AP Art History Timeline

Waterworn Pebble

100,000 BCE

Believed by many to be the oldest piece of artwork on the planet. Located in Makapansgat, South Africa.

Hohlenstein Stadel

30,000 BCE

The Hohlenstein Stadel, located in the Swabian Jura, Germany, is believed to hold the oldest sculpture ever carved - the Lion Man.

Chauvet Cave

30,000 BCE

Believed to contain not only some of the oldest, but best figurative cave paintings in the world. Located in Ardèche, France.

Stone Age

Period: 30,000 BCE to 2500 BCE

Venus of Willendorf

28,000 BCE

An ancient statuette of a well endowed female figure. One of the oldest statues in existence. Found near Willendorf, Austria.

Apollo 11 Cave Art

23,000 BCE

Located in southwestern Namibia, this ancient cave received its name after its discoverer heard of the safe return of the Apollo 11 mission.

Hall of Bulls

15,000 BCE

Located in the Valley of Vèzére, France, since its discovery in 1940 it has fascinated modern researchers.

La Madeleine

12,000 BCE

La Madeleine portrays a bison licking its side, and is the oldest known approach to carving that prioritizes realism over completionism. Found in Dordogne, France.

Ain Ghazal Statues

6750 BCE

Statues found at the Ain Ghazal ruins in Jordan. A group of 15 pre pottery statues were found clustered together in 2 different areas, created ~200 years apart.

Level VII Landscape

6150 BCE

An ancient map of the equally ancient Catal Hoyuk settlement, located in Anatolia.

Mesopotamian

Period: 3500 BCE to 539 BCE

Egyptian

Period: 3100 BCE to 30 BCE

King Narmer Palette

3000 BCE

An ancient palette of the Egyptian King Narmer within Egypt.

Tell Asmar Statues

2700 BCE

Sumerian statues created within Iraq for seemingly religious purposes.

The Seated Scribe

2620 BCE

An ancient egyptian sculpture depicting a rare portrayal of a scribe in a more naturalistic manner.

Standard of Ur

2600 BCE

The Standard of Ur comes from the ancient city of Ur (located in modern-day Iraq south of Baghdad). It is approximately 4,500 years old and was probably constructed in the form of a hollow wooden box with scenes of war and peace represented on each side through elaborately inlaid mosaics.

The Great Pyramids

2550 BCE

The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, were constructed as monuments to pharaohs, such as that of Khafre, and were the largest and tallest structures ever built for thousands of years.

Stonehenge

2550 BCE

Stonehenge was created as a potential astronomical structure by early English people within that respective island. Located in Wiltshire, England.

The Great Sphinx

2550 BCE

The great sphinx was created as yet another monument, most likely to the pharaoh Khafre, and possibly was modeled to depict him. Located in the valley of the kings, near the great Pyramids in Egypt.

King Menkaure and Queen

2490 BCE

This sculpture is important as it placed Menkaure in his wife in an equal standing, which was significant for the time. Found within Egypt.

Victory Stele of Naram-sin

2235 BCE

The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin is a stele that dates to approximately 2254-2218 BC, in the time of the Akkadian Empire. The relief measures six feet in height and was carved in pink limestone. It depicts the King Naram-Sin of Akkad leading the Akkadian army to victory over the mountain people, the Lullubi. Found at the Iranian site of Susa.

Ziggurat

2100 BCE

A common and massive form of temple used by the Babylonians, Sumerians, and Assyrians. Found primarily in iraq.

Stele of Hammurabi

1780 BCE

Thought to be one of the first ancient law codes. Located within Mesopotamia in the middle east.

Temple of Amun-Re

1550 BCE

The massive temple complex of Karnak was the principal religious center of the god Amun-Re in Thebes during the Egyptian New Kingdom (which lasted from 1550 until 1070 B.C.E.).

Statue of Hatshepsut

1473 BCE

A feminized statue of Hatshepsut during her reign as Pharaoh.

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

1473 BCE

An ancient funerary shrine in upper egypt dedicated to the legendary female pharaoh, Hatshepsut.

Lion Gate

1400 BCE

The gate meant to intimidate those who enter the capital city of the Hittites in Boğazkale, Turkey.

Akhenaten, Nefertiti and children

1350 BCE

Akhenaten and his family shown being blessed by Aten.

Tutankhamun's Tomb

1323 BCE

Discovered in 1923 within Thebes egypt, King Tut's tiny and forgotten tomb shocked the world with its perfectly preserved contents.

Last Judgement of Hu-Nefer

1275 BCE

A well preserved entry from the book of the dead depicting Hu-Nefer, an egyptian scribe, having his heart being weighed against his sins and such.

Amun Re hypostyle hall

1250 BCE

The Great Hypostyle Hall is located within the Karnak temple complex, in the Precinct of Amon-Re.

Palace of Sargon II

720 BCE

Sargon's palace ( Dur Sharrukin) is an immediate predecessor of Sennasherib's Palace, with its Hanging Gardens, at Nineveh, to the south west of Khorsabad.

Lamassu

700 BCE

A lamassu is an Assyrian protective deity, often depicted as having a human's head, a body of an ox or a lion, and bird's wings.

Lion Hunt

640 BCE

Depicts an assyrian king hunting a lion. In reality, these games of sport were fixed in the king's favor.

Persepolis Palace

500 BCE

Persepolis is the Greek name for the ancient city of Parsa, located seventy miles northeast of Shiraz in present-day Iran. The palace itself was built by Xerxes I.

Byzantine/Islamic

Period: 476 to Jan 1, 1453

Looped Fibulae

500

Fibulae (singular: fibula) are brooches that were made popular by Roman military campaigns. They all consist of a body, a pin, and a catch. Ornate fibulae became all the rage in the early middle ages, and are one of the most commonly found objects in barbarian* grave sites.

Middle Ages

Period: 500 to Jan 1, 1400

Western Roman Empire Restoration

Period: 533 to 562

Great Mosque of Cordoba

Jan 1, 700

Known locally as Mezquita-Catedral, the Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the oldest structures still standing from the time Muslims ruled Al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia including most of Spain, Portugal, and a small section of Southern France) in the late 8th century. Cordoba is a two hour train ride south of Madrid, and draws visitors from all over the world.

Folio from a Qur'ran

Jan 1, 700

The Qur'an is the sacred text of Islam, consisting of the divine revelation to the Prophet Muhammad in Arabic. Over the course of the first century and a half of Islam, the form of the manuscript was adapted to suit the dignity and splendor of this divine revelation.

Book of Lindisfarne

Jan 1, 700

The book is a spectacular example of Insular or Hiberno-Saxon art—works produced in the British Isles between 500-900 C.E., a time of devastating invasions and political upheavals.

Iconoclasm Controversy

Period: Jan 1, 726 to Jan 1, 843

Viking Raids

Period: Jan 1, 793 to Jan 1, 1066

Westminster Hall

Jan 1, 1097

Westminster Hall is the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate. It has been closely aligned with England's history since the 1100's.

Sainte-foy Last Judgement

Jan 1, 1107

When a pilgrim arrived at Conques, they would probably head for the church to receive blessing. Yet before they got inside, an important message awaited them on the portals: the Last Judgment. This scene is depicted on the tympanum, the central semi-circular relief carving above the central portal.

Church of sainte-foy

Jan 1, 1107

Located in Conques, France, and it's a popular pilgrimage site on the way to Santiago de Compostel.

Chartres Cathedral

Jan 1, 1145

he Chartres Cathedral is one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture and said by some to be the most beautiful cathedral in France.

Royal Portal

Jan 1, 1145

Located in the Chartes Cathedral, viewed and "used" only by those of higher power such as priests.

Notre Dame De La Belle Verriere

Jan 1, 1170

The three upper-central panels (14, 17 and 20), representing the Virgin carrying the Christ Child on her lap in a strongly frontal pose (the so-called Sedes Sapientiae or 'Throne of Wisdom' format) are mid-12th century in date - rare survivors from Fulbert's glazing programme, possibly from the eastern axial chapel. They survived the fire of 1194 and were later re-fitted in this window, which otherwise dates from c.1220.

Scenes from the Apocalypse

Jan 1, 1226

The example presented here is from the Paris-Oxford-London Bible moralisée, which is broken up into three volumes in three different cities. This page, or folio, is from the Apocalypse, or Book of Revelation. The text tells the story of John’s vision, where an angel takes him on a tour of heaven and shows him everything that will happen until the end of time, but in symbols.

Blanche of Castile/Louis IX

Jan 1, 1226

In 1226 a French king died, leaving his queen to rule his kingdom until their son came of age. The 38-year-old widow, Blanche of Castile, had her work cut out for her. Rebelling barons were eager to win back lands that her husband’s father had seized from them. They rallied troops against her, defamed her character, and even accused her of adultery and murder.

Rottgen Pieta

Jan 1, 1300

Earlier medieval representations of Christ focused on his divinity (left). In these works of art, Christ is on the cross, but never suffers. These types of crucifixion images are a type called Christus triumphans or the triumphant Christ. His divinity overcomes all human elements and so Christ stands proud and alert on the cross, immune to human suffering.

Bubonic Plague

Jan 1, 1300

During the middle ages, the bubonic plague became a very prevalent issue due to the spread of rats carrying the disease from ships.

Arena Chapel

Jan 1, 1303

Located in Padua, Italy. A man created the chapel to atone for his father's sins.

Lamentation(The Mourning of Christ)

Jan 1, 1305

The subject is the mourning over the dead body of Christ, with the Virgin embracing her Son for the last time.Located in the arena chapel, Padua, Veneto, Italy.

Golden Haggadah

Jan 1, 1320

The preparation for the Passover festival: upper right: Miriam (Moses' sister), holding a timbrel decorated with an Islamic motif, is joined by maidens dancing and playing contemporary musical instruments; upper left: the master of the house, sitting under a canopy, orders the distribution of matzoh (unleavened bread) and haroset (a sweet made from nuts and fruit) to the children; Golden Haggadah, northern Spain, probably Barcelona

Hundred Year's War

Period: Jan 1, 1337 to Jan 1, 1453

The hundred year's war between britain and france caused even more widespread death and anguish, influencing the architecture being developed at the time in a rather negative manner.

Alhambra

Jan 1, 1354

Located in Granada, Spain. Palace of the Nasrid sultans of
southern Spain.

Alhambra court of lions

Jan 1, 1354

Located within the palace of Alhambra. The walls were chiseled to create a precise pattern.