Art History Timeline

Paleolithic Period- Around 30,000 BCE- 8,000 BCE

30,000 BCE

Venus of Willendorf- found in Willendorf, Austria. The statue is sculpted from oolitic limestone, tinted with red ochre pigment and 4 3/8 inches high

Mesolithic Period- Around 8,000 BCE- 4,000 BCE

8000 BCE

Dance of the Cogul- was found in El Cogul Caves, in Catalonia, Spain in 1908. The cave painting is a scene of a dance in which there are 10 women dancing around a nude man. There are 45 figures in all, depicted in this painting, 38 are painted bright red, black, and dark red and 7 are engraved in stone.

Neolithic Period- Around 6,000 BCE- 3,000 BCE

6000 BCE

Stonehenge is believed to have been constructed from 3000 BCE to 2000 BCE, and quarried out of bluestones about 150 miles away from the site. Archeologists believe that the site was possibly used as an astronomical calendar to help the early societies with growing and harvesting.

Sumerian- Around 4,100 BCE- 1,750 BCE

4100 BCE

The Seated Female- carved from a single stone. It's suggested that it hails from the Samarra culture and used in fertility rituals. The artist emphasized the woman's body parts that are related to reproduction.

Protodynastic Period- Around 3,150 BCE- 2,686 BCE

3150 BCE

Narmer Palette-3,100 BCE is named after the Egyptian King Narmer. During this time the first-known portraits were also completed. The Egyptian style moved toward formalized seminude to figures with long bodies and large eyes. This piece depicts Narmer wearing the crown of Upper Egypt on one side of the tablet and the crown of the Lower Egypt on the other side of the tablet. It symbolizes the unification of the two kingdoms. He is shown smiting his enemies, thus protecting Egypt.

Old Kingdom- Around 2,686 BCE- 2181 BCE

2686 BCE

The Old Kingdom is best known for the large number of pyramids constructed at this time. The pyramids at Giza are the largest, the Pyramid of Menkaure, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Pyramid of Khufu. The pyramids were built for religious purposes. The Egyptians believed in an afterlife. They believed that a second self called the ka lived within every human being. When the physical body expired, the ka enjoyed eternal life.

Akkadian- Around 2,370 BCE- 2,230 BCE

2370 BCE

Head of an Akkadian Ruler- made out of a copper alloy using the lost-wax casting method. Some say this Sargon, a man from a lowly family who rose to power and founded the royal city of Akkad. The life sized bronze head shows intricate details of the lips being curled, a wrinkled brow and braided hair. The eyes and the ears have been mutilated, not sure if there was precious material there or not.

Middle Kingdom- Around 2,055 BCE- 1,650 BCE

2055 BCE

Osiris was the god of the deceased. The Middle Kingdom was known for the funerary cult, and that is where Osiris rose to dominate Egyptian popular religion. This painting was found in the Roya Tomb of King Horemheb. The rich and vibrant colors cover the walls of the chamber and depict the three gods, Osiris, Anubis and Horus.

Babylonian- Around 1,792 BCE- 1,595 BCE

1792 BCE

The Stele of Hammurabi predates the Ten Commandments. It's 7.4 ft. tall and made out of Basalt, which is hard volcanic rock. It's a high relief sculpture of the King Hammurabi receiving the code from the God of Justice, Shamash. The laws were written in cuneiform, laws and consequences were very serious.

New Kingdom- Around 1,550 BCE- 1,069 BCE

1550 BCE

Nebamun Hunting in the Marshes- 1350 BCE. Nebamun was a middle ranking official, a scribe and grain accountant. Queen Hatshepsut and their daughter are shown with Nebamun as a family enjoying both work and play for all eternity. Hunting in the marshes is a painting and a scene from the tomb-chapel of Nebamun. The painting is depicting everything that Nebamun hopes his afterlife will be filled with. He is surrounded by beauty of what he thinks the afterlife will look like.

Assyrian- Around 1305 BCE- 609 BCE

1305 BCE

The Winged Genius- 883-859 BC was taken from the remains f the Northwest Imperial Palace at Nimrud, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The low relief, stood on one side of a doorway into a reception hall. The genius wore a horned crown that symbolizes a deity and is also wearing elegant jewelry. It's made form gypsum alabaster and carved in low relief. The artist uses diagonal lines in the wings and on the cloak and uses various shapes throughout the piece.

Neo-Babylonia- Around 626-539 BCE

626 BCE

Ishtar Gate, 575 BCE- Is consider a round arch used in the entryways by the eighth century. Ishtar gate was part of the Processional Way in the city of Babylon. The gate was lavishly decorated with lapis lazuli complemented by blue glaze brick. Also on the walls connected to the gate were painted floral motifs and bas reliefs of animals that were sacred to Ishtar, the goddess of fertility and war.