Asian Art
Study Guide for

Neolithic Cultures

Sketch of Neolithic Pottery by Lampo Leong

“Who is there who can tell the beginning of things?
Who is there to tell how darkness separated from the light?”
—from the Songs of Chu

Required Reading:

"Before the Dawn of History," Chapter 1 in The Arts of China by Michael Sullivan;

"Urban Civilization and the Indus Valley, Neolithic and Pre-Shang China; Ban Chieng Culture," Chapter 1 in A History of Far Eastern Art by Sherman E. Lee

Recommended:

"The Era of Dragons and Phoenixes," Chapter 1 in The Path of Beauty: A Study of Chinese Aesthetics by Li Zehou

Chapters on "Roofs and Houses" and "Wine and Jars" in China: Empire of Living Symbols by Cecillia Lindqvist

Study Questions:

1.    Compare the pots from Banshan with those of Maodigou and Banpo. Describe two distinguishing features that help tell them apart. Illustrate your ideas with the pictures in the Sullivan or Lee text, from library books or from web images.

2.    Compare the neolithic Chinese pots with African, Egyptian or Native American pottery, describing what is similar and what is different.

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See on the Web:

Gansu Pot at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts

Longshan Pottery at the Cincinnati Art Museum

Neolithic Chinese Pot at Remy Guo's Art of China

Neolithic Chinese Pot that is the first image in the "Evolution of Chinese Calligraphy" (Since there are several images on the page, it may take longer to load on your screen.)

Korean Pottery (At bottom of first image click "next" to see another vessel.)

Jomon Pottery from Japan

Harappan Pottery from India. (Be sure to click "next" under the image to see another vessel.)

See more of the ancient Indus Valley civilizations at the "Around the Indus in 90 Slides" tour of Harappa and Mojen-daro done by Jonathan Mark Kenoyer.

Try This:

Examine the sketches of Neolithic pottery on this page or the charts about the evolution of pattern. Try turning a picture of an animal or plant into a pattern design. Think about what a remarkable achievement in human development it was to create abstract patterns from natural forms.

What was happening in the world at this time?