HISTORY OF SCULPTURE Chronological summary of major movements,
styles, periods and artists that have contributed to the
evolution and development of visual art. STONE AGE ART (c.
2,500,000 - 3,000 BCE) ORIGINS OF ART STONE AGE ART BRONZE AGE
ART IRON AGE ART DARK AGES/MEDIEVAL ART QUESTIONS ABOUT FINE
ARTS Prehistoric art comes from three epochs of prehistory:
Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic. The earliest recorded art
is the Bhimbetka petroglyphs (a set of 10 cupules and an
engraving or groove) found in a quartzite rock shelter known as
Auditorium cave at Bhimbetka in central India, dating from at
least 290,000 BCE. However, it may turn out to be much older
(c.700,000 BCE). This primitive rock art was followed, no later
than 250,000 BCE, by simple figurines (eg. Venus of Berekhat Ram
[Golan Heights] and Venus of Tan-Tan [Morocco]), and from 80,000
BCE by the Blombos cave stone engravings, and the cupules at the
Dordogne rock shelter at La Ferrassie. Prehistoric culture and
creativity is closely associat