Ancient Egyptian art emphasized idealized human forms, hierarchical proportion, and a strong religious and symbolic meaning. Art was used to honor the gods and pharaohs. Characteristic features include figures shown in profile with an eye depicted frontally, and the use of hierarchical scale to depict figures' relative importance.

Ancient Greek art focused on the human form, and the idealization and celebration of the human body's beauty and strength. It often depicted gods, heroes, athletes, and youth. The purposes included commemorating major events, decorating temples and public spaces, and portraying philosophical and mythological themes.

Ancient Roman art made major accomplishments in sculpture, architecture, mosaics, and frescoes. Key achievements included realistic portrait sculptures, innovative architecture like the Colosseum and Pantheon, and extensive decorative mosaic floors and wall paintings in homes and public buildings.

Egyptian art emphasized strict conventions, frontal poses, and figures in profile view. Greek art focused more on naturalism, idealized human forms, and contrapposto (twisting) poses. Egyptian art had religious symbolism, while Greek art celebrated human achievements.

Famous examples of Ancient Egyptian art include the Great Sphinx of Giza, the treasures of Tutankhamun's tomb, wall paintings in tombs and temples, and colossal statues of pharaohs like the seated figures of Ramesses II.

Ancient Greek sculptors pioneered techniques like contrapposto, where the figure twists at the waist for a more dynamic pose. They used the lost-wax casting method to create complex bronze sculptures with intricate details. Greek sculptors also mastered realistic carved marble figures.

Common subjects included scenes from Greek and Roman mythology, recreation and leisure activities, still lifes of food and animals, and landscapes with architectural elements. Mosaics often featured geometric patterns and realistic scenes of people and animals.

Ancient Greek art idealized the human form, while Roman art was more naturalistic and realistic in depicting humans. Greek art had a more stylized aesthetic, while Roman art absorbed influences and styles from conquered lands. However, both shared an interest in portraying mythology and celebrating human accomplishments.

Art in Egyptian temples and tombs served religious purposes, aiming to honor deities and help the deceased's spiritual journey to the afterlife. Tomb art included scenes of funerary rituals and offerings, while temple art depicted gods, mythological events, and the divine power of pharaohs.

Major Ancient Roman architectural innovations included the arch, vault, dome, and concrete construction methods. Famous examples include the Colosseum, Pantheon dome, and complex aqueduct systems for transporting water over long distances.

Ancient Greeks placed great emphasis on achieving symmetry, balance, and ideal proportions based on mathematical ratios and geometry. This sense of harmonious design is seen in Greek temples like the Parthenon, as well as in Classical sculpture's naturalistic yet idealized human forms.

Ancient Egyptian sculptors worked primarily with stone like limestone, granite, and sandstone for large-scale pieces. They also used wood, alabaster, ivory, and metals like bronze and gold for smaller sculptures and statuettes.

The pyramids were monumental tombs built to house the remains of deceased pharaohs and ensure their journey to the afterlife. They were architectural marvels and powerful symbols of pharaonic power, permanence, and connection to the divine.

Ancient Greek pottery was made from fired clay, and common techniques included the black-figure style of decorating the vessel's body with black slip and the later red-figure style which reserved the figures against a black background. Key shapes included amphorae, kraters, and kylix cups.

As the Roman Empire expanded, Roman art absorbed stylistic influences from conquered lands like Greece, Egypt, and the Near East. For example, early Roman sculpture emulated Classical Greek styles, while later mosaics, frescoes, and architectural forms showed Egyptian and Middle Eastern influences.

Examples include white-ground lekythoi vases used to hold oil for funerary rituals, somber grave steles carved with deceased figures, and elaborate sarcophagi to hold remains. Cremation was also practiced, with ashes placed in elaborate ceramic urns.

Roman art and architecture was heavily influenced by Greek and Roman mythology. Public buildings and domestic homes were decorated with mosaics, frescoes, and sculptures depicting mythological figures and scenes. Roman temples were also dedicated to gods from the Roman pantheon.

Hieroglyphs were a defining feature of Ancient Egyptian writing and art. The intricate pictorial script system held ritual power, allowing communication with the gods. Hieroglyphs also recorded royal accomplishments and perpetuated cultural memory on tomb and temple walls.

Common themes in Ancient Greek vase paintings included scenes from Greek mythology, daily life activities, funerary rituals, sporting events like chariot races, and scenes of worship or sacrifice. Black-figure and red-figure vase painting styles were prominent.

Ancient Egyptian relief sculptures were carved or painted into the flat surface of temple or tomb walls and monuments. They often depicted the pharaoh making offerings to gods or leading military victories. Key examples include the raised and sunken reliefs at sites like Karnak and Abu Simbel temples.

The ideal of human physical perfection inspired many Ancient Greek sculptors to pursue naturalism and accurately capture the anatomy, proportions, and movement of the body. Sculptures like the Discobolus, Doryphoros, and Venus de Milo embodied this idealized yet technically masterful approach.

Ancient Roman portrait sculpture built upon Greek foundations but developed a more realistic and individualized approach. Sculpted busts aimed to capture the specific facial features and expressions of the subject, be it an emperor, military leader, or private citizen.

Massive colossal statues of pharaohs and deities served multiple purposes - to demonstrate the ruler's power, act as a petition to the gods, and exist as a permanent monument honoring the pharaoh after death. Key examples include the Great Sphinx and the Colossi of Memnon statues.

Ancient Greek sculptors pioneered techniques to convey the human body's movement and dynamism through twisting poses and weight shifts, as exemplified in the Discus Thrower and figures on the Parthenon frieze. Athletic subjects allowed opportunities to capture the body's musculature and implied motion.

Roman temples followed a typical plan with key features like a raised podium base, entry staircase, columned porch, and cella inner sanctuary for the cult statue. They used Greek orders but incorporated arches and vaulted spaces into the temples' architecture.

Color played a symbolic and vibrant role in Ancient Egyptian art, with standardized color conventions to represent different figures and meanings, like blue for water and yellow for gold. Greek art favored more naturalistic uses of color, with polychromy enhancing the forms of sculptures and architectural friezes.

In the last centuries BCE, Ancient Egyptians began creating painted mummy portraits to cover the deceased's mummified remains. These remarkably realistic portraits aimed to capture the subject's individual appearance as an aid for the soul's recognition in the afterlife.

Early Ancient Greek pottery favored geometric designs, while later styles like Orientalizing incorporated Near Eastern influences like animals and mythological creatures. The black-figure technique gave way to the red-figure style showing more naturalistic figures reserved against a black background.

Roman homes were richly decorated with frescoes covering interior walls, intricate mosaic floors depicting scenes or geometric patterns, and sculpted garden fountains or household shrines. Many upper-class houses featured atriums and peristyle garden courtyards.

Ancient Greek builders favored construction from heavy stone masonry and post-and-lintel methods. Ancient Romans pioneered more fluid architectural forms with their innovative use of arches, vaults, domes, and concrete which allowed for grander interior spaces.

Ancient Egyptian relief carvings used conventions like hierarchical scale, showing more important figures larger than minor ones. They combined multiple viewpoints, depicting figures twisted to show different angles simultaneously. Hieroglyphic captions often accompanied scenes.

Ancient Greek sculpture idealized beauty, youth, and perfect anatomy. Roman sculptural depictions maintained idealized forms but showed a shift towards values like gravitas, maturity, and naturalistic portraits capturing age and individual likeness.

Public baths were centers of Roman social life and featured rooms like the caldarium (hot room), tepidarium, and frigidarium (cold room) along circuits around plunge pools. They had elaborate architectural decoration with domed ceilings, statuary, mosaics, and fountains or gardens.

Ancient Greek temples featured low and high relief sculpture decorating the building exterior, with pedimental sculpture groups in triangular pediments, friezes along the entablature, and carved metope panels between triglyphs. Key examples exist at the Parthenon and Olympia.

Ancient Roman artisans mastered carving intricate cameo gems and portrait jewelry out of stones like sardonyx and amethyst using precise relief techniques. Cameos served as luxurious adornments showcasing elite status and Roman craft skills.

The Etruscans, whose lands were absorbed into the Roman Republic, made early contributions to Roman art and architecture. Rome adopted Etruscan techniques in wall painting, metalworking, ceramics, and construction methods like the arch which influenced Roman temple design.

Ancient Egyptians frequently incorporated animal imagery with symbolic associations - cobras represented divine royalty, hawks were tied to the sun god Ra, jackals to the god Anubis, cats to the goddess Bastet. Animal-headed deities and fantastic hybrid creatures were common.

Ancient Greek vase painters developed techniques to suggest spatial depth on a flat surface, using overlapping figures, foreshortening, diminishing scale, and a horizontal ground line. Isometric perspective placed figures on different levels to denote spatial positioning.

The three main Classical architectural orders originated in Ancient Greece - the simple Doric, elegant Ionic with scrolled capitals, and ornate Corinthian order with acanthus leaf decoration. Roman architects adapted these Greek orders while introducing composite capitals.

As Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, religious art and architecture transitioned from pagan to Christian themes. Churches were built in basilica plans, mosaics featured Biblical stories, and new iconographic symbols like the cross became prominent motifs.

Ancient Greek vase painters drew inspiration from epic poems like Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, as well as plays and mythological writings. Popular scenes included the Judgment of Paris, exploits of Herakles and Theseus, and events from the Trojan War cycle.

Monuments like triumphal arches, victory columns, and elaborate sculptural reliefs were tools of Roman political propaganda. They glorified military triumphs, imperial power, and the achievements of rulers through public display of carefully crafted iconographic imagery.

The Minoans on Crete produced ornate palace architecture like Knossos, vivid frescoes depicting Minoan ceremonies and daily life, intricate carved seal stones, and naturalistic sculpted figures. Their art featured maze motifs and depictions of charging bulls which held ritual significance.

Early Roman mosaics featured simple geometric patterns and motifs in black and white. Over time their complexity developed with more intricate polychrome designs featuring narrative scenes of myths, hunting, or symbols of good fortune. Mosaics grew larger in scale covering entire room floors.