Page 233 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol I - Abraham to Coal

118 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

The philosophers have only interpreted the
world, in various ways; the point, however, is to
change it. • Karl Marx (1818–1883)

Much of Aristotle’s work survived antiquity by trans- subject matter, style, and patronage. In contrast, recent
lation into Arabic. His approach influenced generations scholarship takes a more inclusive and historically
of Arab thinkers as well as the scientific and, through the dynamic view. The continent is treated as an integrated
Italian religious philosopher Thomas Aquinas, theologi- whole and the changes of the past century are seen as
cal traditions of medieval Europe. By then, however,Aris- continuing the evolution that African art has experi-
totle’s conclusions had been turned into dogma and were enced throughout its history. Research today focuses on
overturned only by a more rigorous application of his the artistic interconnections between geographic regions,
own methodology. ethnic groups, and time periods, and contemporary art is
given equal footing with so-called traditional forms.
Bill Leadbetter

See also Greece, Ancient; Plato; Political Thought Ancient African Art
The earliest known works of art from Africa are the paint-
ings of animals found on rocks in the Apollo 11 cave in
Further Reading southern Namibia. These have been dated 26,500–
Annas, J. (1986). Classical Greek philosophy. In J. Boardman, J. Griffin, 24,300 BCE, making them as old or older than the Pale-
& O. Murray (Eds.), The Oxford history of the classical world. Oxford,
UK: Oxford University Press. olithic cave paintings of western Europe. Rock paintings
Taplin, O. (1990). Greek fire:The influence of ancient Greece on the mod- and engravings are also found in East Africa and North
ern world. New York: Athenaeum.
Africa, particularly in what is now the Sahara; these
depictions of animals and humans document the change
from the lush, well-watered grasslands of around 8000
BCE to the arid conditions we know today. As the Sahara
Art—Africa became drier, its human inhabitants were forced to move,

and many of them settled in the Nile Valley, where they
frica has produced some of the world’s earliest pre- contributed to the development of ancient Egyptian and
Aserved works of art and some of its most exciting Nubian culture and art.
contemporary ones. Trade routes have connected Africa The earliest known sculptures from Africa south of the
to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia since ancient times, Sahara are those from the Nok culture of northern Nige-
and two of the world’s great religions, Christianity and ria, dated 800 BCE to 200 CE. Despite their early date, the
Islam, were established in Africa soon after they began. Nok sculptures already show visual elements character-
Africa is part of the global spread of objects, ideas, and istic of African art from later periods. They depict facial
people that characterizes the world today. Its art reflects features and body parts as abstract geometric shapes, and
all of these circumstances, making African art an impor- they alter the natural proportions of the body to empha-
tant lens through which to view world history as well as size the head. They portray the elaborate hairstyles and
an important field of study in its own right. beaded body ornaments that are also an important part
The study of African art began in the early twentieth of the dress of many later African peoples.
century, and for much of its development focused solely During the first millennium CE the cultural features
on the area south of the Sahara and on art forms rooted that characterized sub-Saharan African societies until the
in precolonial culture, which was seen as static and time- late nineteenth century were established, such as states
less. Egypt and North Africa were seen as separate enti- based on sacred kingship, long-distance trade, urbanism
ties. The colonial and postcolonial eras were viewed as (especially in West Africa), and various forms of social
periods of decline in African art, due to what were seen and religious organization.All of these contributed to the
as negative outside influences in materials, techniques, evolution of African visual arts.