-
23,000 BCE
Paleolithic art
Spotted horses and negative hand imprints, wall painting in the cave at Pech-Merle, France, ca. 23,000–22,000 bce. 11′ 2″ long. -
3300 BCE
Warka Vase
Presentation of offerings to Inanna (Warka Vase), from the Inanna temple complex, Uruk (modern Warka), Iraq, ca. 3300 bce. Alabaster, 3′ ¼″ high. National Museum of Iraq, Baghdad. -
2630 BCE
Djoser’s stepped pyramid
imhotep, stepped pyramid (looking northwest) of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Third Dynasty, ca. 2630–2611 bce. -
900 BCE
Colossal head
Colossal head, La Venta, Mexico, Olmec, ca. 900–400 bce. Basalt, 9′ 4″ high. Museo-Parque La Venta, Villahermosa. -
740 BCE
Geometric krater
Geometric krater, from the Dipylon cemetery, Athens, Greece, ca. 740 bce. 3′ 4½″ high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. -
210 BCE
Qin's Terracotta Army
Army of the First Emperor of Qin in pits next to his burial mound, Lintong, China, Qin dynasty, ca. 210 bce. Painted terracotta, average figure 5′ 10⅞″ high. -
70
Roman Colosseum
Aerial view of the Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater; looking east), Rome, Italy ca. 70–80 ce. -
526
San Vitale
Interior of San Vitale (looking west from the apse), Ravenna, Italy, 526-547 -
784
Great Mosque, Córdoba, Spain
Aerial view of the Great Mosque (looking north), Córdoba, Spain, 8th to 10th centuries; rededicated as the Cathedral of Saint Mary, 1236. -
1550
King or chief mounted sidesaddle on a horse with attendants
King or chief mounted sidesaddle on a horse with attendants, from Benin, Nigeria, ca. 1550–1680. Brass, 1′ 7½″ × 1′ 4½″. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller).