Art in Egypt was used mainly to honor the gods or pharaohs. The pharaoh who had most art made for him was Ramses the Great. Most of his art has been stolen today though.
Next we find art in Ancient Greece. Much of Grecian art is found in architecture. Probably the best known building in Greece is the Parthenon, which sits on the Acropolis in Athens. The ruler Peracles had the Parthenon built in 447 BC by Phidias, who sculpted the entire Acropolis. The Grecians had two types of columns used in their architecture: the ionic, and the doric orders. The ionic order was very plain and geometric while the doric was made up of spirals, making it very appealing to the eye. There was also much sculpture in Greece. One of the best known pieces of sculpture is Myron's Discobulus (Discus Thrower). There were three periods of Greek time: 1, Archaic (600-400 BC), 2, Classical (480-323 BC), and 3, Hellenistic (323 BC- the death of Alexander the Great). .
After Greece, we discover art in Rome. Roman art is very similar to that of the Grecians. Before the Romans were in Rome, the Italian peninsula was ruled by the Etruscans. Etruscan art is considered Archaic. There were 2 Roman periods: 1, Roman Republic (509-27 BC), and 2, Roman Empire (27 BC-476 AD). The Roman Republic was considered frugal, militaristic, austere, and even antiasthetic. But because of concrete, architects were able to be more creative with design. The arch doorway was invented, replacing the post and lental construction. They also used corinthian columns, which had leaves like that of a thistle leaf sculpted into them. Other architectural feats of the Romans were the Colisseum, and the Pantheon. The Colisseum was the first arena-type building, built for the emperor Vespacian, seating nearly 50,000 spectators. The Pantheon was the first elliptical building, built for the emperor Hadrian. .
Now we find art in Medieval times. In this era, there was not as much sculpture.
