13 most ancient works of art in the world (14 photos)

Our ancestors began to create art in ancient times. Archaeologists believe that the first symbolism in art appeared among early hominins. In modern times, experts have found many examples of such art, and this collection contains some of the most famous ancient drawings and sculptures.





1. Mesolithic rock paintings



These unique cave paintings were discovered in the Chauvet cave near Avignon, France, and similar ones were discovered in the Lascaux caves in the Bordeaux region. Most of the paintings at Chauvet Cave were made by early modern humans between 28,000 and 37,000 years ago, while the paintings at Lascaux Caves appeared around 17,000 years ago.

2. Sculptures made from animal bones





Sculptures made from animal bones were found mainly in different places in Europe: France, Spain and Germany. Pictured above is the Venus of Brassampoui, a fragment of a late Paleolithic mammoth bone sculpture discovered in France. She is approximately 25,000 years old.

3. Sculptures of Venus



The goddess Venus was often depicted in sculpture: more than 200 prehistoric female figurines dedicated to her and carved from soft stone or bone have been found in Europe. They were made between 26,000 and 21,000 years ago, but the oldest one, found in Germany, may be over 35,000 years old. This photo shows the famous Venus of Willendorf, which was carved from stone about 30,000 years ago.

4. Javan pig



This cave painting of a Javan pig was found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. It is approximately 45,500 years old and may be the earliest such painting ever found. Scientists say Indonesia has many examples of rock art that challenge the idea that the rock art tradition originated in Europe and spread from there.

5. Drawings of Neanderthals



Neanderthals also created works of art. This carving was found on a cave wall in France - it was made before 75,000 years ago, many thousands of years before the appearance of Homo sapiens in Europe.

6. Bone carving



Neanderthals also carved bone and wood. in a cave in Germany. The photo above is a carving on the phalanx of a deer made by Neanderthals. Archaeologists believe that it is about 51,000 years old.

7. Drawings from South Africa



This stone with a design was found in the Blombos Cave in South Africa. The drawing is about 73,000 years old and archaeologists believe it was painted by early members of the species Homo sapiens.

8. Pendants with eagle claws



Pendants made from eagle claws were discovered in an ancient rock shelter in Croatia. Most likely, Neanderthals made them 130,000 years ago.

9. Remains of a wooden structure



These remains of a 476,000-year-old wooden structure were found in Zambia. They are preserved in clay and demonstrate the skillful use of wood that ancient hominins used to create works of art.

10. Handprints found in Tibet



Fossilized children's handprints that may be 200,000 years old have been found in a hot spring area in Tibet. They may represent one of the oldest works of art - but archaeologists debate whether it can be considered art and are still determining the age of the prints.

11. Drawings on the sink



These zigzag patterns on a shell found in Indonesia are believed to have been made by Homo erectus 540,000 years ago.

12. Notches in the stone



Stones with such indentations have been found on almost every continent and in many cultures. It is unknown why they were made, but archaeologists believe the earliest one may be 1.7 million years old.

13. Spheres of stone



Similar baseball-sized stone spheres have been found at tool-making sites in Africa, Asia and Europe. The earliest of them are up to 2 million years old, but their purpose is unknown. Perhaps these were attempts to create a work of art.