Do you like paleolithic op-art?

We consider the history of certain modular elements: Op-tiles, Kufic tiles, and key-patterns, which occur as ornamental archetypes from Paleolithic times until the present. Paleolithic ornaments We have found that the oldest examples of ornamentation in Paleothic art were from Mezin (Ukraine) dated to 23 000 B.C. Note that 23 000 years is a time period ten times longer than the complete written history of mankind. At first glance, the ornament on the right side of Fig. 1a appears to not be significant, it is an ordinary set of parallel lines. On the right side of Fig. 1b this pattern is transformed into a set of parallel zig-zag lines− an ornament with a symmetry group of type pmg, generated by an axis of reflection perpendicular to another axis of glide reflection (Fig. 1b). Let’s see how the creative process for the design of this ornament may have developed. Imagine a modern engineer who begins a construction project. At first he makes a rough sketch, and then he begins to work more seriously to solve the problem. The next series of ornaments from Mezin is more advanced. The previously mentioned sets of parallel lines are arranged in friezes and meander patterns that can still be considered as sketches (Fig. 1c,d).