Dec 30, 2009
It is believed that the first true artwork originated during the Old Stone Age, when human beings made the transition from their apelike ancestry into Homo sapiens (or Cro-magnons). This period started approximately two million years ago and ended between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago. Humans of this era were anatomically identical to modern humans and had the same basic mental capabilities.
Evidence suggests that artwork developed simultaneously with an advance in toolmaking that led to more successful hunting and farming. Cromagnon cultures flourished all over the world, but the most remnants from this period have been discovered in caves in France and Spain, where humans settled after migrating from regions in Asia and Africa. Although study of the earliest artworks is largely confined to this region, art was also being produced in other regions. For example, in Africa (which has the oldest human...
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