intd 56 primitive spaces: majestic beginnings. caves of lascaux france c. 28,000 b.c.e. in the...

INTD 56

primitive spaces:majestic beginnings

Caves of LascauxFrance

c. 28,000 B.C.E.•in the Pyrenees•noted for an exceptional concentration of Palaeolithic caves (130+ sanctuaries)•dimensions –250 meters deep with a drop of about 30 meters

themes: animals

signs

humans

The Painted Gallery

small in scale compared to a real horse

bull is out of proportion relative to the horses

Chamber of Engravings

TEXTURE

The Main GalleryThe Chamber of Felines

2 categories— simple & complex

•simple—dots or linear elements•complex – quadrangles, triangles, circles, pentagons, branched chains

•decorative work ends in a double line consisting of three sets of two red dots—suggests a topographical boundary marking the extremities of the sanctuary.

basic use of point & basic use of point & lineline

basic use of linebasic use of line

Shaft of the Dead Man

•are the images to scale?

•are they proportionate to each other?

•Lascaux has only one anthropomorphic representation(human figure)

•highly stylized.

BIRBIRDD

BISONBISON

HUMANHUMAN

Stonehenge3,100 B.C.E.

WiltshireEngland

Harmony

•unique megalithic monument •alleged connection with the Druids dates from 17th c. •in 12th c. was believed to be monument over King Arthur's grave•other theories have attributed it to the Phoenicians, Romans, Vikings, and visitors from other worlds•modern theory inclines to the view that it was a temple.

HARMONY–the relationship of parts to each other and an overall theme of design through unity and variety

•unity—collection of elements seen as a visually related whole •vertical stones are called Menhirs•lintels are about 13’ above the ground, 6.5’ wide & 3’ thick

menhir

Period I

(c. 3100 – 2300 BCE)

Neolithic

•example of shape to define space•circular ditch of about 330 feet (100 metres) in diameter with an internal bank, and a north-eastern entrance•56 Aubrey holes and 4 station stones

•example of balance•axis is pointed roughly in direction of sunrise at the summer and winter solstices

•served as an observatory where early rituals or religious ceremonies took place on specific days of the year

•unlikely as a Druid temple – they appear a few hundred years before the Christian eraPeriod I

(c. 1550 – 1100 BCE)

Bronze Age

LIGHT

SHADOW

Skara Braec. 3,000 B.C.E.ScotlandOrkney Mainland

•uncovered by gradual sea erosion and a storm in 1850•excavated since 1927•occupants were farmers (cow and sheep) that grew cereals, hunted red deer and fished

Skara Brae – Neolithic Settlement – c. 3,000 BCE

dresser

hearth

•all houses were similar—hearth in the center•across from door was dresser – prized possessions•walls made of sandstone slab—roof was corbelled walling or whale jawbones supporting a thatched roof

emphasis

•skilled craftsman that could work in bone, stone, clay pottery—tools were richly decorated•emphasis created by the location of the dresser relative to both the door, hearth, and central location on wall•balance achieved by symmetrical placement of objects

BEDS

•cluster of sub-rectangular huts with interconnecting passages•beds are constructed of 3 slabs set upright to form a “box”–the house wall completes the fourth side

Teotihuacanc. 300-700 C.E.

Mexico CityMexico

•City of the Gods or “Where Men Become Gods”

•plazas, avenues, & great pyramids of city were laid out as symbolic sacred landscape of artificial foothills & mountains

FORM

Pyramid of the SunPyramid of the Sun•600 pyramids – greatest of which is the Pyramid of the Sun (215 x 215 meters – 63 meters high)

•built on top of cave which was believed were the gateways to the spiritual world—contained offerings

Pyramid of the MoonPyramid of the Moon

Avenue of the Dead

“main street”—2.5 km

TEXTURE

low relief low relief carvingcarving

high relief high relief carvingcarving

Great Enclosurec. 1000 C.E.

Zimbabwe

•monopolized trade connections between gold & ivory producers on the plateau and Swahili traders who travelled to the various ports of contemporary Mozambique

•agricultural potential is fairly limited due to intense heat

Great Enclosure, 1000 CE, ZimbabweGreat Enclosure, 1000 CE, Zimbabwe

•developed because it occupied the transit route between the Zimbabwean plateau and the Indian Ocean coastline•cluster of trees at top mark location of stone monolith

scale

•Zimbabwe means stone enclosure•palace - 300’ x 500’ (40’ wall) – 820’ perimeter

The Restored Entrance Gate

original stones seem to have been found in that form and not cut

•reflects the classic design of a southern African village - stone walls demarcate housing areas for different segments of the ruling family•senior wives of the Zimbabwe ruler would have had their own walled areas—contained wattle and daub huts (made of tree limbs & surfaced with packed mud •the stone walls adjacent to the lower enclosure probably marked the living areas of subordinate wives and their children and dependents

Stone Monolith

•granite monolith stands about 40 feet in height•contains no internal chambers or external decoration•meant to convey the power and authority of the Zimbabwe ruler to his subordinates

Machu Pichuc. 1200 C.E.

PeruCuzco

•Incas utilized Andean Mountain top-–Machu Pichu means “Old Peak”•palaces, baths, temples, storage rooms and 150+ houses—carved from grey granite

•rediscovered in 1911

Machu Pichuc. 1200 C.E.PeruCuszco

•invisible from below•completely self-contained •surrounded by agricultural terraces sufficient to feed the population•watered by natural springs•seems to have been utilized by the Inca as a secret ceremonial city

Intihuatana Stone – Hitching Post of the Sun

•primary function was that of astronomical observatory•precise indicator of date of winter solstice & other significant celestial periods•held ceremony every midwinter at this stone, in which they 'tied the sun' to halt its northward movement in the sky •once broken, deities were thought to have died or departed

Intihuatana Stone ('Hitching Post of the Sun')

•terraces for farming—blocks weigh 50 tons—no mortar used •cannot fit even a thin knife blade between blocks

rhythm & repetition•little is known of the social or religious use of the site

•skeletal remains of ten females to one male suggests that it may have been a sanctuary for the training of priestesses and/or brides for the Inca nobility

•Inca civilization systematically destroyed by the Spanish, but Machu Pichu was never discovered

•Cuzco fell in 1533 and Machu Pichu was abandoned