the South Asian Stone Age
Early evidence of dance
The name Bhimbetka is said to derive from Bhimbaithka, meaning "sitting place of
Bhima
The colours used are vegetable colours and have endured because the drawings
were made deep inside niches or on inner walls
The drawings and paintings can be classified under seven periods

 Period I -(Upper Paleolithic): These are linear representations, in green and dark red,
of huge figures of animals such as bison, tigers and rhinoceroses.
Period II -(Mesolithic): Comparatively small in size the stylised figures in this group
show linear decorations on the body.
In addition to animals there are human figures and hunting scenes, giving a clear
picture of the weapons they used: barbed spears, pointed sticks, bows and arrows.
The depiction of communal dances, birds, musical instruments, mothers and
children, pregnant women, men carrying dead animals, drinking and burials appear
in rhythmic movement.
Period III -(Chalcolithic): These drawings show that the cave dwellers of this area
were in contact with the agricultural communities of the Malwa plains, exchanging
goods with them.

 Period IV & V -(Early historic): The figures of this group have a schematic and
decorative style and are painted mainly in red, white and yellow.
The association is of riders, depiction of religious symbols, tunic-like dresses and
the existence of scripts of different periods.
The religious beliefs are represented by figures of yakshas, tree gods and magical
sky chariots.
Period VI & VII -(Medieval) : These paintings are geometric linear and more
schematic, but they show degeneration and crudeness in their artistic style.
The colors used by the cave dwellers were prepared by combining manganese,
hematite and wooden coal.

Period I

Period II

Period II