page_title: Prehistoric art
section_title: North America
hierarchical_section_title: Prehistoric art / The Americas / North America
caption_attribution_description: View of the The Great Serpent Mound, one of the most important prehistoric effigy mound od Adema Culture, located on the Ohio river, Ohio, USA.
context_page_description: In the history of art, prehistoric art is all art produced in preliterate, prehistorical cultures beginning somewhere in very late geological history, and generally continuing until that culture either develops writing or other methods of record-keeping, or makes significant contact with another culture that has, and that makes some record of major historical events. At this point ancient art begins, for the older literate cultures. The end-date for what is covered by the term thus varies greatly between different parts of the world.
  The earliest human artifacts showing evidence of workmanship with an artistic purpose are the subject of some debate. It is clear that such workmanship existed by 40,000 years ago in the Upper Paleolithic era, although it is quite possible that it began earlier. In September 2018, scientists reported the discovery of the earliest known drawing by Homo sapiens, which is estimated to be 73,000 years old, much earlier than the 43,000 years old artifacts understood to be the earliest known modern human drawings found previously.
context_section_description: Belonging in the Lithic stage, the oldest known art in the Americas is the Vero Beach bone, possibly a mammoth bone, etched with a profile of walking mammoth that dates back to 11,000 BCE. The oldest known painted object in the Americas is the Cooper Bison Skull from 10,900–10,200 BCE.
caption: Great Serpent Mound, a 411-meter long (1,348 ft) effigy mound in Adams County, Ohio, ca. 1070 CE
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