It is difficult to trace Macedonian artistic production before the 6th century BC. The few examples of stone sculpture which archaeological exploration has brought to light, chiefly Archaic kouroi (Europos, Aiane, Stageira), attest links to artistic centers of Ionia and the Cyclades.
After the Persian Wars continental Greece entertained closer relations with the coastal areas of Asia Minor, while Athens also made its presence felt in northern Greece (founding of Amphipolis). Local Macedonian workshops were influenced by Attic art and produced work of high quality.
When the Macedonian kingdom prospered in the 4th century BC, artists from southern Greece were invited (Lysippos for example). The works of that period in stone and bronze represent all the avant-garde trends, and Macedonian sculpture acquired its own particularities.
In the Roman years ateliers of sculpture produced, in accordance with the fashion of the age, both imperial portraits and portaits of private citizens reproducing personal characteristics (busts, statues, herms) or imitating the imperial features. Finally there are numerous Roman copies of Classical works which were placed in public areas and sanctuaries.
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