This document provides an overview of ancient art from 3500 BCE to 500 CE across various regions including Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, and along the Silk Road. It discusses important sites, works of art, and styles within architecture, sculpture, and other mediums that conveyed religious and political messages. Key highlights mentioned include the Ishtar Gate of Babylon, Great Pyramids of Giza, Parthenon, Colosseum, and Wild Goose Pagoda. The document also examines writing systems like hieroglyphics and cuneiform, and the use of art to portray important figures, gods, and legends.

1. Ancient Art

2. Ancient Period
3500 BCE – 500 CE

3. Mesopotamia “Land between the rivers”
The Ancient Near East stretched from the Mediterranean
Sea to the Persian Gulf (Modern Jordan, Israel, Lebanon,
Syria, central Turkey, Iran, and Iraq)

4. Ancient Egypt

6. Roman Empire

7. The Silk RoadIn the 2nd Century CE,
The Silk Road was the
longest road in the
world
It stretched from
Luoyang on the Yellow
River to Rome (with
different possible routes)
Used by traders,
travelers, explorers,
religious pilgrims,
missionaries,
conquerors, and
adventurers

8. Ancient Writing

9. Stele of Hammurabi

10. Cuneiform Writing
(Ancient Near East – Sumerian)

11. Stele of Hammurabi
(Code of Hammurabi)

12. Hammurabi – King of Ancient
Babylon
Stele – Vertical Upright
Monument
Contains early set of written
laws
Written in Cuneiform writing
(writing developed in Near East)
Conversation between
Hammurabi and Shamash, the
sun God (God given laws)
Stele of Hammurabi
Sculpture (carved stone / relief)
1792 – 1750 BCE.
2.13 Meters Tall

13. Hieroglyphics – Egyptian Writing

14. Rosetta Stone
(Egyptian)

15. Rosetta Stone
Fragment of an Ancient Egyptian stele
originally displayed in a temple
Engraved text provides key to
understanding Egyptian hieroglyphic
writing
Decree issued by King Ptolemy V:
top part – ancient hieroglyphics
middle part – Egyptian demotic writing
lower part – ancient Greek writing
Discovered by French soldier in 1799 on
French Expedition to Egypt (led by
French Emperor Napolean)
Stone later came under possession of
British – now in British Museum, but Egypt
has requested its return
Rosetta Stone, Egyptian, 196
BCE

16. Religion in Ancient Art

17. The Afterlife
Belief that after one dies, there is an eternal life waiting for
them
Egyptians believed that the “Ka” or spirit lives on after death of
body
Egyptians built tombs for their Kings and Queens – styles vary
from a flat “mastaba” to a “stepped pyramid” to the “pyramid”
form
Tombs contained the mummified body of the King or Queen,
their pets, and many objects for their next life

18. Queen Nefertari Making
an Offering to Isis
Wall Painting in the
Tomb of Nefertari
1279 – 1213 BCE

19. Queen Nefertari Making
an Offering to Isis
Queen holding pots filled with
perfumed ointment (preparing for her
death)
Isis is the Goddess of Funerals
Nefertari wears a Vulture head dress
Hieroglyphics in background

20. Votive Statues of Worshippers
(Mesopotamian)

21. Votive Statues of Worshippers
Mesopotamian
2900 – 2350 BCE
Carved gypsum, shell, black limestone
various heights (tallest 30 in. high)
Statues possibly
commissioned by regular
people for the afterlife
Hundreds of these sculptures
have been found
Figures are praying with
hands together, sometimes
holding a cup or vegetation
Found in groups in excavated
temples
Large open eyes (symbolism)

22. Sanctuary of Apollo
Ancient Greek

23. Sacred home of the Greek
God Apollo (God of sun, light,
truth, music, archery, and
healing)
Greeks believed Apollo could
communicate to humans
through a human medium called
the Pythia
Located at Delphi (the site of
the Pythian Games – a festival
and competition of music,
dance, and poetry
Sanctuary of Apollo
Architecture
6th – 3rd century BCE

24. 3 Religions / Philosophies of China
(popularized during the Han Dynasty)
Daoism (“The Way”) Philosophy on living emphasizing
the relationship between humans and nature. Also, it
stresses the idea of the individual moving into harmony
with “the way of the universe”
Confucianism Philosophies from scholar and teacher
Confucius (born in 551 BCE). Confucianism concerned
with the human world and the attainment of peace. Social
order and respect are central to this way of life.
Buddhism Buddhism spread to China from India on the
“Silk Road”. The Chinese practice Mahayana Buddhism.

25. Incense Burner
(Chinese)

26. From the Tomb of Prince Liu
Sheng
Used for burning incense
Daoist Art (humans and nature)
Story of Immortals in the
Eastern Sea (humans and animals
discover eternal life)
Incense Burner
Sculpture (Bronze with gold inlay)
113 BCE (Han Dynasty)

27. Seated Buddha
(China)

28. During the Six Dynasties Period,
many Buddha images were
carved in rock / caves
Cave near the Silk Road
Tradition of giant Buddha
statues
Central Chinese details (wide
shoulders, masklike face, stylized
drapery in his robe) with
traditional Buddha features
Seated Buddha
Yungang, China (Shanxi Province)
Stone sculpture
460 CE (Six Dynasties Period – Wei)
13.7 Meters Tall

29. Politics in Ancient Art

30. Votive Statue of Gudea
(Mesopotamian)

31. Votive – Type of Offering to the Gods
Statue – Sculpture usually of a Human
Figure
Seated Pose
27 Statues of Gudea have been found
Cuneiform Writing on his robe – deeds
he performed in the names of the Gods
he worshipped
Gudea was the Ruler of Lagash
(modern Telloh, Iraq)
Strong, Peaceful
Votive Statue of Gudea
Mesopotamian
Carved Diorite Stone
2120 BCE
.93 Meters Tall

32. Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions
(Mesopotamian)

33. Lion hunting scene (Theme of
Man and Nature / Power of
King)
Assurnasirpal II was the leader
of Assyria
Assyrian ruler built huge palaces
– these palaces were decorated
with relief carvings
Assurnasirpal Killing Lions,
Mesopotamian, Relief (carved Stone)
850 BCE, 99.1 cm Tall

34. Funerary Mask of Tutankhamun
(Ancient Egypt)

35. Funerary Mask of Tutankhamun
Entrance to King Tut’s Tomb discovered in
1922 by English archaeologist Howard
Carter
Western architects, designers, and artists
inspired by Egyptian art after the
discovery
Tomb filled with treasures (inner tomb
chamber hadn’t been opened since his
burial)
King Tut died at the age of 18 (mystery –
illness? accident?)
Funerary Mask of Tutankhamun,
1322 BCE, Gold inlaid with glass
and semiprecious stones,
height 54 cm

36. Nefertiti (Ancient Egypt)

37. Nefertiti
Bust portrait of Queen Nefertiti
Found in the studio of an Egyptian sculptor
(Tutmose) – Possibly used as a model to follow in
other images of the Queen
Egyptian beauty ideal – long neck, heavy eyelids,
makeup
Dramatic use of color – dark blue headdress with
a striped band of color – gold, red, green
Tutmose, Nefertiti,
1353 – 1336 BCE,
Painted Limestone,
Height 51 cm

38. Augustus
of Primaporta
(Ancient Roman)

39. Augustus of Primaporta
Sculpture (Marble)
1st Century CE
2 m Tall
Portrait sculpture of Emperor
Augustus (Romans celebrated
individual figures in portraits)
Augustus leads the way
Combines Greek idealism and
Roman individualism
Propaganda for the Empirical
Roman Government
Cupid at the base of the sculpture –
Augustus ancestor of the gods

40. Constantine
the Great
(Ancient Roman)

41. Constantine the Great
Constantine the Great,
Marble Sculpture,
height of head 2.6 Meters,
325-326 CE
Portrait head of Roman ruler
Fragment from a giant statue of the
seated emperor
Constantine reigned 324 CE – 337 CE
Constantine made the port city of
Byzantium the new capital of Roman
Empire and renamed it Constantinople
after himself (modern Istanbul, Turkey)
Constantine used his portrait to spread
imperial propaganda

42. Soldiers, from the Tomb of Emperor Shihuangdi
(Ancient Chinese)

43. Discovered in 1974 by farmers
(more discovered in 1990)
1000’s of life-like clay statues
of soldiers and horses to protect
the tomb
Each statue is different with
individual facial features /
originally painted
Emperor Shihuangdi first
emperor of China (first time
China united under one ruler)
Soldiers (Xian, China)
Sculpture (Terra Cotta)
210 BCE (Qin Dynasty)

44. War in Ancient Period

45. Nike of Samothrace
(Ancient Greek)

46. Nike – Greek Goddess of Victory
Sometimes called “Winged Victory”
Monument which originally stood on a
hill (Victory Monument)
Flowing Draped Cloth – Hellenistic
Style
Louvre Museum, Paris
Nike of Samothrace
Sculpture (Marble)
190 BCE (Hellenistic Period)
2.44 M Tall

47. Ancient Legends

48. She-Wolf
(Ancient Roman)
Sculpture (Bronze)
500 BCE
85 cm Tall

49. She-Wolf
Story of Twin Brothers
Romulus and Remus who
were raised by a she-wolf
- founded city of Rome
She-Wolf made in 500
BCE, but Romulus and
Remus sculptures added
later in 1400’s CE
Awkward proportions

50. Beauty in Ancient Art

51. Anavysos Kouros
(Ancient Greek)

52. Kouros means “young man” in
Greek
Greeks focused on Humanism
Represents the ideal “perfect”
young man (strong, athletic, smooth
skin, classic features)
Classic pose (one foot forward,
hands at the sides)
Pose is similar to Egyptian figures
Anavysos Kouros
Sculpture (Marble)
530 BCE (Archaic
Period)
1.93 M Tall

53. Venus de Milo
Aphrodite de Melos
(Ancient Greek)

54. Venus – Goddess of Love and Beauty
Contrapposto - Elongated Body with
S-curve
“Erotic” tension of her drapery falling
off her body
Arms broken off – originally holding
an apple?
Discovered in a field on the island
of Melos, Greece in 1820)
Venus de Milo
(Aphrodite de Melos)
Sculpture (Marble)
150 BCE (Hellenistic)
2.1 M Tall

55. Greek Vase Shapes

56. Francois Vase
(Ancient Greek)

57. Francois Vase
Discovered by a French
archaeologist, Francois
Signed by the painter and the potter
Black Figure Pottery (black on red
decoration)
Volute Crater Shape
Many stories, including the story of the
wedding of King Peleus
200 animal and human figures
Francois Vase
Painted Ceramic
570 BCE (Archaic Period)
66 cm

58. Ancient Architecture

59. Ishtar Gate
From Babylon (Mesopotamia)
Architecture (Glazed Brick)
575 BCE

60. reconstruction
drawing

61. Ishtar Gate
Ishtar Gate
From Babylon
Architecture (Glazed Brick)
575 BCE
Entrance to the Ancient city of
Babylon
Lions – Symbols of Goddess Ishtar
Crenellated Towers
Glazed Bricks used to make the gate
are long lasting and strong

62. Reconstruction Drawing of Anu Ziggurat
(Mesopotamian)

63. Digital Reconstruction of Anu Ziggurat with White Temple

64. Sumerians built Ziggurats, a type of
temple
Temple raised up closer to the Gods (and
to protect from floods)
Raised platform with sloped sides
Ziggurats showed the wealth and power of
the Sumerians
Excavators of the White Temple estimate
that it would have taken 1500 laborers
working on average ten hours per day for
about five years to build
Anu Ziggurat
3400 BCE
Located in Ancient Uruk
(modern Warka, Iraq)
Architecture (Temple) made of
mud bricks

65. Stepped Pyramid of Djoser
Ancient Egyptian

66. Built as a Tomb for King Djoser
Burial Chamber below ground
Designed by Prime Minister,
Imhotep
Part of a Complex of Buildings
Stepped Pyramid of Djoser
Architecture (Tomb made from Limestone)
2630 – 2575 BCE
62 Meters Tall

67. Great Pyramids of Giza
(Ancient Egyptian)
Architecture (tombs) 2613 – 2494 BCE
Tallest Pyramid – Khufu 137 Meters Tall

68. Great Pyramids of Giza
Built as Tombs for King
Mankaura, King Khafre
and King Khufu
Pyramids contained “false
passageways” to fool
potential thieves and looters
Mystery how it was built,
but we are beginning to
understand the process
For centuries, people didn’t
know what the pyramids
were

70. 3 Types of Greek Columns:
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian
The Greek Columns became more elaborate as time advanced
(the oldest column is the Doric)

71. Parthenon at the Acropolis
(Ancient Greek)

72. Temple built for Goddess
Athena (Goddess of Athens,
wisdom, war, victory, and
civilization)
Acropolis - complex of
buildings
Perfect Harmony and
Balance (Golden Section)
Designed by Kallikrates and
Iktinos (architects)
Doric Columns
Parthenon (Athens, Greece)
Architecture - Marble
447 – 438 BCE (Classical)

73. The Golden Section as applied to the Parthenon

74. The Greeks searched for perfect proportions (relationship
between size differences) in their sculpture and temples
The Greeks used a ratio called the Golden Section in their art and
architecture

75. Colosseum
(Ancient Rome)
Architecture
70 – 80 CE

76. Colosseum
Name Colosseum derived
from a statue called the
Colossus, which stood next to
the building
Giant Entertainment Center
(athletic events, Greek plays,
gladiator and animal fights)
Could seat up to 70,000 people
Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian
Columns
Giant cloth roof which
protected people from the sun
70 – 80 CE

77. Reconstruction Drawing
of the Colosseum

78. Pantheon, Rome

80. Rotunda
(circular room)
143 feet in
diameter and
143 feet from
floor to summit

81. Pantheon, Rome
Pantheon - “all the Gods”
Built as a temple to the
Olympian Gods
The entrance with 8
columns and a portico is
typical of Roman
architecture (based on
Greek style)
Shape of building in back
concealed (circular room –
rotunda – is a surprise to
visitors)
Pantheon, Rome, 118-128 CE

82. Shape of Pagodas derived from Indian Stupas
Stupas and
Pagodas
hold
ancient
Buddhist
relics

83. Wild Goose Pagoda
(Xian, China)

84. Located in Xian, China –
capital of Tang Dynasty
Tang architecture is simple,
symmetrical, and graceful
Houses sacred relics –
ancient Buddhist Texts from
India
Built for a monk who
returned from a pilgrimage
in India (he used the Silk
Road)
Wild Goose Pagoda
(Dayanta)
Architecture (Stone)
645 CE (Tang
Dynasty)

85. Cityscape
(Ancient Roman) Cityscape – image of buildings
Wall Painting from a House near
Pompeii, Italy
Romans decorated their houses
and buildings with painted walls,
decorative tiles (mosaics)
Intuitive Perspective – buildings
shown in smaller size in the
background to show space / different
angles of building
Painted Corinthian Column

86. Cityscape
(Ancient
Roman)
Painting (Wall Painting)
1st Century CE

87. Bedroom,
House of Publius Fannius Synistor
Architecture (Interior)
1st Century CE