Timelines of World Art: Africa, 300 BC to AD 1000
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c. 221 BC |
A one-roomed temple is developed in Nubia, presumably to accommodate local rituals. One of the earliest examples is the shrine built by King Arnekhamani and dedicated to the lion-headed god Apedemak. Read more... |
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c. 221 BC |
Nubian sculptors ornament temples, palaces and tombs with relief scenes of the king and his family paying tribute to the deities. Read more... |
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AD 1–AD 100 |
Nubian potters of the Meroitic period create ceramic containers that have eggshell-thin bodies, refined finishes and lively painted or stamped decoration. Read more... |
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c. AD 100–c. AD 120 |
During the period of Roman rule, mummies in Faiyum, Egypt are capped with highly lifelike painted portraits of the deceased, introducing a new level of realism into Egyptian art. Read more... |
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c. AD 150–AD 200 |
The Severan theatre in the Roman town of Sabratha on the Libyan coast is built as the most sophisticated example of its type and remains the best-preserved Roman theatre in North Africa. Read more... |
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c. AD 200–c. AD 400 |
Monumental stone obelisks are hewn at the Ethiopian city of Aksum to serve as funerary markers for the uppermost members of society. These stelae, the largest of which is a towering 33.5 metres tall, are carved to resemble the surfaces of buildings. Read more... |
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AD 500–AD 600 |
The earliest known clay figures in South Africa, found at Lydenburg, are a series of fired ceramic heads that are thought to have been used as part of initiation rituals. Read more... |
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c. AD 550 |
Among the earliest surviving Christian icons is the depiction of the Virgin and Child Enthroned with SS George and Theodore, painted using the encaustic technique. Read more... |
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c. AD 707 |
The sensitive painting of St Anne is one of the earliest images painted on the walls of the cathedral of Faras, which is the source of the best-known examples of Byzantine painting in Nubia. Her enormous eyes and simplified features continue Egyptian traditions and are characteristic of the early Faras images. Read more... |
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AD 836 |
Expansion begins on the Great Mosque of Kairouan in Tunisia. This religious centre in the western part of the Islamic world stands as a model for other mosques in the region. Read more... |
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c. AD 900 |
Highly accomplished smiths at Igbo-Ukwu in Nigeria fashion elaborately decorated bronze containers and ritual implements that are among the earliest items made of copper alloy in western Africa. Read more... |
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c. 989–1013 |
The mosque of al-Hakim is constructed by the Fatimid caliphate to accommodate the entire population of Cairo for worship and grand ceremonies. Read more... |
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