Ancient Art...

Archeological scholars and art historians tell us about 'ancient art' which comes from the diverse and ancient societies. These art forms take us back through to the bronze and the iron ages and beyond. It is difficult to comprehend such vast timelines, time frames so broad with civilizations so complex. It's hard to imagine when it began. The more one reads the more one wants to research, but one thing for sure is that the History of art is truly a history of the world.

We collected a very simplified short list of 'periods' and the names of the different civilizations. Perhaps some of us will be enticed into doing further research. We shared this so we could put these periods into context. As we read of certain civilizations or come across their related artwork, it helps to place them in a timeline.

Rich color and detail are used to tell a 'story'
Left: Andokides, Herakles on the quiet bed, (back) around 520 BC, height 54 cm, Munich, Antique collection, Greece, Antiquity. Right: Andokides, Herakles on the quiet bed (front), around 520 BC, height 54 cm, Munich, antique collection, Greece, Antiquity.

An expansive period... Before Christ (BC)

The word 'antiquity' comes from the Latin word 'antiquus' which simply means old. This period refers to the ancient Greek and Roman eras. Historians believe it began with the Greeks during the second millennium B.C. and ended around the end of the fifth century A.D.

This is an expansive period where many cultures and civilizations contributed to the different art forms which developed during these times. In the Christian world the timeline of history is punctuated by the birth of Jesus Christ and this occasion is used as a way to measure time before and after Christ's birth. This measure has become a conventional designation that is used universally. These designations are B.C and A.D.

The period before Christ or B.C. (Before Christ) and up to approximately five hundred years after his birth is thought of as Antiquity. The period after Christ's birth, the last two thousand years is described with the designation A.D. (Anno Domini - a Latin word meaning 'In the year of our Lord'). The last two thousand years also includes periods we have come to recognize as the Middle Ages, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, etc.

Antiquity referrs to the periods leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ and approximately five hundred years after the birth of Jesus Christ and includes the following ancient civilizations which gave us several distinct cultures, kingdoms, and dynasties:

• Egyptian - 3500 - 1000 B.C. Egyptian art is closely tied to the ancient Egyptian belief in the 'afterlife' as much of this early art depicted 'order'. Egyptian artists used and relied on detail and proportion for interpretation. They used the human figure, often showing it in profile with detailed interpretations of animals and the use of certain colors for their symbolic meanings. Wall paintings, tomb paintings, painted vessels, painted sculpture, and statuettes were commonly found. One of the objects found at Tutankhamun's tomb from that ancient Dynasty of 1325 BC, was the 'Painted Box'. The decorative artwork painted on the wooden box depicts hunting scenes, including many animals such as ibex, ostriches, gazelles and hyenas. The intricate detail is beautiful to behold. The National Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt, is said to contain the largest collection of Egyptian antiquities with over 150,000 objects.

	In Egyptian art, figures were depicted in profile.
Egyptian around 1355 B.C. Trunk out of the valley of the kings, Tutanchamun in the battle against the asian. 23 × 32 cm, Cairo, Museum of Cairo, Egypt.

• Mesopotamian - 9000 - 500 B.C. which is an ancient region which lay between the Euphrates river and the Tigris river. This was an area in the Middle East where the countries of Syria and Iraq are located today.
• Persian - 6000 B.C. - 700 A.D. Persia, this is an old country now known as Iran in the modern Middle East. Like many other cultures, the artworks from Persia were also influenced by the Greeks and the Egyptians before them. Stone Mosiacs, pottery, metalworks are amongst exqusite artwork.
• Aegean - 3000 B.C. - 1000 B.C. This ancient civilization refers to the Bronze Age. The location is the area near and around the Aegean Sea (the Mediterranean). Crete and the Minoan civilization appears to have been at the heart of the 'bronze age'. This is believed to be one of the earliest civilizations of Europe and the one that had the greatest influence on ancient Greece.
• Greek - 1100 B.C. - 31 B.C. The Greek period was quite extensive and included the Hellenistic culture. Greek artists from this period used their art to interpret the human form, so much so that this may have impacted the way we view this topic today.

	1st. Century A.D.
	Laocoon and His Two Sons
	It is believed by many art historians that this sculpture may have influenced artists of the Renaissance era. Michelangelo was said to have referred to it as a miracle of art. If we look at the style of interpretation we can draw parallels between this sculpture of the human form and that of the work of Michelangelo.

• Etruscan - 800 B.C. - 100 B.C. - Italy - This early culture is at the beginnings of art in Italy. Tuscany in modern Italy, is believed to be a part of the location of the Etruscan civilization. It is thought that 'Roman art' was greatly influenced by Etruscan art. The land of the Etruscans, today know as Tuscany, is also referred to as the 'Cradle of the Renaissance'. Under the rule of the Roman Empire, Tuscany was called Tuscia, which changed to Toscana during the Middle Ages. The Etruscan civilization owes much of its development on its vast knowledge of ironworkings. Many clay sculptures have beed found and those made of bronze show a high degree of skill. Like the Egyptians, the Etruscans believed in the after life and much of their artworks are based on this theme of 'funerary'. Historians believe that due to trade with the east, the Etruscan artwork also shows an oriental influence. It is also believed that some of the powerful Roman senatorial families during the rule of the Roman Empire could trace their blood lines back to Etruscan origins. Christianity came to the region between the second and fourth centuries.
• Roman - coming later... This is an exciting and interesting period in art study.

	Roman Colosseum, Rome, Italy - Interior

 

References:

Art and Architecture Egypt, Matthias Seidel, Regine Schultz - ISBN - 3833119357

Life, Myth, and Art in Ancient Greece J. Paul Getty Museum, Emma J. Stafford
ISBN:0892367733 

The Story of Painting by Sister Wendy Beckett - 07894-6805-0

Greek Art by John Boardman, ISBN - 0500202923

Art and Architecture Tuscany, Anne Mueller v.d.Haegen, Ruth F. Strasser - ISBN -3-8331-1487-8

 

	Title:Mesopotamia Author:Gwendolyn Leick ISBN:0140265740   General Topic: Art History	Mesopotamia 9000 - 500 B.C.
	Title:Aegean Art and Architecture Author: Donald Preziosi, Louise A. Hitchcock ISBN: 0192842080 General Topic: Art History	Aegean Art - 3000 B.C. - 1000 B.C.
	Title:Greek Art Author: John Boardman ISBN: 0500202923 General Topic: Art History	Greece - 1100 B.C. - 31 B.C.
	Title:Ancient Greece: Art, Architecture, and History J. Paul Getty Museum Author: Marina Belozerskaya, Kenneth Lapatin ISBN:0892366958 General Topic: Art History	Greece - 1100 B.C. - 31 B.C.
	Title:Archaic and Classical Greek Art Author:Robin Osborne ISBN:0192842021  General Topic: Art History	Greece - 1100 B.C. - 31 B.C.
	Title:Life, Myth, and Art in Ancient Greece J. Paul Getty Museum Author:Emma J. Stafford ISBN:0892367733  General Topic: Art History	Greece - 1100 B.C. - 31 B.C.
	Title:The Etruscans: Art, Architecture, and History Author: Federica Borrelle, Maria Cristina Targia ISBN:0892367539  General Topic: Art History	Etruscan Art - 800 B.C. - 100 B.C. - Italy
	Title:Etruscan Art Author: Nigel Jonathan Spivey ISBN: 0500203040 General Topic: Art History	Etruscan Art - 800 B.C. - 100 B.C. - Italy
	Title:Etruscan Life and Afterlife: A Handbook of Etruscan Studies Author: Larissa Bonfante ISBN: 0814318134 General Topic: Art History	Etruscan Art - 800 B.C. - 100 B.C. - Italy
	Title:D. H. Lawrence and Italy: Twilight in Italy; Sea and Sardinia; Etruscan Places Author:D.H. Lawrence ISBN: 0141180307 General Topic: Art History	Etruscan Art - 800 B.C. - 100 B.C. - Italy
	Title:The Beginnings of Rome: Italy From the Bronze Age to the Punic Wars (Circa 1,000 to 264 B.C.) Author: Tim Cornell ISBN:0415015960 General Topic: Art History	Roman Art
	Title:The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity: AD 395-600 Author: Averil Cameron ISBN: 0415014212 General Topic: Art History
	Title: Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph: The Art of the Roman Empire AD 100-450 Author: Jas Elsner ISBN: 0192842013 General Topic: Art History	Roman Art