Ancient art

Ancient art is the art made by old, advanced cultures that had their own ways of writing. These cultures include China, India, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Their art tells us about how people lived, what they believed, and what was important to them long ago.

Art from societies that did not yet have writing is called prehistoric art and is not part of ancient art. Some cultures in the Americas, like the Maya, Aztec, and Olmec, also developed their own writing before Europeans arrived, but their art is usually studied separately as pre-Columbian art.

Looking at ancient art helps us learn about the history, values, and skills of people from long ago. It shows us their stories, religions, and daily lives through paintings, sculptures, and other creations that have lasted for thousands of years.

West Asia and Mediterranean

Arabian

Main articles: Pre-Islamic Arabia § Art, and Ancient South Arabian art

The art of Pre-Islamic Arabia is linked to nearby cultures. Pre-Islamic Yemen created beautiful, simple alabaster heads. Most sculptures from this time are made of alabaster.

Archaeology has found early settlements in Saudi Arabia: the Dilmun civilization on the east, Thamud north of the Hejaz, and Kinda and Al-Magar in central Arabia. South Arabian societies like Saba (Sheba) were important in trading valuable goods, which brought wealth and connected the Arabian Peninsula to wider trade networks.

South Arabia kept its own special features. Figures are often shown with strong, square shapes.

Egyptian

Main article: Art of ancient Egypt

Ancient Ancient Egyptian art was very religious, often showing gods, goddesses, and Pharaohs, who were seen as divine. Order was important in Egyptian art. Simple lines and shapes created a feeling of balance. Artists used vertical and horizontal lines to keep sizes right. Figures were drawn to show social rank, with important people drawn larger.

Symbolism was also important. Colors had special meanings—blue and green for the Nile, yellow for the sun, and red for power. Despite some stiff forms, Egyptian art is often realistic, with careful attention to detail.

Etruscan

Main articles: Etruscan art and Etruscan vase painting

Etruscan art was made by the Etruscan civilization in central Italy from the 9th to the 2nd century BC. It was influenced by Greek art but kept its own features. Strong traditions included clay sculptures, wall paintings, and working with metal, especially bronze. High-quality jewelry and engraved gems were also made.

Greek

Main article: Ancient Greek art

Ancient Greek art includes pottery, sculpture, and building designs. Greek sculpture is known for relaxed poses. The art is divided into three styles: Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. Greek pottery styles include Protogeometric, Geometric, Late Geometric or Archaic, Black Figure, and Red Figure. Much of Greek art survives in sculpture, building designs, and smaller works like coins and gems.

The most respected form of Greek painting was on wood, but very little survives. Some paintings on mummies and tomb walls remain, mostly from Macedonia and Italy. Pottery painting gives an idea of Greek painting beauty, though the techniques were different.

Hittite

Main article: Hittite art

Hittite art was made by the Hittite civilization in ancient Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey, and into Syria during the second millennium BC. It is known for repeated images and designs used to give meaning to people who could not read.

Many images show Hittite deities and religious ceremonies, as well as hunting and animals. Much of the art comes from places like Alaca Höyük or the Hittite capital of Hattusa near modern-day Boğazkale. Dating Hittite art is hard because there are few writings, and much of it was moved from its original places.

Mesopotamian

Main article: Art of Mesopotamia

Mesopotamia is the area of the Tigris-Euphrates rivers, matching much of modern-day Iraq, and parts of northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey, and southwestern Iran. Early civilizations there developed writing and farming, leaving a rich collection of ancient art.

Bronze Age civilizations included Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Sumer. In the Iron Age, Mesopotamia was ruled by the Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian empires. The Sumerians and Akkadians ruled from around 3100 BC until Babylon fell in 539 BC. Later, it was taken by Alexander the Great and became part of the Greek Seleucid Empire.

Around 150 BC, Mesopotamia was controlled by the Parthians. It became a battleground between the Romans and Parthians. In 226 AD, it fell to the Sassanid Persians and stayed under Persian rule until the 7th-century Arab Islamic conquest. Some Christian states existed there between the 1st century BC and the 3rd century AD.

Assyrian

Main article: Art and architecture of Assyria

When Babylon weakened, Assyria took over its arts as well as its empire.

At first, Assyrian artists copied Babylonian styles. Later, they developed their own ways. Assyrian palace walls were covered with stone slabs instead of brick. They created carved figures, with early examples from Girsu.

Later, they became skilled in making jewelry such as earrings and bracelets of gold, and works in copper.

Assyrian pottery and porcelain were graceful. Transparent glass was first made during the rule of Sargon II, like the glass found in the palaces of Nineveh. Stone, clay, and glass were used to make vases.

Ashurbanipal supported art and culture and had a large library of clay tablets at Nineveh.

Babylonian

The taking over of Sumer and Akkad by Babylon changed the art and political history of the area.

The Babylonians used lots of clay to make bricks. This led to the early development of pillars and columns, as well as paintings and tiled decorations. Walls were brightly colored and sometimes covered with bronze or gold. Painted clay cones were also used.

The Babylonians worked with metal, making tools with copper. They were skilled in cutting gems because stone was rare. Babylonian arts included tapestries, and the civilization was famous for its tapestries and rugs.

Sumerian

Archaeological evidence shows they existed during the 5th millennium BC. The Sumerians decorated their pottery with cedar oil paints. They also made jewelry.

A well-known example is the Standard of Ur, a wooden box covered with shells and lapis lazuli showing soldiers and peasants.

Minoan

Main article: Minoan art

The Minoans built an empire from their home in Crete and other Aegean islands. Minoan civilization is known for beautiful ceramics, frescos, landscapes, and stone carvings. Early Minoan ceramics had designs like spirals and triangles. Middle Minoan ceramics showed natural designs such as fish and birds. Late Minoan ceramics included more variety. The Palace Style around Knossos is known for simplifying natural shapes. The Palace at Knossos had wall paintings showing daily life, including bull-leaping and boxing. The Minoans made beautiful metal pendants and masks.

Mycenaean

Mycenaean art is similar to Minoan art and includes finds from royal graves, most famously the Mask of Agamemnon, a gold funeral mask. The Mycenaeans were skilled in working with gold. Their artworks have many decorative designs. At some point, they adopted Minoan goddesses and linked them with their sky god. These goddesses came from the Minoans.

Persian

Main article: Persian art § Achaemenids

Achaemenid art includes wall designs, metalwork, palace decorating, glazed brick building, and fine skills like masonry and carpentry. Most remaining examples are large sculptures, especially reliefs and sculptures of Persepolis.

The Persians took artists from all parts of their empire but created a new, unique Persian style. There are many fine pieces of jewelry in valuable metal, mostly showing animals, and the Oxus Treasure has many different types. Small pieces in gold were sewn onto clothes by rich people.

Phoenician

Main article: Phoenicia § Art

Phoenician art was heavily influenced by other cultures, mainly Egypt, Greece, and Assyria. Phoenicians gained wide artistic experience and created their own art, mixing foreign models and ideas. An article from The New York Times described Phoenician art as blending other people's work into its heritage.

Roman

Main article: Roman art

Further information: Pompeian Styles and Roman Wall Painting (200 BC-79 AD)

Roman art was based on Greek and Etruscan art. Rich Romans loved Greek art. Roman artists wanted to remember important events, honor emperors, show everyday life, and express beauty and nobility. Their statues and pictures on grave stones are very lifelike.

In Greece and Rome, wall painting was not considered major art. The most respected form after sculpture was painting on wood panels, but very few examples survive. Some pictures on mummies and tomb walls remain, mostly from Roman Egypt. These pictures usually show one person from the front, with a single-color background. They are very lifelike. A few pictures painted on glass and medals from the later empire have survived, as have pictures on coins.

Central and South Asia

Bactrian

Main article: Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex § Art

The Bactria–Margiana Archaeological Complex is an ancient area in Central Asia. It dates back to around 2300–1700 BC. It is in parts of modern-day Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Archaeologists found many important cities, palaces, and buildings there.

Artists made beautiful statues called "Bactrian princesses." These statues show women in fancy dresses and headpieces. They were made by fitting together pieces of colored stones, like green chlorite and white limestone.

Indian

Main articles: Indian painting and Indian sculpture

India has a long history of art. It started with small stone and bronze carvings from the Indus Valley civilization about 5,000 years ago. As Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism grew, India made amazing bronzes and large temple carvings.

The Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India, are ancient rock-cut caves from the second century BC. They have beautiful paintings and sculptures that are some of the greatest examples of Buddhist and world art.

East Asia

Chinese

Main articles: Chinese art § Bronze casting, Chinese ritual bronzes, and Sanxingdui

Further information: Shang dynasty and Zhou dynasty

Ancient China had beautiful art from very early times. In places like the Yellow River valley, people made painted pottery thousands of years ago. Later, during the Bronze Age, artists made many bronze items. These were used for everyday life, special ceremonies, and predicting the future.

Some of the most famous art from China is the Terracotta warriors. These are life-sized clay statues of soldiers, horses, and officers. They were buried with the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, in 210 BC to protect him. After that, during the Han dynasty, smaller versions of these soldiers were made for tombs.

Japanese

Further information: Japanese art

Japan also has a long history of art. The earliest known objects from Japan are from the Jōmon and Yayoi time periods. Later, new kinds of art like Haniwa figures appeared. When Buddhism arrived from China, it also had a big effect on Japanese art for many years.

Mesoamerica

Olmec

Main article: Olmecs § Art

The Olmec people made lovely art a very long time ago. They created bowls and other things from clay, using special ovens to bake them. Their art often showed animals and important symbols. Some of their statues were quite big. Olmec artists also made tiny carvings from a green stone called jade. A favorite subject in their art was the jaguar, a strong and respected animal. Many small statues and figures from this time have been discovered by archaeologists.