Upper Paleolithic art and symbolic explosion
c. 40,000+ years ago·Culture, arts & philosophy·Europe, with earlier African examples·
c. 40,000+ years agoDate
Culture, arts & philosophyCategory
0Empires active
- Date
- c. 40,000+ years ago
- Category
- Culture, arts & philosophy
- Region
- Europe, with earlier African examples
- Era
- Prehistory
- Significance
Spectacular cave art (Chauvet, Lascaux, Altamira), Venus figurines, musical instruments, and complex burial practices appear across Europe and other regions. Clear evidence of abstract thinking and possibly spiritual beliefs.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Related culture, arts & philosophy events
- Figurative animal paintings in Borneo (Lubang Jeriji Saléh)c. 40,000 years ago
- Behavioural modernity and major Out-of-Africa dispersalc. 70,000–50,000 years ago
- Göbekli Tepe – monumental architecture by hunter-gatherersc. 9,600–8,000 BCE
- World's earliest figurative and narrative cave art on Sulawesic. 51,000 – 45,500 years ago
- Chauvet Cave: early masterworks of figurative cave artc. 36,500 years ago
- Earliest Indus Script Signs Appear at Harappac. 3300 BCE
Further reading
The wider story
The Story of Art
The best-selling art history ever written, from cave paintings to the modern age.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.