So, to start off, I have to beigin by saying that there is absolutely NO known civliazation that hasn't used aesthetics, or the philosophy of art and beauty.
Venus of Willendorf is the oldest known art piece, dating back to around 25,000-21,000 B.C. It is made of limestone and is around 4 1/2' tall. It is a "sculpture in the round", and its purpose served as a fertility goddess, because frankly, they REALLY needed one.
The Lascaux Caves in France date to around 15,000 B.C. and are considered the oldest cave paintings. The people who painted them sprayed "paint" through either tubes or bones, and each bull is around 16' long. The thing I found really awesome was the fact that they were completely painted BY MEMORY! Seriously, when you have barely any form of entertainment, like computers or TVs or video games, you tend to develop a good memory since you're not so distracted. Lucky.
Anyway, the caves were closed from the public in 1963 because air and breath were causing the paintings to deteriorate.
Stonehenge, one of the most famous sites in the world, was actually built in stages between 2800-2500 B.C. in England. It is believed that Stonehenge was used for religious ceremonies. The builders used post and lintel construction, which involved two posts vertical with a lintel layed horizontally on top. Starting in 3000 B.C., we have barrows containing bones and a bank/ditch that was 350' in diameter. Next came aubret holes, or 56 pits filled with cremated human bones and rubble. In 2500 B.C., bluestones were brought from Wales 100 miles away.
The outer circle, as you can see up above, was composed of the post and lintel design, each post about 13' tall. The inner U-shaped formation was the final stages, which took place around 2100 B.C. Larger monoliths were brought from Marlborough Downs 20 miles away. The avenue is a ditch 1 mile long, and the heel stone is a 16' tall piece of sandstone.
Ziggurats were a real hit in Mesopotamia(Iraq) around 2100-2000 B.C. Gods and rulers became central to the creation of art as a form of worship. The Sumerians formalized the human form within this era of art. The ziggurats were seen as a way to reach God. The Bible mentions the Tower of Babel, which was believed to be a ziggurat, but it was never finished, for God caused their tongues to speak in different languages, so no one could understand anyone else. When you arrive home to your loving wife and kids, and she asks, "How was your day?", you would probably say that it sucked and you're tired out. Well, suck it up, because if there was a list for "Projects with the Worst Work Days Ever," the Tower of Babel would take the cake.
The Serpent Mound is an effigy mound built by prehistoric Native Americans in Ohio. It is the largest mound of its kind in the world, and was used for religious purposes. The mound is 3' high, 1348' long, and was built in 1070 CE.
The Great Gallery has some of the most significant pictographs in North America. It was found in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.
Extras:
The earliest art found in North America is a carving of a mammoth/mastadon on bone, found in Florida in 2009.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar: true or false? It is believed to have existed in 605 B.C. in Iraq, and is considered the second wonder of the ancient world.
See ya next time!
