Ancient Cave Paintings Ancient people were nomadic and went wherever they could find food, water and shelter. Many scholars now think that ancient man was visited by extra-terrestrials. Based on the evidence, what do you think?!

Cave Paintings of Lascaux, France

Cave Paintings of the Anasazi Pueblo Culture

The Nazca Lines of Peru

Art in Ancient Cultures There was a huge shift that happened in the ancient world as nomadic people discovered agriculture. The cradle of civilization was the fertile crescent on the Tigris – Euphrates River in present day Iraq and the Nile River Valley in Egypt.

Mesopotamian Art from area of the Fertile Crescent

Culture and Art Culture evolved around the following essential things: 1. Written language and recorded history 2. Centralized government with a structured hierarchy. 3. A workforce to do all labor tasks. 4. Religious beliefs 5. Leisure time to think and reflect.

Ancient Egyptian Art The Ancient Egyptians were an advanced civilization along the Nile with a written language called hieroglyphics.

Pyramids and Structures Pyramids were built as tombs for the Pharaohs and were painted Elaborately with hieroglyphs and written history of the leader’s rule.

The Pyramids of Giza

King Tut at Luxor

Babylonian Culture The Babylonians were associated with the ancient Tower of Babel from biblical history. They had an advanced written language called Cuneiform. This writing was related to cultures from Mesopotamia.

Babylonian Art

The Rosetta Stone The Rosetta stone was a link between ancient cultures and understanding their unique languages. When it was discovered, it had samples of Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Babylonian Cuneiform, and Greek. A French scholar named Champillion used the stone to decipher these ancient languages.

Babylonian Cuneiform

The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta stone was discovered by a French soldier during the Napoleonic wars. It was later translated by the language scholar Champillion. It was a written record of 3 ancient languages and it held the key to help translate them. The languages were: Babylonian Cuneiform, Egyptian Hieroglyphs and Greek.

Jerusalem Jerusalem was a holy city that was revered by 3 world religions: Judaism Islam Christianity The architecture and art in the city reflects all 3 of these cultures.

Judaic Art

City of Jerusalem

Mosque Architecture

ROMAN EMPIRE The Romans were the fathers of modern democracy. Their empire spread throughout Europe and to the Middle East. Whatever culture they conquered, they assimilated into their own... Their arts, literature, and culture. They were a pagan culture worshiping the ancient pantheon of the gods.

Roman Coliseum

ROMAN SCULPTURE

The Ancient Greeks

The Influence of Early Christianity The Ancient Romans and Greeks were a pagan culture that worshipped the Pantheon of gods from Greek Mythology. It was not until the rule of Constantine that Christianity took root as a world religion. It became his mission to Christianize Rome and its pagan societies.

The Rule of Emporer Constantine Constantine was leader of the Byzantine Empire. The ancient city of Byzantium later became known as Constantinople in present day Turkey. In a.d. 312, Constantine’s armies marched on Rome and were responsible for the spread of Christianity throughout Europe and the middle east.

Early Christian Art

The Moors and the Christians The Moors were Islamic and were determined to fight the spread of Christianity in Europe. They came across from North Africa into present day Spain in 711 a.d. and occupied the area for many years. They were pushed out in 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella but left their mark in art and architecture on the country.

Moorish Architecture in Spain

The Celts and the Druids of the British Isles The Celtic people settled in the British Isles. They were a hearty warrior race. They followed the religious beliefs of the Druid priests.

Stonehenge

Celtic Art