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Outline of Art History - Ancient Art
30,000 BC - c. 400 AD
 Outline of Art History
• Part 1: Ancient Art
• Part 2: Medieval Art
• Part 3: Renaissance Art
• Part 4: Modern Art
• Part 5: Contemporary Art 
 Related Resources
• Ancient Art Resources
 

      Prehistory

Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) Art - 30,000 - 10,000 BC
Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age) Art - 10,000 - 8000 BC
Neolithic (New Stone Age) Art - 8000 - 3000 BC 
Bronze Age Art  -  2500 - 800 BC
Iron Age Art  -  750 - 50 BC

      Ancient Civilizations

Mesopotamia
 
    Sumerian Art  -  3000  - 2300 BC
    Akkadian Art -  2300  - 2150 BC
    Neo-Sumerian Art  -  2150 - 2000 BC
    Babylonian Art  -  1900  - 1600 BC
    Assyrian Art  -  900  - 612 BC
    Neo-Babylonian Art - 625  - 539 BC
 
Egypt
 
    Early Dynastic Art  -  3500  - 2686 BC
    Old Kingdom Art  -  2686  - 2185 BC
    Middle Kingdom Art  -  2133  - 1750 BC
    Early New Kingdom Art  -  1570  - 1353 BC
    Amarna Art  -  1353  - 1332 BC
    Late New Kingdom Art  -  1332 - 1075 BC
    Late Period Art  -  750 - 332 BC
    Macedonian Dynasty Art  -  332 - 304 BC
    Ptolemaic Dynasty Art  -  304 - 30 BC
    Art under the Roman Emperors  -  30 BC - 395 AD
 
The Cycladic Islands/Crete
 
    Early Minoan Art  -  2800  - 2000 BC
    Middle Minoan Art  - 2000  - 1700 BC
    Late Minoan Art  -  1550  - 1400 BC
 
Phoenician Art  -  1500  - 500 BC
 
Nomadic Tribes
 
    Luristan Art  -  700  - 500 BC
    Scythian Art  -  600  - 300 BC
 
Persian Empire Art  -  539  - 331 BC
   

      Classical Civilizations

Greek Art
 
    Mycenaean Art  -  1550  - 1200 BC
    Sub-Mycenaean Art  -  1100  - 1025 BC
    Proto-Geometric Art  -  1025  - 900 BC
    Geometric Art  -  900  - 700 BC
    Archaic Art  -  700  - 480 BC
 
        Orientalizing Phase  -  735  - 650 BC
        Early Archaic  -  700  - 600 BC
        High Archaic  -  600  - 520 BC
        Late Archaic  -  520  - 480 BC
 
    Classical Art  -  480  - 323 BC
 
        Early Classical  -  480  - 450 BC
        High Classical  -  450  - 400 BC
        Late Classical  -  400  - 323 BC
 
    Hellenistic Art  -  323  - 31 BC
 
        Early Hellenistic  -  323  - 250 BC
        High Hellenistic  -  250  - 100 BC
        Late Hellenistic  -  100  - 31 BC
 
Etruscan Art 
 
    Early Iron Age Art  -  9th century - c. 675 BC
    Orientalizing Phase  -  c. 675 - c. 575 BC
    Archaic Period Art  -  c. 575 - c. 480 BC
    Classical Period Art  -  c. 480 - c. 300 BC
    Hellenistic Period Art  -  c. 300 - c. 50 BC
 
Roman Art 
 
    Republican Art  -  510  - 27 BC
    Early Roman Empire Art  -  27 BC - 235 AD
 
         Augustan  -  27 BC - 14 AD
        Julio-Claudian  -  14 - 68
        Flavian  -  69 - 96
        Trajanic  -  98 - 117
        Hadrianic  -  117 - 138
        Antonine  -  138 - 192
        Severin  -  193 - 235
 
    Late Roman Empire/Late Antique Art  -  235 - 476
 
Judean Art - 600 BC - 135 AD
 
Celtic Art
 
    Early Style  -  c. 450 - c. 350 BC
    Waldalgesheim Style  -  c. 350 - c. 250 BC
    Sword and Plastic Styles  -  c. 250 - c. 125 BC
    Oppida Period Art  -  c. 125 - c. 50 BC
    Britain and Ireland before 600 AD
 
Parthian and Sassanidic Art  - 238 BC - 637 AD
 

      Non-Western Ancient Art 

Asia 
 
    China
 
         Neolithic  –  c. 6,000  – c. 1,600 BC
         Shang Dynasty  –  1,766 – 1,045 BC
         Zhou Dynasty  –  1,045 – 256 BC
         Qin Dynasty  –  221 – 206 BC
         Han Dynasty  –  206 BC – 220 AD
         Three Kingdoms Period  – 220  – 280 
         Western Jin Dynasty  –  265 – 316 
         Six Dynasties Period  –  222 – 589 
         Northern and Southern Dynasties Period  –  310 – 589 
 
    Japan
         Jomon  –  4,500 – 200 BC
         Yayoi  –  200 BC – 200 AD
         Kofun  –  200 – 500
 
 
    Indian Subcontinent
         Indus Valley  –  4,000 – 1,800 BC
         Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization  -  3,000 – 1,500 BC
         Aryan India  -  1,500 – 500 BC
         The Mauryan Empire  -  321 – 233 BC
         Gandhara and Kushan School  –  1st – 3rd centuries AD
         The Gupta Dynasty  -  320 – 510
 
Africa
     Rock Art in Southern Africa
     Sahara - Bubalus Period  –  c. 6,000 – c. 3,500 BC
     Lower Nubia  –   c. 3,500 – 2,000 BC
     Kush  –  2,000 BC – 325 AD
     Pre-dynastic Kemet  –  to 3,050 BC
     The Nok Culture  -  400 BC – 200 AD
    Aksum  -  350 BC – 1,000 AD
 
North America
    Mexico 
 
         Olmec Art  -  1,200 – 350 BC
         Zapotec Art  –  1,400 BC – 400 AD  
         Huastec Art  -   c. 1000 BC - 1521 AD
         Mayan Art  -  300 BC – 800 AD
 
South America
 
    Valdivian Art  -  c. 4000 - c. 1500 BC
    Chavin Art  -  c. 2600 - c. 200 BC
    San Agustin  -  c. 800 BC - c. 1630 AD
    Moche and Nasca Art  -  c. 200 BC - c. 600 AD
 
Oceania

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