Art of the Ancient World, C. 5000 B.c.e.–400 C.E.Ancient Greek Art |
What are the major periods of Greek art? |
The Greek civilization developed in the Mediterranean before 1000 B.C.E. and flourished until conquered by the Romans in the first century B.C.E. During this thousand-year time span, the Greeks produced art and architecture considered to be the foundation of all Western art to come after it. Scholars divide Greek art history into a number of periods, or categories, the most significant of which include the Geometric, Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods.
Although this gold funerary mask is known as the “Mask of Agamemnon,” it probably did not belong to the mythological hero of the Trojan War. But it is an excellent example of the craftsmanship of the Mycenaean, a Mediterranean people who predate the ancient Greeks.