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These cats are from Chauvet Cave in France.
Follow this link to see a short slide show of prehistoric cave art and learn a bit of the latest research and ideas: http://news.discovery.com/history/art-history/cave-paintings-artists-111116.htm
Prehistory is generally considered the period before the invention of writing. Some cultures developed writing around 3,000 BCE, others not until much later. Prehistoric art is divided into two main periods: Paleolithic, which means "old stone age"; and Neolithic, which means "new stone age."
Paleolithicc Painting: From about 18,000 to 10,000 BCE, long before the pyramids or Stonehenge, back when saber-toothed tigers still roamed the earth, prehistoric people painted deep inside caves. One of the most famous caves with prehistoric paintings is in the Dordogne region of France, at Lascaux. These cave paintings are huge and sophisticated projects executed by artists and supported by an impressive culture--the Magdalenians. The link below is a mini-tour about the caves at Lascaux. (Courtesy of Rick Steves).
Prehistoric people couldn't write, but they did leave behind images of their hands.
Stonehenge, Neolithic, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England
We will watch a documentary, called The Secrets of Stonehenge, by NOVA. It reveals how archaeology is helping us get a better understanding of prehistoric people and how sophisticated their technology was. They had a science even though it was not written down. They were able to move stones weighing over 40 tons and carve them with stone tools! Some stones were moved over 150 miles. The documentary will provide knowledge for discussion and writing the "Prehistoric Art Essay" about how prehistoric people, though they could not read or write, should not be thought of as primitive, ignorant, or non-technological.
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