Wise Man: Prehistoric Art and Creation

From the earliest traces of humanity, our existence has been accompanied by creation: sculptures, paintings on cave walls, music, and stories. Art has been found on every continent with early human inhabitants, across nearly every style and medium imaginable. Yet humanity is often defined by its more practical inventions, as the agriculturists and the toolmakers. What about the artists?

Storytellers

Even before the invention of written language, humans were storytellers. Cave paintings were not static decorations, but snapshots of stories: hunters chasing down animals, people performing rituals, or scenes of gods and other religious symbols. This was art meant to be alive, supporting oral storytelling that kept memories and traditions intact across generations.

Some cave paintings, dating back to the Ice Age, are even believed to have an animated quality, painted in a way that would make them appear to move in flickering firelight.

Music

Prehistoric humans also had musical traditions. Simple instruments, such as small flutes, have been found dating back to the Palaeolithic period. Archaeologists speculate that music evolved alongside language and likely originated around the same time.

As with much of prehistoric art, the purpose of early music is hard to pin down. Theories range from religious ceremony to mating ritual, and these songs likely drew inspiration from the natural world, much like the animals that dominate cave paintings.

Self-Adornment

Early humans also practiced self-decoration through art. Ancient jewelry, made from natural materials such as shells and small stones, dates back as far as 150,000 years. This early jewelry was likely more than decorative, often marking a person’s position or importance within the community. Over time, this early beadwork evolved into something more complex and artistic, with patterns and styles growing increasingly diverse.

Human remains with tattoos have been found dating back to around 3000 BCE. These designs often echo cave paintings in both style and subject, frequently depicting animals.

Humans have always found ways to express themselves through art, and these are only the earliest examples preserved in the archaeological record. Early art went beyond practical use, and choices like tattoos show that self-expression mattered every bit as much as survival.

What Does It Say About Us?

Early humans are often described as creatures of pure industry: hunters, toolmakers, the eventual winners of some long contest against other hominins. But not every human invention was about survival or domination. Arguably, it is our artistic nature that defines us, and that same creativity still defines humanity today. We are a species of culture, which makes us a species of artists.

It is easy to imagine prehistoric humans as violent or wholly unlike us, but that assumption falls apart quickly. They were still human, and they still sought comfort and joy through creative acts, just as we do today.