Art History:
The Neolithic Era
Moving upwards on the chronological ladder to modern day, where the Mesolithic has drifted into the Neolithic Era.
The Neolithic Era, or the New Stone Age, roughly dating from 10,000 BC until approximately 1,200 BC (these dates vary by geographical region), is the final phase of technological and cultural evolution among prehistoric humans. It is vastly characterised by permanent settlements and agricultural progress, involving the growth and harvesting of crops, as well as domesticating animals. Thus, the first civilizations were born.
The materials used were very much the same as the ones early humans were using in the Mesolithic Era, specifically stone, ivory, wood and clay. The Neolithic cultures created tools that helped them in their day to day life, which included farming and managing animals. They also developed skills in pottery and weaving.
The Neolithic Era began when groups of humans decided to end the nomadic, hunting and foraging lifestyle, to try their hand at farming.
The first civilisation was formed by the Natufians. The Natufian is a late Mesolithic culture of the Levant, which is a large historical geographical area, encapsulating the countries we know today as Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Jordan and a part of Turkey.
The term “Levant” derives from the italian “Levante”, which means “rising”, referring to the rising of the sun in the East. It is the earliest, continuously inhabited area on Earth.
When it comes to agriculture, the early farmers chose to grow wild crops such as wheat, barley and harvested figs even earlier. As time progressed, people of Levant learned how to domesticate such plants and expand their “gardens'' with an assortment of new crops, including chickpeas, flax, peas, lentils and more.
As for livestock, Natufians domesticated animals they used to hunt - wild boars, Persian ibexes and others. Their meat and milk added diversity to their diet. The domestication process, of course, took place over hundreds, or thousands of years.
One of the earliest settlements known to humankind is at Tell Abu Hureyra, in Syria. This Natufian settlement was inhabited between 13,500 and 9,500 years ago and makes it one of the most important archaeological sites in the study of the origins of agriculture.
Abu Hureyra had two separate periods of occupation. First one being a Mesolithic settlement, established 13,500 years ago, inhabited by hunter-gatherers, which lived in small, round huts, cut into the soft sandstone. The roofs consisted of reeds and brush and were supported with wooden posts.
However, the transition to the second period of occupation wasn’t very smooth. After 1,300 years of habitation, the hunter-gatherers were forced to abandon their settlement, as the climate hastily changed, returning to glacial climate conditions, which lasted over 1,000 years. This sudden cooling event is known as the Younger Dryas. The village was reborn as natufians developed the first farms, leading to growth of population and expanding until it became one of the earliest, largest settlements of the Levant. The settlers inhabited rectangular, multi-roomed dwellings built of mud bricks and the village reached a population of between 4,000 to 6,000 people.
The Tell is an enormous accumulation of collapsed houses, debris and objects belonging to the inhabitants of the ancient village. It is submerged under the waters of Lake Assad nowadays, as a result of damming the river, but fortunately, archaeologists managed to recover massive amounts of material which has been studied and gave us the opportunity to understand how this early civilization managed to subsist.
Five-room building - Abu Hureyra
A few examples of the findings at the site underline how the usage of clay became a main resource for shelters and other structures that are believed to serve as furniture, such as the low rectangular constructions along the walls, painted with a white plaster, were possibly used for sitting.
Unfortunately, when it comes to figurines, the findings have been scarce. One of the rare findings features an animal that appears legless, hinting at a crouching posture.
Animal crouching - Abu Hureyra
Other interesting finds at Abu Hureyra depict a collection of beads, used as personal ornaments by the villagers of Tell Abu Hureyra, together with pendants of green stone and quartz, but also stamp seals.
Beads - Abu Hureyra
Stamp seal - Abu Hureyra
Moving on to other areas of importance, where we could look into something we’re more familiarised with, such as Stonehenge.
It is estimated to be around 4,500 to 5,000 years old. The earliest construction at the site began around 3000 BC, with the most famous stone circle being erected between 2500 and 2000 BC.
It has undergone various phases of construction and modification over the centuries, making it one of the most iconic prehistoric monuments in the world!
Stonehenge - Great Britain
It was likely used for astronomical observations and ceremonial rituals, possibly related to the summer and winter solstices, as its neighbour from County Meath, Ireland - Newgrange , which is known to predate Stonehenge or the great pyramids.
Newgrange represents a passage tomb with a large mound, surrounded by decorated kerbstones.
Newgrange, Ireland
The entrance passage aligns perfectly with the winter solstice sunrise, allowing the sun to shine through a narrow opening in the structure, extending 18 meters into the main chamber and illuminating it for about 17 minutes.
Newgrange, Ireland
Although most researchers declare that it served a religious ceremonial purpose, its origins, function and design elements continue to be studied and debated today.
As impressive and mysterious as the megalithic structures presented above are, a sculpture discovered in 1890 in the Shigir peat bog in the Ural Mountains, Russia insists to astonish (no pun intended) by being the oldest wooden sculpture in the world, dating back 11,000 years (9000 BC).
The Shigir idol was made out of larch wood and it was preserved in the peat bog. It was 5.3 meters tall, but unfortunately some parts of it were lost. Today it stands at 2.8 m. It is decorated with geometric patterns, zigzags, and faces of human likeness, possibly representing spirits, deities, or ancestral figures. The meaning of the carvings remains unknown to this day, but it is believed that they represented myths, or early forms of religion.
Shigir Idol, Russia
It is one of the most important discoveries, as it is twice as old as Stonehenge or Newgrange, it opens a door into the traditional and spiritual culture of the hunter-gatherers. And by the same token, it challenges the idea that more complex forms of art or symbolism have only developed during the farming society.
Another more recent sculpture, dating back approximately 7000 years, is The Thinker of Cernavodă, discovered in Cernavodă, Romania. It represents a unique Neolithic clay sculpture of a seated, contemplative figure, portraying early human introspection. It is relatively small, measuring about 22 cm in height.
The Thinker of Cernavodă is also a very important example of early Neolithic art, as it symbolises human self-reflection and possibly indicates the development of more complex spiritual or philosophical thinking.
The thinker of Cernavodă
The Neolithic era is highly exciting, as it marks a pivotal change in human history, paving the foundation for our modern world. The transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to settled agricultural communities brought about profound changes in technology, social structures, and cultural practices. The progress of permanent settlements, along with the creation of incredible megalithic structures like Stonehenge and Göbekli Tepe, demonstrates how complex and ingenious our ancestors were.
The Neolithic Era serves us as a reminder of humanity’s ability to adapt, innovate, and create lasting legacies that will continue to resonate through the ages.
As always, thank you for reading, it is with great pleasure that I'm doing the research to shine light into the forgotten past and, hopefully, sparking an interest in both my own and your curiosity about these ancient times.
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