First tutorial

Critically review,with reference to the

Readings:- film THE FLINTSTONES
Submitted to :- Mahalakshmi Ramakrishnan mam

SUMMITED BY:- Nayan Dhawal

DATE :-25 AUGUST 2017
The testaments of the history can be traced of the pre-historic times from the
unsystemized documentary or evidences i.e archeological for eg:-
fossils,bones,teeth,hair etc.From the 18th century the curiousity started to
know the pre-historic times,their culture,evolution,etc. But due to lack of
literary matrial, it became though task for the historian to go into integrities of
that past. Although in this regard,the archaeology is the only key which unlock
the history of the pre-historic times.
Archaeological scene
With the coming of Renaissance, human development and curiousity about the
past provoked the humans to investigated about the history. Many
archeologists European and American1 contributed their creative renderings to
this development.The scientific advancement made things simpler like carbon
(c-14) dating techniques,Dna-mitrocondrial studies etc.
The documentary records found on the archaeological site like hair,teeth
skelton, bones and remains throughs sufficient light on the society, culture,
tradition and daily affairs.
If we trace the origin of the earth, it can be 4.6 billion years ago, but the
evolution of ealy homonids can be seen African continent just around 6 million
years ago.
Pictorial reconstruction
There is paucity of human fossil records, which supplemented to the fact of the
imagination of the artist which gave open space to the scholars and historians
to conceptulise these things and interpret it. Thus it gave birth to the
picturization of the paleolithic humans in illustrations of art, cartoon, museum
displays which further reveals their iconography history2 and imaginary pre-
history3
The iconography of cave-man had powerful meanings behind as well as
endless array of present and past cultural icons that reinforce and reity its
presence.

1 PIGGOTS,researched about the development of graphic communication in archaeology

2 JUDITH, BERMAN

3 STOCZKOWSI
The projection is mainly with wild, untamed, uninhabitat and historicizing its
uncivilized elements, but it was not true for other certain cases4
The description started with the medium of paintings, which depicts the
pastoral scenes and the people living in caves and have ape like physical
appearance.
Moser views
Moser viewed that, the use of material artifacts such as fur, garmets, bones,
depicts the early chapter of pre-historic times. She goes to 8th century BCE
concepts and knowledge of earlier huminids and about their pair bonding, fire,
languages.Moser also included the concepts of development during 16-18
centuries,where people live in civil life as modern apprences.She didnt stop
here, she also added the development of 19th century and the acceptance pre-
historic times when humans lived contemprory with employed artifacts of
stone and bone
Flinstones movie description
The flinstones movie revolves around the screening of the pre-historic times,
rather say modern pre-historic time. It was presented by Stevan Spielrock with
AMBLIN entertainment production in 1994.
With the reference to the pre-historic times, the movie had done justice.
Although it was not the first movie ,there are many more like that like
D.W.Griffiths mans genesis(1912), croods etc
The movie shows modernity concept in scenario,there was no inferiority of life
styles with compared to modern times, rather it was better that time.there
were references of market, playground,concept of slate newspaper,car
without petrol etc depicts the environment friendly attitude of the man.they
use machnical force for their all works.
Animals were used in various domestic chores like grass cutting, crabs for
trimming, elephant for sowering etc. All this depicts animal-man friendly
relations.
The modern west capitalist human behaviour has always seen like the family
4 JUDITH,C.BERMAN Bad Hair Days in paleolithic;Modern (Re) construction of the cave
problems,economic problem etc.If we analyse the movie it had both part
fascinating as well as disfacinating part, the pros part is depiction modern slate
and company. While the cons part scam and jealousness in the movie.The
movie also depicts the pre-historic cave houses with all of basic indoor and
outdoor amenities

NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT a case study

Neanderthals is a human spies projected and used as stereotype , some
portrait in slump shouldered, club wielding and brutish louts and some in
modern refined humans. Many argue that this spicies got extint around 40,000
years. It gots it warmth when the two image of Neanderthals published and it
was shown with the depiction of club, necklace, body hair, and fur wrap.
Moser viewed the two images are remarkable because of same fossil from
Lachapelle-aux-saints in south western France and opposed views of the
Neanderthals it is important to note that these images are not presented in
the fanciful description, but were intended to be actual based on careful
scientif studies.
The filnstones movie is also depicted in the same manner.The critics held that
the Neanderthals were an evolutionary side branch,not part of the human
lineage5 . Boule says with the reference of Reith, Neanderthals as a phase in
the evolution of anatomically modern humans.
The reality of the fact that the icons have never been found with the
association with the Neanderthals remains.
Gender analysis
The American group of antropologists and National geographic played an
important role in either enquiring into pre-historic times or the women and
gender with the help of archaeology. The come up with a detailed inline of
studies of status of women in the American society. Although in this, the equal
status of women shown in America with compared to man,reflects that they
werenot expected to resume only to their domestic duties. Also they werenot
confined to their only duties as mother and wives.
Given this,the widespread change in women role in American society expected
5 Boule.
to see changes in the depiction of ancient women pages in National
geographic.The work is primarily started in 1888-2007, of the articles of
National geographic, and knowing the culture role and relationship with
women. It also gave references to the status of civilisation of Egypt and
Mesopotamia. The work talks about the phases of womens as hunter
gatherers, agriculturist and urbanised corum.
I am going to quote a line from the article Picturing the past that the early
hominins had a strict sexual division of labour and the androcentrism of
crediting presumed male activities combat, hunting, sexual competition over
females. It gives me real picture that the competition was always to win or for
sexual urge, or to impress the opposite sex.
There are clear cut group foraging scene , womens scenes of gathering and
food processing , images also shows animal skin as their cloth with full of social
tradition.
There is long term controversy on the term of Nudity and depiction of pre-
historic women as sexual objects. But it is not as that type as cleared in the
article. The women get shouldered to man in every work at that time and they
have a status I pre-historic society.
conclusion
to conclude my tutorial I want to sumup with all the text with its comprision to
the movie Flinstones, as almost all the material, as references to pre-historic
times is depicted in the movie. By this small representation I doesnot include
all the facts and figures, according to me the truth and reality of pre-historic
times needs much more research and methodlogy but i tried my best to put
the revlevent references in it.
BIBLOGRAPHY/READINGS

1) Berman, Judith C., Bad Hair Days in the Paleolithic: Modern

(Re)Constructions of the Cave Man, American Anthropologist,
1999, 101:2, pp. 288-304.
2) Mann, Alan E., Imagining Prehistory: Pictorial Reconstructions
of the Way We Were, American Anthropologist, 2003, 105:1,
pp. 139-43.
3) Moser, Stephanie, and Sam Smiles, Introduction: The Image in
Question, in Sam Smiles and Stephanie Moser (eds.),
Envisioning the Past: Archaeology and the Image, Blackwell
Publishing, Malden USA, 2005, pp. 1-12.
4) Solometo, Julie, and Joshua Moss, Picturing the Past: Gender in
National Geographic Reconstructions of Prehistoric Life,
American Antiquity, 2013, 78:1, pp. 123-46.
5) Szpir, Michael, Nasty, Brutish and Short?, American Scientist,
1993, 81:4, pp. 328-29.