White Temple and Ziggurat

Sumerian

Mud Brick

3,500-3,000 BCE

Ziggurat Purpose: Mound to hold temple

Temple Purpose: Priest and Votive figures--> worship

Votive Figures

Sumerian

Gypsum inlaid with shells and black limestone

2,700 BCE

Purpose: Hold offerings for the Gods, stand in place of citizens who cannot spend whole lives waiting around for the Gods to visit.

Standard of Ur

Sumerian

Wood inlaid with shells, lapis lazuli and red limestone

2,600-2,400 BCE

Purpose: May have been a standard (like a family sigil, or banner which announced your identity)

Law Code Stele of Hammurabi

Babylonian

Basalt

1,792-1,750 BCE

 Purpose: Establish Hammurabi's laws and reinforce them as official things to be respected

Lamassu from the Citadel of Sargon II

Assyrian

Alabastor

720-705

Purpose: Guardian of an entryway

Royal Apadana of Darius and Xerses

Persian

Limestone 

520-465

Purpose: Displayed power of Darius and Xeres

Sumerian, Akkadian, Neo-Sumerian

Babylonian, Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, Persian

Apollo Stones

Nambia, Africa 

25,000 to 25,300 BCE

Charcoal on stone

Purpose: Unknown. Is a profile drawing of an animal.

Venus of Willendorf

Aggsbach, Austria 

28,000-25,000 BCE

Purpose: Fertility statue

Camild Sacrum in the Shape of a Canine

Tequixquiac, Mexico City

14,000-7,000 BCE

Bone

Purpose: Mask or fertility staute

The Great Hall of Bulls

Lascaux, France

15,000 to 13,000 BCE

Rock Painting 

Purpose: Practicec for hunting or control in the sense of mysticism or shaminism

Running Horned Woman

Algeria, Africa 

6,000-4,000 BCE

Pigment on rock

Purpose: Depicting a God?

Bushel with Ibex Motives

Susa, Iran

4,200-3,500 BCE

Painted Terra Cotta

Purpose: Maybe symbolizes who was buried with it, a motif to state who the family is.

Anthropomorphic Stele

Arabian Peninsula

4,000-3,000 BCE

Sandstone

Purpose: Gravestone

Jade Cong

Liangxhu, China

3,300-2,200 BCE

Carved Nephrite (Jade)

Purpose: could tell a story or commemorate an event

Stonehenge

Wiltshire, England

2,500-1,600 BCE

Assorted Stone

Purpose: Burial/healing ground or worship

The Ambum Stone

Ambum Valley, Papau New Guinea

1,500 BCE

Graywacke/Sandstone

Purpose: Statue or morter and pestol

Tlatilco Female Figure

Central Mexico

1,200-900 BCE

Ceramic

Purpose: Fertility statue

Terracotta Fragment

Salomon Islands, Reef Islands

1,000 BCE
Incised Terracotta

Purpose: Unknown 

Palette of Narmar

Pre-dynastic Period

3,000-2,920 BCE

Greywacke

Purpose: to portray Narmar as powerful

The Great Pyramids at Giza

Giza, Egypt

2,250-2,490 BCE

Old Kingdom
Cut Limestone

Purpose: Tombs for dead important people 

King Menkuare and Queen

Old Kingdom

2,490-472 BCE

Greywacke

Purpose: Rendition of rulers

The Last Judgement of Hu-Nefer"

New Kingdom

1,275

Painted Papyrus of scroll

Purpos: To illustrate what occurs in the passing over to the afterlife

Mortuary Temple or Hatshepsute

Luxor, Egypt

1,473-1,458 BCE

New Kingdome

Sandstone

Purpose: Tomb for Hatshepsut

Akhenaten, Nefertiti and their Three Daughters

1,359-1,335 BCE
Limestone

Purpose: Depict the rulers and the new God, Atten 

King Tut's Tomb (Innermost coffin)

1,323 BCE 

Gold with inlay of Enamel and semiprecious stones.

New Kingdom

Purpose: Held King Tut's Bodies

Assyrian Wall Relief

Assyrian

Stone

8,000-6,000 BCE

Purpose: Depict a battle/commemorate an event

Gudea of Lagash with Overflowing Cup

Neo-sumerian

22nd-21st century

Purpose: Display of power 

Victory Stele

Akkadian

2,250 BCE

Purpose: Depict event or honor a warrior