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Lascaux Cave Paintings, c. 15,000 BCE; made from red clay, ochre, charcoal, and other materials

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White calcite, roofed by nonporous rock, provides a uniquely dry place to feature art. To paint, these early artists used charcoal and ochre, which is a kind of pigmented, earthen material that is soft and can be mixed with liquids, and comes in a range of colors like brown, red, yellow, and white.

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Woman of Willendorf, c. 28,000-25,000 BCE. Stone, 4.5 inches tall

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Two Bison reliefs (sculpture only meant to be viewed from one side). 13,000 BCE. Cave at Le Tuc d’Audoubert, France.

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Standard of Ur, c. 2,600 BCE; made from shell, limestone, lapis lazuli, bitumen

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Palette of King Narmer (composite view). ca. 3150-3125 BCE

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Palette of Narmer, Dynasty 1 // c. 3000 BCE

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The main purpose of the artwork is to act as a ritual object dedicated to the gods to show gratitude for this great unification. The palette was used on a daily basis in ancient Egypt for grinding and mixing minerals for cosmetics like dark eyeliner to reduce glare and during certain religious rituals.

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Mural from Hierakonpolis, c. 3200-3000 BCE

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People, Boats & Animals. Late Predynastic Period, c. 3000 BCE

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Step Pyramid of King Djoser. 3rd Dynasty, c. 2681-2662 BCE

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Imhotep was an Egyptian chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser, possible architect of Djoser's step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. Very little is known of Imhotep as a historical figure, but in the 3,000 years following his death, he was gradually glorified and deified. Imhotep is also credited with inventing the method of stone-dressed building and using of columns in architecture and is considered to be the first architect in history known by name.

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Built for King Djoser (Zoser) of the 3rd Dynasty by the architect Imhotep.

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c. 2601-2515 BCE, estimated to have taken around ten years to build.

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Along with the enigmatic Sphinx and other smaller tombs and monuments, Giza has three principal pyramids: Khufu (originally 481 feet high, and sometimes called Cheops, or the Great Pyramid); Khafre (471 feet); and Menkaure (213 feet).

The pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three main pyramids of the Giza pyramid complex, located on the Giza Plateau in the southwestern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. It is thought to have been built to serve as the tomb of the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh Menkaure.

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c. 2558–2532 BCE. Created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre.

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The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre.

The Great Sphinx was meant to protect the temples and the tombs of the pharaohs in the area. There were many Sphinx statues that were built but the most famous one is the one that guards the tombs of Giza.

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Minoan "Marine Style" flask with octopus, c. 1,500-1,450 BCE

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The Kleophrades Painter Panathenaic prize amphora, c. 500 BCE

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Augustus of Prima Porta, statue of the emperor Augustus, 1st century AD

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Good Shepherd from the Catacomb of Priscilla, c. 250–300 AD

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Icon of the enthroned Virgin and Child with saints and angels, c. 6th century AD, Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai

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Floor painting (fresco) of Ge or Gaia, from Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi, Syria

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St. Mark from the Godescalc Gospel Lectionary, folio 1v., c. 781–783 AD

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The Morgan Leaf, showing scenes from the life of King David. Winchester Bible, produced between 1150 and 1175 AD

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Ivory diptych, with some of the colored paint remaining. Adoration of the Magi and Crucifixion. Meuse valley, France, c. 1350 AD

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The Last Judgement by Giotto, 1306 AD, fresco

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Madonna of Chancellor Rolin by Jan van Eyck, 1435 AD, oil