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Friday, July 5, 2024 |
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"Prehistory: Objects of Power" at British Museum |
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LONDON, ENGLAND.- The British Museum presents "Prehistory: Objects of Power". One of the defining characteristics of being human is the creation of objects, first seen some 2.5 million years ago at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania. Artefacts gave instant advantage in the quest for food and security, but these functional objects progressively took on other meanings and values. They came to symbolise human control over animals and the environment and signify relationships with other people and the spiritual world. This new exhibition illustrates the varied ways in which prehistoric objects, both the mundane and the exceptional, could be involved in the exercise of power and control from the earliest times up until the end of the European Bronze Age (800 BC).
From as early as 1.5 million years ago, during the Lower Palaeolithic period, flint tools of exceptional size were created, such as the Edmonsham handaxe. Size in itself had begun to matter for personal prowess, irrespective of the object's utilitarian value. By the Upper Palaeolithic (35,000 years ago), ornaments were being suspended on body and costume and the first inescapably non-functional objects had appeared. From this remote time on, humans were both creators of artefacts and authors of their meanings. The Upper Palaeolithic also saw the development of sophisticated art represented by a number of exhibits including the extraordinary Montastruc ivory spearthrower in the guise of a mammoth. The artistic focus on animals highlights both human dependence on, and spiritual engagement with, the animal kingdom.
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Today's News
July 5, 2024
The wide, wide world of Judy Chicago
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Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen opens a new presentation of its collection
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Salvador Dalí's iconic Mae West Lips Sofa goes on display at NGV International
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The Beatles and the Beach Boys lead Heritage's Music Memorabilia & Concert Posters Auction
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Solo exhibition of new work by Lorna Robertson on view at Alison Jacques
Kröller-Müller Museum restores '56 Barrels' by Christo
parrasch heijnen's first solo exhibition with Nabilah Nordin to open in Los Angeles
One of comicdom's most (in)famous covers, 'Black Cat Mystery' No. 50, scares up a record $840,000 at Heritage Auctions
How a patriotic painting became the Internet's soap box
The Phillips Collection presents 'Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage'
On the Jersey Shore, there's a flag for everything
Ben Hunter and Offer Waterman announce co-representation of Tess Jaray
Paul Theroux on necessary solitude, risks and the joy of writing
Rob Stone, master marketer of hip-hop, is dead at 55
Niclas Larsson is ready to shoot more close-ups
Chinese coins celebrating scientific inventions lead Heritage's $8.4 million HKINF World & Ancient Coins Auction
Paul Smith's Foundation announces inaugural Director
The Dutch LAM museum adds flavour to art viewing experiences
Casino Luxembourg presents 'My Last Will', a project by M+M
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