Camelid sacrum
14,000-7,000 B.C.E., bone, National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico
This is one of the earliest cultural artifacts to have been discovered in Mesoamerica. Its original function remains unknown, although the sacrum bone was of significant cultural importanc
Anthromorphic stele
fourth millennium B.C.E., sandstone, Pergamon Museum, Berlin
Among the earliest known works of art from the Arabian Peninsula, this stele was probably associated with religious or funereal practices. The figure's stylization and geometric organization is
Jade cong
c. 3,300-2,200 B.C.E., jade, Zhejiang Institute of Archaeology, Hangzhou
A cong is a tube with a square-cross section and circular hole, produced during the Neolithic and early historic periods of southeast China. The meaning and function of these artifac
Ambum Stone
from Papua New Guinea, c. 1500 B.C.E., greywacke, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
It is not known exactly what this statue is supposed to represent.
Tlatico Female Figurine
c. 1200-900 B.C.E., ceramic, Princeton University Art Museum, Princeton, New Jersey
Although little is known about the function of these objects in Pre-Columbian society, it has been postulated that they are related to women's roles in regards to nature,
Terra-cotta fragment
Lapita, from the Solomon Islands, 1000 B.C.E., terra-cotta, University of Auckland, New Zealand
The Lapita were an ancient Pacific seafaring people, living in coastal regions of what is now Polynesia. Lapita ceramics such as this terra cotta fragment cont
Apollo 11 stones
c. 25,500-25,300 B.C.E., charcoal on stone, State Museum of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia
As in almost all paintings for thousands of years, in this very early example from Africa, the painter represented the animal in strict profile so that the head, body,
Lascaux Caves
15,000-13,000 B.C.E., pigment on rock, Dordogne, France
Left wall of the Hall of the Bulls in the cave at Lascaux, France, ca. 16,000-14,000 B.C.E. Largest bull 11'6" long. The species of animals in the cave paintings of France and Spain qare not among th
Running Horned Woman
ca. 6,000-4,000 B.C.E., rock painting, Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria
Prehistoric rock paintings are difficult to date and interpret. This Algerian example represents a woman with a painted body wearing a raffia skirt and horned headgear, apparently in a ritual
Beaker with ibex motifs
4,200-3,500 B.C.E., terra-cotta, Louvre, Paris
This cylindrical earthenware pot was found in a cemetary at the foot of the Susa acropolis. Susa was one of the most prosperous communities in prehistoric Iran, as evidenced by the city's monumental architect
Stonehenge
c. 2500-16000 B.C.E., Sandstone, Wiltshire, England
Stonehenge's circles of trilithons probably functioned as an astronomical observatory and solar calender. The sun rises over its "heel stone" at the summer solstice. Some of the megaliths weigh 50 tons.