Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

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  by Time Period 8,000–2,000 b.c. 2,000–1,000 b.c. 1,000 b.c.–1 a.d. 1–500 a.d. 500–1,000 a.d. 1,000–1400 a.d. 1400–1600 a.d. 1600–1800 a.d. 1800–1900 a.d. 1900 a.d.–present

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Ancient Greece, 1–500 A.D.

• 
  Head of Constans, ca. 337–340
  Early Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire)
  Marble

  Overall: 10 5/8 x 6 7/8 x 7 3/8 in. (27 x 17.5 x 18.8 cm); with base: 15 x 6 x 6 in. (38.1 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm); base: 4 3/4 x 6 x 6 in. (12.1 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm); Diam. of neck: 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1967 (67.107)

• 
  Brooch in the Shape of a Panther, 100–300
  Roman
  Copper alloy with silver and niello inlays

  1 5/16 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (3.4 x 6.3 x 2.9 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1947 (47.100.18)

• 
  Portrait statue of a boy, Late 1st century b.c.–early 1st century a.d.; Julio-Claudian
  Roman
  Bronze

  H. 48 1/2 in. (123.2 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1914 (14.130.1)

• 
  The Hope Dionysos, late 1st century a.d., with 18th-century restoration by Vincenzo Pacetti; Imperial
  Roman
  Marble

  H. 82 1/4 in. (210.2 cm)
  Gift of The Frederick W. Richmond Foundation, Judy and Michael Steinhardt and Mr. and Mrs. A. Alfred Taubman, 1990 (1990.247)

• 
  Hekateion, 1st–2nd century a.d.
  Roman
  Marble

  H. 12 in. (30.48 cm)
  The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 1987 (1987.11.2)

• 
  Statue of Aphrodite, 1st or 2nd century a.d.
  Roman copy of a Greek statue of the 3rd or 2nd century b.c.
  Marble

  H. with plinth 62 1/2 in. (158.8 cm)
  Purchase, 1952 (52.11.5)

Balkan Peninsula

Roman rule, Greek mainland, 146 b.c.–330 a.d.

Byzantine empire, 330–1453 a.d.

Maps

World Map / Europe

Encompasses present-day Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, and European Turkey

Supplemental Maps

• Ancient Greece, ca. 330 A.D.

• Overview
• Key Events
• Works of Art
• Related Content

By the beginning of the first millennium A.D., Rome dominates the Balkans. Roman lifestyle, architectural achievements, and propagandistic endeavors influence art and architecture across the peninsula. As Roman domain weakens, these territories are vulnerable to a series of attacks by the Goths, a Germanic people from southern Scandinavia. Constantinople is founded as the New Rome and the triumph of Christianity marks the beginning of the Byzantine era in Greece.

• Before 67 A.D.The apostle Paul preaches in several major cities, including Thessaloniki, Corinth, and Antioch. It is at this time that disciples of Jesus are first referred to as Christians.

• 85–86 A.D.The Dacians, and agricultural people in the loop of the lower Danube, invade Moesia and inflict disastrous defeat on the Romans. In 88 A.D., a victory at Tapae prepares the way for Trajan's later wars and annexation of Dacia. The Roman emperor Domitian sends engineers to Dacia as part of the peace treaty with the Dacian king Decebalus.
• ca. 98–102 A.D.The Library of Pantainos is constructed in the Athenian agora.
• 101–106 A.D.The Roman emperor Trajan conquers the Dacians during the First and Second Dacian Wars. His campaigns are memorialized on the spiral frieze of Trajan's Column in Rome. The column and forum are built with funds largely from the royal treasury of the Dacians.
• 117 A.D.The Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117–38 A.D.) completes the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the principal monument in southeast Athens. The emperor also erects a gymnasium and a number of bathing establishments in the vicinity.
• ca. 170–180 A.D. Pausanias, a Greek traveler and geographer, writes his Description of Greece, sketching the history and topography of important cities and their surroundings. His accuracy is confirmed by archaeological finds and his descriptions remain a valuable resource to this day.
• 257–263 A.D.The Goths raid Greece and Asia Minor. In 267 A.D., they sack Athens, Corinth, Sparta, and Argos.
• 280 A.D.In response to raids by the Goths, Athens constructs a major fortification wall, the first since the time of Perikles.
• 293 A.D. Diocletian, a Dalmatian by birth, reorganizes the Roman empire and establishes his famous tetrarchy as a response to difficulties in government. Under his rule, civil and military functions are separated. He makes a determined effort to stabilize the currency and introduce a new fiscal system.
• 300–305 A.D.Diocletian builds his palace near modern-day Split in Croatia.
• 330 A.D.Constantinople is founded as the "New Rome."
• 378 A.D.The Visigoths defeat the Eastern Roman emperor Valens near Adrianople. The battle is seen as a watershed in the decline of the Roman army and its ability to stem the barbarian invasions.
• 391 A.D.The emperor Theodosius orders the closing of pagan temples. The Olympic games cease at this time or slightly later in 426 A.D., when the Temple of Zeus at Olympia is destroyed by fire.

	Brooch in the Shape of a Panther, 100–300 Roman Copper alloy with silver and niello inlays; 1 5/16 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (3.4 x 6.3 x 2.9 cm) Fletcher Fund, 1947 (47.100.18)
	Chariot Trappings, 200–400 Provincial Roman, perhaps Thrace Copper alloy with champlevé enamel; Largest plaque: 5 5/8 x 3 7/8 in. (14.3 x 9.7 cm) Purchase, Jeannette and Jonathan Rosen Gift and Fletcher Fund, 2000 (2000.505a-o)
	Crossbow Fibula, ca. 430 Byzantine; Made in Rome/Constantinople Gold; 1 7/16 x 2 3/16 in. (3.7 x 5.5 cm) Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1995 (1995.97)
	Flask with Adoration of the Magi, 500s Byzantine Silver with gilded silver; H. 12 3/8 in. (31.4 cm), Max. Diam. 13 15/16 in. (10 cm) Purchase, Frederick C. Hewitt Fund, by exchange; Rogers Fund and Schimmel Foundation Inc. Gift; Gifts of J. Pierpont Morgan, Mr. and Mrs. Marc B. Rojtman, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller Jr., Lucy W. Drexel and Anonymous, by exchange; Bequests of Mary Stillman Harkness, George Blumenthal, Gwynne M. Andrews and Michael Dreicer, by exchange; Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, by exchange; Rogers Fund, by exchange; and The Cloisters Collection, by exchange, 1984 (1984.196)
	Grotesque, 2nd century B.C.–1st century A.D.; Hellenistic Greek Bronze Rogers Fund, 1912 (12.229.6)
	Head of Constans, ca. 337–340 Early Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) Marble; Overall: 10 5/8 x 6 7/8 x 7 3/8 in. (27 x 17.5 x 18.8 cm); with base: 15 x 6 x 6 in. (38.1 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm); base: 4 3/4 x 6 x 6 in. (12.1 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm); Diam. of neck: 7 3/8 in. (18.7 cm) Rogers Fund, 1967 (67.107)
	Head of herm, 1st or 2nd century A.D.; Imperial Roman Copy of a Greek work of the late 5th century B.C. Marble; H. 19 3/4 in. (50.2 cm), W. 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm), D. 11 in. (27.9 cm) Gift of Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson, 1903 (03.12.4)
	Hekateion, 1st–2nd century A.D. Roman Marble; H. 12 in. (30.48 cm) The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 1987 (1987.11.2)
	Hinged ring, 2nd–1st century B.C.; Hellenistic Greek Gold with garnet; H. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm) Purchase, Patricia and Marietta Fried Gift, 2005 (2005.278)
	The Hope Dionysos, late 1st century A.D., with 18th-century restoration by Vincenzo Pacetti; Imperial Roman Marble; H. 82 1/4 in. (210.2 cm) Gift of The Frederick W. Richmond Foundation, Judy and Michael Steinhardt and Mr. and Mrs. A. Alfred Taubman, 1990 (1990.247)
	Portrait statue of a boy, Late 1st century B.C.–early 1st century A.D.; Julio-Claudian Roman Bronze; H. 48 1/2 in. (123.2 cm) Rogers Fund, 1914 (14.130.1)
	Relief with an archaistic Hermes, 1st century A.D. Roman Marble; H. 26 3/4 in. (67.9 cm) Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1991 (1991.11.8)
	Solidus of Constantius II (Sole Emperor, 350–361), 350–361 Byzantine Gold; Diam. 13/16 in. (2.1 cm) Gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904 (04.35.18)
	Statue of Aphrodite, 1st or 2nd century A.D. Roman copy of a Greek statue of the 3rd or 2nd century B.C. Marble; H. with plinth 62 1/2 in. (158.8 cm) Purchase, 1952 (52.11.5)
	Statuette of a draped man, 1st century B.C.–1st century A.D.; Hellenistic or Early Imperial Greek or Roman Bronze; H. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm) Rogers Fund, 1907 (07.286.96)
	Steelyard Weight with a Bust of a Byzantine Princess, 400–450 Early Byzantine (Eastern Roman Empire) Copper alloy, lead; Overall: 9 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 13/16 in. (24.2 x 11.5 x 7.1 cm); 51 lb. (2.3 kg); hook: 8 7/8 x 3 x 1 1/4 x 1/4 in. (22.6 x 7.6 x 3.2 x 0.7 cm) Gifts of J. Pierpont Morgan, Mrs. Robert J. Levy, Mr. and Mrs. Frederic B. Pratt, George Blumenthal, Coudert Brothers, and Mrs. Lucy W. Drexel, by exchange; Bequest of George Blumenthal and Theodore M. Davis Collection; Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, by exchange; and Rogers Fund, 1980 (1980.416ab)

Timelines

• Asia Minor (Anatolia and the Caucasus), 1–500 a.d.
• Iberian Peninsula, 1–500 a.d.
• Italian Peninsula, 1–500 a.d.

Maps

• Europe, 1–500 a.d.
• World, 1–500 a.d.

Lists of Rulers

• List of Rulers of Byzantium
• List of Rulers of the Roman Empire

Index Terms

Art Movement/Style

• Byzantine Art from Europe
• Early Imperial Art in Ancient Rome

Geography/Place

• The Balkan Peninsula
• Byzantium
• Rome (Ancient)
• Byzantium

Material and Technique

• Sculpture in the Round from the Balkan Peninsula
• Relief Sculpture from Europe
• Marble Sculpture in the Round

Subject Matter/Theme

• Greek and Roman Deity

Thematic Essays

• Africans in Ancient Greek Art
• Ancient Greek Bronze Vessels
• Architecture in Ancient Greece
• The Art of Classical Greece (ca. 480–323 b.c.)
• Art of the Hellenistic Age and the Hellenistic Tradition
• The Art, Form, and Function of Gilt Bronze in the French Interior
• Astronomy and Astrology in the Medieval Islamic World
• Athletics in Ancient Greece
• The Byzantine City of Amorium
• Byzantium (ca. 330–1453)
• Cameo Appearances
• Carolingian Art
• Ceramics in the French Renaissance
• Classical Art and Modern Dress
• Contexts for the Display of Statues in Classical Antiquity
• Courtship and Betrothal in the Italian Renaissance
• Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri) (1581–1641)
• Ethiopia's Enduring Cultural Heritage
• The Face in Medieval Sculpture
• The Five Wares of South Italian Vase Painting
• Funerary Vases in Southern Italy and Sicily
• Genre Painting in Northern Europe
• Greek Gods and Religious Practices
• Hellenistic Jewelry
• Images of Antiquity in Limoges Enamels in the French Renaissance
• Intellectual Pursuits of the Hellenistic Age
• Italian Renaissance Frames
• Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741–1828)
• Jewish Art in Late Antiquity and Early Byzantium
• The Julio-Claudian Dynasty (27 b.c.–68 a.d.)
• The Labors of Herakles
• Luxury Arts of Rome
• Medicine in Classical Antiquity
• Medicine in the Middle Ages
• Mendicant Orders in the Medieval World
• Monasticism in Medieval Christianity
• Neoclassicism
• The Nude in Western Art and its Beginnings in Antiquity
• Nudity and Classical Themes in Byzantine Art
• Painted Funerary Monuments from Hellenistic Alexandria
• Pastoral Charms in the French Renaissance
• Paul Poiret (1879–1944)
• Polychromy of Roman Marble Sculpture
• Popular Religion: Magical Uses of Imagery in Byzantine Art
• Profane Love and Erotic Art in the Italian Renaissance
• Relics and Reliquaries in Medieval Christianity
• Retrospective Styles in Greek and Roman Sculpture
• The Roman Banquet
• Roman Copies of Greek Statues
• The Roman Empire (27 b.c.–393 a.d.)
• Roman Games: Playing with Animals
• Roman Gold-Band Glass
• Roman Housing
• Roman Inscriptions
• Roman Mosaic and Network Glass
• The Technique of Bronze Statuary in Ancient Greece
• Theseus, Hero of Athens
• The Year One

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Citation

"Ancient Greece, 1–500 A.D.". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=05®ion=eusb (October 2000)

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The Year One: Art of the Ancient World East and West

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