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100
The Colosseum
The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators,[6][7] and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. -
100
Pompeii Wall Painting
The Ancient Romans lived in a highly visual society, surrounded by images. A wall painting from Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other sites nearby show how residents of a wealthy seaside resort decorated their walls in the century or so before the fatal eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. A succession of dated styles have been defined and analyzed by modern art historians beginning with August Mau, showing increasing elaboration and sophistication. -
Period: 100 to Jan 1, 1000
ART AD 0-1000
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122
Hadrian's Wall
Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain. The wall was the most heavily fortified border in the Empire. In addition to its role as a military fortification, it is thought that many of the gates through the wall would have served as customs posts to allow trade and levy taxation. -
125
Mummy Mask
Egyptian; Probably from Meir, Painted plaster, cartonnage (linen and gesso), and plant fibers. This woman is represented as if lying flat upon a bier. She wears a long Egyptian-style wig made of flax, papyrus, and other plant fibers. Fine plaster has been molded above the wig to imitate a thick garland of white rose petals tipped in pink, into which is set a red stone. -
150
The New Testament
The New Testament is the second major part of the Christian biblical canon, the first part being the Old Testament. Although Christians hold different views from Jews about the Old Testament, Christians regard both the Old and New Testaments together as sacred Scripture. The contents of the New Testament deal explicitly with first-century Christianity. The New Testament consists of 27 books. The original texts were written in the first and perhaps the second centuries of the Christian Era. -
170
The Hope Dionysos
Imperial Roman Marble. This monumental marble statue was named the Hope Dionysos after its former owner, Thomas Philip Hope. The figure of Dionysos is shown standing at ease with his left arm resting on an archaistic female figure traditionally identified as Spes, the personification of hope. He wears a panther skin over his chiton and a cloak wrapped around his upper right arm and shoulder. -
200
Disk Brooch with Cameo and Cabochons
Roman (cameo), Langobardic (mount). Gold sheet; settings of onyx, cameo, glass (red and green cabochons); wire. This cameo repeats a familiar classical type, but its energetic angular forms are a shorthand approximation of the earlier conception. Like some other nomadic tribes, the Lombards, or Langobards, these Germanic people invaded northern Italy in the sixth century. -
250
Central watchtower
China, Earthenware with green lead glaze. This glazed ceramic model of a watchtower shows all the essential features of Han architecture. The basic unit is an enclosure defined by four corner piers with a widely overhanging tile roof supported by a system of cantilevered brackets. -
300
Gravestone with funerary banquet
Excavated at Palmyra, Syria, Limestone. Palmyrenes constructed a series of large-scale funerary monuments. These structures, some of which were below ground, had interior walls that were cut away or constructed to form burial compartments in which the deceased, extended full length, were placed. Limestone slabs with human busts in high relief sealed the rectangular openings of the compartments. -
300
Fayum mummy portraits
Mummy portraits or Fayum mummy portraits (also Faiyum mummy portraits) is the modern term given to a type of naturalistic painted portraits on wooden boards attached to mummies from the Coptic period. They belong to the tradition of panel painting, one of the most highly regarded forms of art in the Classical world. In fact, the Fayum portraits are the only large body of art from that tradition to have survived. They date to the Roman period, from the late 1st century BCE - the 3rd century. -
350
Platter with Fish
Late Roman; Made in Gaul, possibly found in Grand, northwestern France, Copper alloy with tin overlay. In his great encyclopedia, the first-century Roman writer Pliny reports that tin plating, as seen on this platter, was invented by the Gauls. It was no doubt employed in this case to emulate silver. Numerous Gallic platters, both silver and tinned, with a fish engraved in the center still survive. -
400
Mural painting from the catacomb of Commodilla
Mural painting from the catacomb of Commodilla. Bust of Christ. This is one of first bearded images of Christ. Earlier Christian art in Rome portrayed Jesus most often as the Good Shepherd, disguised as Orpheus, young, beardless and in a short tunic. During the 4th century Jesus was beginning to be depicted as a man of identifiably Jewish appearance, with a full beard and long hair, a style not usually worn by Romans. The symbols on either side are Alpha and Omega. -
400
Silver Plate with David and Goliath
This beautiful and exceptionally important plate is the largest of a set of nine showing scenes from the life of the Old Testament king David. The group was discovered in 1902 in Karavás (northern Cyprus) sealed with a hoard of jewelry and gold, much of which is also now in the Metropolitan's collection. On the backs of all the plates are the control stamps of the emperor Heraclius. -
450
Finger Ring with a Cross
Frankish Gold sheet with filigree and granulation, cloisonné cells inset with garnet and mother-of-pearl. Rings were generally worn by men and women of high rank, although some—with monograms or names—served as seals for impressing documents. Most were purely decorative in nature, sometimes, as in this case, using Christian symbols. -
500
Brooch in the Form of a Bird of Prey
Vendel; made in Scandinavia Copper alloy with silver overlay. This crouching bird of prey, usually identified as an eagle, is thought to represent Odin, the supreme god of war and battle in Nordic mythology. The design is an early example of the sort of animal motifs that become so important in Viking art. -
525
Boethius
Anicius Manlius Severinus Boëthius, commonly called Boethius (c. 480–524 or 525 AD), was a philosopher of the early 6th century. Boethius was imprisoned and eventually executed by King Theodoric the Great, who suspected him of conspiring with the Eastern Roman Empire. While jailed, Boethius composed his Consolation of Philosophy, a philosophical treatise on fortune, death and other issues. The Consolation became one of the most popular and influential works of the Middle Ages. -
550
Double Vessel with Mouse
Contemporary with the Moche peoples on the coast, those of Peru; Recuay Ceramic. Recuay were in the highlands around the Callejón de Huaylas in the north-central Andes. They flourished from about 1200 B.C. to 800 A.D., producing distinctive ceramics and stone sculptures decorated with images of rulers and supernatural creatures apparently related to Recuay cosmology. -
Jan 1, 600
Square-Headed Brooch
6th century Anglo-Saxon Copper alloy with gilding and niello inlay. This large gilded brooch, which would have been used to secure a cloak, displays the Anglo-Saxon preference for lavish decoration with a particular emphasis on fantastic animal forms. Dark strips of niello inlay frame its richly faceted surface, which is further animated by beast heads, many with bird beaks, projecting from the edges. -
Jan 1, 650
Figure Holding Child
Ecuador; Bahía, Ceramic. Bahía figurines are numerous and vary in style, size, and technique. Some are modeled by hand, others are made in molds. Still others are partially mold-made and partially hand modeled, as is the case here. The striking large, hollow figure made of thick clay depicts a seated woman with her short legs stretched out in front. She holds a small figure, perhaps an infant, as if presenting it. -
Jan 1, 700
Tomb Plaque
Byzantine or Visigothic; Probably made in Spain,Terracotta. This plaque is thought to be a cover for a niche in a columbarium, or communal tomb. The Christogram--the monogram for Christ's name formed from the first two letters of his name in Greek (x and p), identifies the deceased as Christian. Scholars debate the meaning of the inscription in Latin, which may be a prayer for the deceased. -
Jan 1, 750
Smiling Figure
Mexico, Remojadas, Ceramic. The so-called Smiling Figures from the Remojadas region of Veracruz are often regarded as expressions of Mesoamerican humor. These hollow ceramic sculptures are thought by many to be associated with a god of dance, music, and joy. This sculpture evokes a festive dance or ritual accompanied by the rhythmic reverberation of the hand-held rattle and celebratory sound escaping from the figure's open mouth. -
Jan 1, 1000
Arhat (luohan)
Hebei, China, Earthenware with three-color (sancai) glaze. The polychromatic glaze covering the figures has strong parallels to the well-known sancai, or three-color, tradition found in earlier Tang-dynasty funerary figures. The high quality of the designs and the use of sophisticated techniques such as reinforcing rods have long led scholars to speculate that this example, and others from the set, may have been made at one of the imperial kilns. -
Plaque with Otto I presenting the Cathedral of Magdeburg
Ottonian; From the Cathedral of Magdeburg, probably made in Milan, northern Italy. On this ivory, Otto presents a symbolic model of the church to Christ for his blessing. As a humble servant, Otto is depicted smaller than the company of patron saints. The military Saint Mauritius, patron saint of the Ottonian empire and of Magdeburg, is shown behind Otto, presenting him to Christ. -
Panel
Marquetry, second half of 8th century; cAbbasid, Egypt, Fig wood and bone. Possibly from the side of a cenotaph (a monument erected in honor of a person whose remains are elsewhere), this elaborate fig-wood panel inlaid with bone incorporates decorative elements from both the late antique and Sasanian traditions. -
Standing Buddha
Korea, Gilt bronze. This small gilt-bronze statue of a standing Buddha is typical of the numerous images made for private devotion during the Unified Silla period, a high point in the production of Buddhist sculpture in Korea. The figure's lowered eyes express a contemplative attitude. -
Horse with Female Rider
Astana, Turfan, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, China
Unfired clay with pigment. Sculptures such as this one, made principally of painted and glazed pottery, are known as mingqi, or spirit goods, and were placed in tombs to provide for the deceased's needs in the afterlife. Female attendants were generally produced in groups for burial in the tombs of high-ranking women. -
Hucbald
Hucbald (Hucbaldus, Hubaldus) (c. 840 or 850 – June 20, 930) was a Frankish music theorist, composer, teacher, writer, hagiographer, and Benedictine monk. Deeply influenced by Boethius' De Institutione Musica, he wrote the first systematic work on western music theory, aiming at reconciling through many notated examples ancient Greek music theory and the contemporary practice of the more recent so-called 'Gregorian chant'. -
Krishna on Garuda
Java, Indonesia, Bronze.This ensemble was part of a hanging oil lamp. Above Krishna's head is a lotus pattern to which a chain for suspension was attached, and beneath Garuda is a loop from which a cup for lamp oil would have hung. The lighted lamp would cast shadows of the god and his vehicle. -
Musica enchiriadis
Musica enchiriadis is an anonymous musical treatise of the 9th century. It is the first surviving attempt to set up a system of rules for polyphony in classical music. The treatise was once attributed to Hucbald, but this is no longer accepted. Some historians once attributed it to Odo of Cluny (879-942). The scale used in the work, which is based on a system of tetrachords, appears to have been created solely for use in the work itself, rather than taken from actual musical practice. -
Beowulf
Beowulf is the conventional title of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Its composition by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet is dated between the 8th and the early 11th century. In 1731, the manuscript was badly damaged by a fire that swept through a building housing a collection of Medieval manuscripts assembled by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton.
