Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-264) and index.

This book introduces work from the skilled hands of many ancient craftsmen whose names and circumstances will never be known. Here will be found artistic works that range from the earliest art of the cave dwellers and hunters through the Neolithic and Bronze Ages to the sophisticated metalwork of the Late Iron Age. Prehistoric Art includes examples of the great paintings from the caves of France and Spain, Lascaux, Altamira, Pech Merle, Les Combarelles, and many others are illustrated, as are the spectacular gold ornaments and vessels from Ireland, Wessex, and Scandinavia, and the bronze, iron, and gold of barbarian Europe, which reaches great heights of technical accomplishment in such superb pieces as the Desborough mirror and the Battersea shield. Art is a term too often borrowed by the archaeologist to explain any object that is not obviously useful, but in Prehistoric Art it clearly can be seen that many of the appliances of daily life in ancient times have an aesthetic appeal to the modern beholder. Many of the illustrations selected for this volume show objects reproduced for the first time in color. Others illustrate those hitherto found only in the pages of learned journals. The resulting book will be valued by student and layman alike for its selection of material and its many perceptive comparisons and observations.

SACFinal081324