Ancient Near East

In this central region defined by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the waxing and waning of cultures and artistic styles continued until the Islamic period, around the 6th century AD. Highly skilled artisans worked with semiprecious and non-precious stones, copper alloy, gold, and silver to create figures of animals, worshipers, rulers, and deities, as well as vessels and adornments. Some anthropomorphic figures were made of mixed media — including chlorite, limestone, and lapis lazuli — and also displayed the early use of polychromy.