Earliest findings for Hominid art refers to archaeological findings that might be evidence of an artistic awareness and artistic-like activities from early ancestors of modern Homo sapiens.[1] There is no known evidence to indicate artistic activity in hominids of the Middle Stone Age. Artistic activity is defined as decorative production and production of either images or objects such as statues.[2]
Locating the earliest art work depends upon the suitability of the thing proposed as art with respect to a consensually agreed definition, as to those necessary factors characteristic of something fulfilling the purpose of artistic creation.[3]
History
The earliest human artistic representations are thought by modern anthropologists to be African rock art made from red ochre around 100,000 B.C. in South Africa.[4] The cave where the ochre mix was found, the Blombos Cave, also contained snail shell jewellery and engraved stones dating from 75,000 years ago.[5][6][7]
In September 2018, scientists reported the discovery of the earliest known drawing by Homo sapiens, which is estimated to be 73,000 years old, much earlier than the 43,000 years old artifacts understood to be the earliest known modern human drawings found previously.[8]
See also
References
- ^ Archaeology info → [1] Retrieved 16 September 2011
- ^ Miller, B.D., B. Wood, A. Balkansky, J. Mercader, M. Panger - Anthropology: The Study of Humanity. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. html ← [2] Retrieved 16 September 2011
- ^ Harper index Retrieved 9 February 2012
- ^ Introduction to Prehistoric Art, 20,000–8000 B.C. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 17 February 2013
- ^ Radford, T. 16 April 2004. World's oldest jewellery found in cave The Guardian.
- ^ Guy Gugliotta Smithsonian July 2008 [Retrieved 9 February 2012]
- ^ BBC News 10 January 2002"'Oldest' prehistoric art unearthed". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
- ^ St. Fleur, Nicholas (12 September 2018). "Oldest Known Drawing by Human Hands Discovered in South African Cave". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
Further reading
- Dissanayake, E. (1992). Homo Aestheticus: Where Art Comes from and Why. University of Washington Press. pp. 297 pp. ISBN 9780295974798.
- Dissanayake, E. (1990). What Is Art For?. University of Washington Press. pp. 249 pp. ISBN 9780295970172.
