Introduction
It would be such a wonderful thing, if one, as an art critic, could take a trip through history and visit the different cultures of the ancient world. First to explore the pre-historic caves in France and Germany as well as other sites scattered through the regions of Europe and the Near East. Then next travel to the Middle East into the regions of present-day Iraq and Iran. Then continue on to Egypt, and ultimately on to Greece, to look at early, then later Greco art to follow the evolution of the art elements first-hand. At first glance the average person probably would not see the connection between the earliest art and that of later cultures. But it is there if you look.
Under further scrutiny, one will find many of the same techniques of representation used in the earliest forms and that of the Golden Crescent, Egypt, and even Greece. That person would also see the same elements that define art to this day at work in even the earliest of works in the prehistoric world. We will explore some of the elements listed below.