Ancient Arts & Crafts
In every civilization, crafts and art have been an important part of everyday life. These activities, as well as being a means of livelihood for the craftsmen themselves, are often an expression of their culture and a way of recording and displaying history.
Ancient Greece – Ceramics
One of the most popular crafts in ancient Greece was ceramics. They were made in a range of different styles and were often painted to show scenes from Greek mythology, sporting events or everyday life. Some of the most well-known styles were known as “black figure” or “red figure” vases, where the figures were drawn in black against an earthen-red background (or vice versa).
Ancient China – Painting
Painters in ancient China produced many different forms of artwork, from the painted pottery found in prehistoric times to the Chinese paintings that adorn silk and lacquerwares. They were also famous for their calligraphy and other types of writing.
Ancient Assyrian Sculpture
During the Assyrian era, craftsmen created finely detailed relief sculpture of hunting and military combat. These were mostly stone or alabster, but some were in porcelain.
They were also skilled in mosaics, which incorporated hundreds of small stones into an image held together by concrete. Mosaics could depict the most important events of a person’s life, or more personal ones, like family members and pets. They were also used as decorations on the floor of buildings.