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Believed by many to be the oldest piece of artwork on the planet. Located in Makapansgat, South Africa.
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The Hohlenstein Stadel, located in the Swabian Jura, Germany, is believed to hold the oldest sculpture ever carved - the Lion Man.
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Believed to contain not only some of the oldest, but best figurative cave paintings in the world. Located in Ardèche, France.
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An ancient statuette of a well endowed female figure. One of the oldest statues in existence. Found near Willendorf, Austria.
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Located in southwestern Namibia, this ancient cave received its name after its discoverer heard of the safe return of the Apollo 11 mission.
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Located in the Valley of Vèzére, France, since its discovery in 1940 it has fascinated modern researchers.
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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.
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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.
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An ancient map of the equally ancient Catal Hoyuk settlement, located in Anatolia.
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An ancient palette of the Egyptian King Narmer within Egypt.
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Sumerian statues created within Iraq for seemingly religious purposes.
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An ancient egyptian sculpture depicting a rare portrayal of a scribe in a more naturalistic manner.
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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.
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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.
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Stonehenge was created as a potential astronomical structure by early English people within that respective island. Located in Wiltshire, England.
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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.
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This sculpture is important as it placed Menkaure in his wife in an equal standing, which was significant for the time. Found within Egypt.
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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.
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A common and massive form of temple used by the Babylonians, Sumerians, and Assyrians. Found primarily in iraq.
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Thought to be one of the first ancient law codes. Located within Mesopotamia in the middle east.
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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.).
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A feminized statue of Hatshepsut during her reign as Pharaoh.
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An ancient funerary shrine in upper egypt dedicated to the legendary female pharaoh, Hatshepsut.
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The gate meant to intimidate those who enter the capital city of the Hittites in Boğazkale, Turkey.
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Akhenaten and his family shown being blessed by Aten.
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Discovered in 1923 within Thebes egypt, King Tut's tiny and forgotten tomb shocked the world with its perfectly preserved contents.
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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.
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The Great Hypostyle Hall is located within the Karnak temple complex, in the Precinct of Amon-Re.
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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.
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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.
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Depicts an assyrian king hunting a lion. In reality, these games of sport were fixed in the king's favor.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Westminster Hall is the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate. It has been closely aligned with England's history since the 1100's.
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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.
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Located in Conques, France, and it's a popular pilgrimage site on the way to Santiago de Compostel.
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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.
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Located in the Chartes Cathedral, viewed and "used" only by those of higher power such as priests.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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During the middle ages, the bubonic plague became a very prevalent issue due to the spread of rats carrying the disease from ships.
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Located in Padua, Italy. A man created the chapel to atone for his father's sins.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Located in Granada, Spain. Palace of the Nasrid sultans of
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Located within the palace of Alhambra. The walls were chiseled to create a precise pattern.
