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AP Art History Cheatsheets

Download the text-based cheatsheet we write and review every year, or make a visual cheatsheet for any topic in the format you study best with.

AP Art History, unit by unit

What each unit's one-page cheatsheet covers. Open a unit to read the start of its sheet.

  1. Unit 1: Global Prehistory, 30,000-500 bce

    Prehistoric Periods & Environmental Context · Artistic Themes & Iconography · Analysis Beyond the Image Set & Interpretation · Global Distribution & Early Chronology · Art & Survival: Function & Meaning · Interpreting Prehistoric Art: Methods & Evidence · Materials & Media Across Regions · Identify & Describe: Core Skills · Context & Influence: Analytical Skills

  2. Unit 2: Ancient Mediterranean, 3500 bce-300 ce

    Ancient Near East: Powers & Religion (3500–330 bce) · Dynastic Egypt: Permanence & Eternity (3000–30 bce) · Visual Analysis & Artistic Decisions · Egyptian Architecture & Materials · Etruscan & Roman: Eclecticism & Power (c. 700 bce–337 ce) · Cross-Cultural Exchange & Influence · Ancient Greece: Ideals & Periods (600 bce–100 ce) · Purpose & Patronage: Royal, Divine, Funerary · Evidence & Interpretation Methods

  3. Unit 3: Early Europe and Colonial Americas, 200-1750 CE

    Medieval Art Traditions & Characteristics · Medieval Cultural Exchanges · Age of Exploration & Global Networks · th–17th Century European Developments · Patronage, Function & Display · Materials, Techniques & Naturalism · Interpreting Medieval & Early Modern Art

  4. Unit 4: Later Europe and Americas, 1750-1980 CE

    Historical Context & Philosophical Shifts · Major Art Movements & Styles · Patronage & Audience Shift · Materials, Processes & Technology · Cultural Interaction & Colonialism · Theories & Interpretations · Visual Analysis Framework · Contextual Analysis Framework · Continuity & Change Analysis · Common Test Patterns

  5. Unit 5: Indigenous Americas, 1000 BCE-1980 CE

    Mesoamerica: Olmec, Maya, Mexica · Overarching Artistic Traits & Purpose · Central Andes: Chavín & Inka · Evidence, Interpretation & Cultural Change · Native North America: Regions & Values · Materials, Hierarchy & Techniques

  6. Unit 6: Africa, 1100-1980 CE

    African Art: Materials, Media & Specialists · Early African Art: 77,000 Years Ago · Authority, Identity & Education Through Art · African Art & Belief Systems · Collecting & Interpretation Problems · Theories & Interpretations: Visual Analysis & Evidence · Human Migration & Cosmopolitan Interaction · Purpose & Audience: Active Art · Urbanization & Monumental Sites

  7. Unit 7: West and Central Asia, 500 BCE-1980 CE

    Key Materials & Techniques · Islamic Architecture & Function · Patrons & Audiences · Two-Dimensional Design Principles · Silk Route & Cultural Exchange · Visual Analysis & Attribution Strategy · Religious Traditions & Pilgrimage · Figural Imagery: Sacred vs. Secular · Interpreting Figural Art in Context