Outline of Art History - Visual Arts Movements from 30,000 BC-400 AD

Close-Up Of Carvings On Rock At Rochester Panel
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Prehistory

Ancient Civilizations

Mesopotamia

  • Sumerian Art - 3000-2300 B.C.
  • Akkadian Art - 2300-2150 B.C.
  • Neo-Sumerian Art - 2150-2000 B.C.
  • Babylonian Art - 1900-1600 B.C.
  • Assyrian Art - 900-612 B.C.
  • Neo-Babylonian Art - 625-539 B.C.

Egypt

  • Early Dynastic Art - 3500-2686 B.C.
  • Old Kingdom Art - 2686-2185 B.C.
  • Middle Kingdom Art - 2133-1750 B.C.
  • Early New Kingdom Art - 1570-1353 B.C.
  • Amarna Art - 1353-1332 B.C.
  • Late New Kingdom Art - 1332-1075 B.C.
  • Late Period Art - 750-332 B.C.
  • Macedonian Dynasty Art - 332-304 B.C.
  • Ptolemaic Dynasty Art - 304-30 B.C.

The Cycladic Islands/Crete

  • Early Minoan Art - 2800-2000 B.C.
  • Middle Minoan Art - 2000-1700 B.C.
  • Late Minoan Art - 1550-1400 B.C.

Phoenician Art - 1500-500 B.C.

Nomadic Tribes

  • Luristan Art - 700-500 B.C.
  • Scythian Art - 600-300 B.C.

Persian Empire Art - 539-331 B.C.

Classical Civilizations

Greek Art

  • Mycenaean Art - 1550-1200 B.C.
  • Sub-Mycenaean Art - 1100-1025 B.C.
  • Proto-Geometric Art - 1025-900 B.C.
  • Geometric Art - 900-700 B.C.
  • Archaic Art - 700-480 B.C.
  •    Orientalizing Phase - 735-650 B.C.
  •    Early Archaic - 700-600 B.C.
  •    High Archaic - 600-520 B.C.
  •    Late Archaic - 520-480 B.C.
  • Classical Art - 480-323 B.C.
  •    Early Classical - 480-450 B.C.
  •    High Classical - 450-400 B.C.
  •    Late Classical - 400-323 B.C.
  • Hellenistic Art - 323-31 B.C.
  •    Early Hellenistic - 323-250 B.C.
  •    High Hellenistic - 250-100 B.C.
  •    Late Hellenistic - 100 -31 B.C.

Etruscan Art

  • Early Iron Age Art - 9th century-ca. 675 B.C.
  • Orientalizing Phase - ca. 675-ca. 575 B.C.
  • Archaic Period Art - ca. 575-ca. 480 B.C.
  • Classical Period Art - ca. 480-ca. 300 B.C.
  • Hellenistic Period Art - ca. 300-ca. 50 B.C.

Roman Art

  • Republican Art - 510-27 B.C.
  • Early Roman Empire Art - 27 B.C.-235 A.D.
  •    Augustan - 27 B.C.-14 A.D.
  •    Julio-Claudian - 14-68
  •    Flavian - 69-96
  •    Trajanic - 98-117
  •    Hadrianic - 117-138
  •    Antonine - 138-192
  •    Severin - 193-235
  • Late Roman Empire/Late Antique Art - 235-476

Judean Art - 600 B.C.-135 A.D.

Celtic Art

  • Early Style - ca. 450-ca. 350 B.C.
  • Waldalgesheim Style - ca. 350-ca. 250 B.C.
  • Sword and Plastic Styles - ca. 250-ca. 125 B.C.
  • Oppida Period Art - ca. 125-ca. 50 B.C.
  • Britain and Ireland before 600 A.D.

Parthian and Sassanidic Art - 238 B.C.-637 A.D.

Non-Western Ancient Art

China

  • Neolithic – ca. 6,000–ca. 1,600 B.C.
  • Shang Dynasty – 1,766–1,045 B.C.
  • Zhou Dynasty – 1,045–256 B.C.
  • Qin Dynasty – 221–206 B.C.
  • Han Dynasty – 206 B.C.–220 A.D.
  • Three Kingdoms Period – 220–280
  • Western Jin Dynasty – 265–316
  • Six Dynasties Period – 222–589
  • Northern and Southern Dynasties Period – 310–589

Japan

  • Jomon – 4,500–200 B.C.
  • Yayoi – 200 B.C.–200 A.D.
  • Kofun – 200–500

Indian Subcontinent

  • Indus Valley – 4,000–1,800 B.C.
  • Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization - 3,000–1,500 B.C.
  • Aryan India - 1,500–500 B.C.
  • The Mauryan Empire - 321–233 B.C.
  • Gandhara and Kushan School – 1st–3rd centuries A.D.
  • The Gupta Dynasty - 320–510

Africa

  • Rock Art in Southern Africa
  • Sahara - Bubalus Period – ca. 6,000–ca. 3,500 B.C.
  • Lower Nubia – ca. 3,500–2,000 B.C.
  • Kush – 2,000 B.C.–325 A.D.
  • Pre-dynastic Kemet – to 3,050 B.C.
  • The Nok Culture - 400 B.C.–200 A.D.
  • Aksum - 350 B.C.–1,000 A.D.

North America

Mexico

  •    Olmec Art - 1,200–350 B.C.
  •    Zapotec Art – 1,400 B.C.–400 A.D.
  •    Huastec Art - ca. 1000 B.C.-1521 A.D.
  •    Mayan Art - 300 B.C.–800 A.D.

South America

  • Valdivian Art - ca. 4,000-ca. 1,500 B.C.
  • Chavin Art - ca. 2,600-ca. 200 B.C.
  • San Agustin - ca. 800 B.C.-ca. 1630 A.D.
  • Moche and Nasca Art - ca. 200 B.C.-ca. 600 A.D.