Prehistoric and Ancient Near East Art: Key Works and Concepts

Apollo 11 Stones

Paleolithic, Namibia

Woman from Willendorf

Paleolithic, Austria

Pech-merle Cave

Paleolithic, Lascaux, France

Bird-Headed Man with Bison

Paleolithic, Lascaux, France

Göbekli Tepe

Turkey

Citadel and Great Bath

Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan, Indus Valley civilization.

Nude Male Torso

Indus Valley civilization

Dancing Girl

Indus Valley, Mohenjo Daro

Stonehenge

Neolithic, England

Twelve Votive Figures

Sumerian

War and Peace Panels of Ur

Sumerian, Iraq

Stele of Naram-Sin

Akkadian

Nanna Ziggurat

Ur, Sumerian

Stele of Hammurabi

Babylonian

Megalith

A large stone used to construct a structure or monument.

Menhir

A tall upright stone of a kind erected in prehistoric times.

Passage Grave

A burial chamber covered by a mound of earth, accessible by a passage.

Post and Lintel

A building system where strong horizontal elements are held up by vertical elements.

Bronze

An alloy of copper and tin used in various artifacts.

Paleolithic

The earliest period of human history, characterized by the use of stone tools.

Neolithic

The later part of the Stone Age when ground or polished stone tools were used.

Fertile Crescent

A crescent-shaped region in the Middle East known for its rich soil and early agriculture.

Euphrates and Tigris rivers

Two major rivers in the Middle East that supported ancient civilizations.

City-states

Independent, self-governing cities that also govern surrounding territories.

Cuneiform

A system of writing developed by the Sumerians using wedge-shaped marks.

Ziggurat

A rectangular stepped tower, often associated with ancient Mesopotamian temple complexes.

Apollo 11 Stones

c. 25,500 BCE

Woman from Willendorf

c. 24,000 BCE

Pech-merle Cave

animals 25,000 BCE; handprints 15,000 BCE

Bird-Headed Man with Bison

c. 15,000 BCE

Göbekli Tepe

c. 10,000 BCE

Citadel and Great Bath

c. 2600-1900 BCE

Nude Male Torso

c. 2000 - 1900 BCE

Dancing Girl

c. 2300 BCE

Dancing girl

Made of Bronze

Stonehenge

c. 2900 - 1500 BCE

12 Votive Figures

c. 2900 - 2600 BCE

War and Peace Panels of Ur

c. 2500 BCE

Stele of Naram-Sin

c. 2254 - 2218 BCE

Nanna Ziggurat

c. 2100-2050 BCE

Stele of Hammurabi

c. 1792-1750 BCE