Archaic period

Archaic period, in history and archaeology, the earliest phases of a culture; the term is most frequently used by art historians to denote the period of artistic development in Greece from about 650 to 480 bc, the date of the Persian sack of Athens. During the Archaic period, Greek art became less rigidly stylized and more naturalistic. Paintings on vases evolved from geometric designs to representations of human figures, often illustrating epic tales. In sculpture,...