The Year One

"After an introduction on the interconnections of the ancient world, four sections cover the world geographically: the Mediterranean and Roman Empire, West and Central Asia, Asia, and the Americas. Each section begins with a map and follows with color plates of 150 works, each accompanied by explanatory text. Celts excelled in intricate metalwork; Egyptians melded Greco-Roman and Egyptian styles; peoples east of the Mediterranean produced a wide range of sculpture, ceramics, and precious metal objects; and in what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India, Buddhist art was incorporated with Greco-Roman influences. In East Asia, China's empire under the Han Dynasty created artifacts in every medium, and seminomads in northern China fabricated metalwork often to adorn horses. In cultures of the Pacific in South and Mesoamerica, objects were made from stone, ceramic, and gold."--Krisostomus.