2. The earliest examples of art date to the
appearance of modern humans in the
Upper Paleolithic era (c.38,000 BCE).
Surviving examples of this early art, including
small statues, cave paintings, and pottery
provide a tantalizing record of the earliest
days of human existence.
Some early art may have been
decorative, but there are good reasons for
believing that it also fulfilled a ritual purpose,
possibly associated with fertility or hunting.

14. Modern
reproductions of
the Altamira Cave
paintings

105. The Trundholm Sun Chariot