A Cognitive Approach to the Earliest Art

Recent archaeological discoveries challenge the understanding of the origins and purposes of early human art. Geometric engravings on bone, ochre, and ostrich eggshell from southern Africa (77,000–55,000 BP) and figurative mammoth ivory sculptures from Swabia, Germany (40,000–32,000 BP), suggest that art emerged independently in different cultures. Unlike later art forms, these artifacts lack contextual information, complicating their classification as 'first art.' The study proposes a cognitive approach to analyze these objects, questioning whether they served aesthetic, educational, or ritualistic functions. This research highlights the need for new frameworks to interpret early art, moving beyond Western-centric criteria and addressing gaps in archaeological records.

DE SMEDT, J., & DE CRUZ, H. (2011). A Cognitive Approach to the Earliest Art. The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 69(4), 379–389. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6245.2011.01482.x