A glossary of basic terminology that is often used in discussions about global prehistoric art.
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anthropomorphic | human-like |
art mobilier | small-scale prehistoric art that is moveable, such as the Apollo 11 Cave Stones |
avian | something relating to birds |
bicephalic | two-headed figures |
Bovid | the Bovidae are the biological family of mammals that includes bison, African buffalo, water buffalo, antelopes, gazelles, sheep, goats, muskoxen, and domestic cattle |
camelid | a member of the Camelidae family, such as camels, llamas, and alpacas |
dentate | something that has a tooth-like or serrated edge |
exogenous materials | materials that originated elsewhere |
Hominids | a primate of family (Hominidae) that includes humans and their fossil ancestors, and also some great apes; humans evolved from an earlier specifics of hominids |
Homo sapiens | anatomically modern humans who evolved from an earlier species of hominids |
maize | also known as corn; first domesticated by Indigenous peoples in what is today Mexico c. 10,000 years ago |
Melanesia | refers to a region of the western Pacific that includes the islands and island groups of Fiji, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu
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Mesoamerica | refers to the diverse civilizations that shared similar cultural characteristics in the geographic areas comprising the modern-day countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica |
Micronesia | the region of the western Pacific referred to as Micronesia includes the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Kiribati, Mariana Islands, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and Wake Island |
Middle Stone Age | a period of African prehistory between the Early Stone Age and the Later Stone Age, generally considered to have begun around 280,000 years ago and ended around 50–25,000 years ago |
mortars and pestles | a mortar is a bowl and pestle is an object used to grind against the sides of the mortar; they are commonly made of hard material such as stone and are often used to prepare food |
Neanderthals | an extinct species of humans named after the site in which their bones were first discovered—the Neander Valley in Germany; they existed between c. 120,000–35,000 years ago |
Neolithic period | literally means “New Stone Age,” and dates from the 6th–4th millennium B.C.E. |
Neolithic Revolution | dates to c. 10,00–3,000 B.C.E, and refers to when humans began to settle into communities, domesticate animals, and grow crops |
nomad | an individual who roams about without a fixed residence |
oryx | a large grazing antelope |
paddle-and-anvil technique | a method of smoothing and finishing the walls of hand-made pottery; the anvil is held against the inner walls while a paddle is used to shape the outer surface |
Paleolithic | literally means “Old Stone Age,” and dates from c. 2.5 millions years ago–10,000 B.C.E. It predates the Neolithic period |
petroglyph | a rock engraving in which an image has been pecked or cut into the rock |
Polynesian Triangle | stretches from Hawai’i in the north to Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the south, and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the east |
potsherds | fragments of pottery |
prehistoric | literally means before the invention of writing |
sacrum | the large triangular bone at the base of the spine |
shaman | a kind of priest or healer with powers involving the ability to communicate with spirits of other worlds |
Shang Dynasty | the earliest Chinese dynasty verified by scholars, ruling from c. 1600–1050 B.C.E. |
simting bilong tumbuna | literally translates as the “bones of the ancestors”; Enga term for a class of cult objects which were used as powerful ritual mechanisms where ancestors reside |
slipped pottery | made up of tiny particles of clay suspended in water and can be colored with iron oxide or other minerals to decorate the surface of a pot |
stele | a vertical stone monument or marker often inscribed with text or relief carving |
stratigraphic archaeology | the study of stratification, or layers deposited one atop another over time |
temper | often sand or other added materials, temper reduces the elasticity of clay (how much it shrinks) and helps to avoid cracking during the firing process |
Therianthrope | a supernatural creature that is part animal and part human |
trilithon | a pair of upright stones with a lintel stone spanning their tops |
twisted perspective | when animal bodies are depicted in profile while we see the horns from a more frontal viewpoint |
* Thank you to Nadia Scott for her help preparing this glossary.