Intro Humanities is the study of the development of human culture 1st Tier are the objects above humans that they wish to understand and control but cannot The environment weather Time The Great Unknown 2nd Tier are the objects humans must have in order to live Food and Water Reproduction Entertainment Religion Politics 2 5 Tier are human constructs which humans created to help create order in their society Culture Humans attempt to identify a group of humans in a period of time Can be based on time location appearance what they create Prehistoric Cultures Earliest known cultures Prehistoric cultures can be split into two distinct periods Paleolithic Humans were nomads hunters and gathers and used simple tools and weapons Neolithic Humans were farmers domesticated animals and began establishing villages Paleolithic Cultures Comes from the Greek words palaios old and lithos stone named as such because their weapons and tools were made of stone Africa was the starting point for all Homo sapiens they eventually branched out from there Homo sapiens were not the only human like creatures at the time but are the ones that eventually survived and flourished Paleolithic Era is divided into three periods Lower Middle and Upper Artifacts for this time period are mainly found in Europe These artifacts serve as proof of their culture Venus figurines May be the Upper Paleolithic concept of beauty Most famous figurine Venus of Willendorf Earliest figurine found in Hohle Fels Germany Many figurines were found in Europe in Russia Possible interpretations of Venus figurines Idols that females would pray to for fertility ease in childbirth and calm menstruations May be supported by the fact that some figurines genitalia are colored red Guardian figures that provide protection during childbirth Ancient versions of dolls However very few items in history are recognized solely as toys Pornography Female representation in Paleolithic culture far outweighs male and animal representation Most male representation is phallic recognizing the male s role in the creation of life This culture may have been matrilineal and matrilocal Cave Paintings Seem to be locally centered that is because archaeologists tend to branch out from a discovery focal point and also cave systems are difficult to find Most found are located in Southern France and Northern Spain Although these paintings are clustered they are usually from different time periods Earliest painting 35 000 BC Latest 10 000 BC Paintings are typically of animals Paintings have a developed art style perspective modeling and naturalism These paintings might have been used as hunting practice Or it might be that the recreation of these animals had religious or magical effects on the abundance of animals in the area Paleolithic cultures may have felt kinship with these animals Humans probably had a symbolic rhythmic relationship with animals Humans needed animals as food to live and animals could eat humans to live The Chavet Cave paintings may represent animal migration If so it may also be there as a calendar of sorts Non animal paintings may be representations of religious rituals or drawn during the rituals themselves Possible representations of shamans Anothromorphic dipictions may have been humans donning animal masks Caves in general often hold a sense of mystery and danger in many cultures May be the portal of the spirit world and associated with death Also warm and a provider of shelter and safety Transition from Paleolithic to Neolithic Culture Eventually the want to settle down and create a tight knit group began In Mezhicrich the earliest shelters were found showing that humans were moving away from caves and to more permanent structures This change in culture views were likely due to climate changes better weapons animals being domesticated and grasses being cultivated and grown This transition period is usually known as the Mesolithic Era