Stokstad explains how most of these sculptures are now just simple fragments of figures and come from the Nok culture of Nigeria. They are dated from around 500 BC to 200 AD2. But these ceramic sculptures are not the only figures that derive from African art: Igbo Ukwu metal sculptures and carvings also fall into this category. They are made of molten metal, as it is the only material that has resisted continental termites. They are found primarily in eastern Nigeria and date back to the 9th and 10th centuries AD. Many of these figures are life-sized heads and masks or smaller full-figured figures that achieve realism and reflect the utmost respect and quality that we, looking back, admire in traditional African sculptures. Although Stokstad refers to African art as the beginning of all art, it is not the only significant or important art style that helped change and shape modern art forever. Gothic art, which originated in the powerful monarchy of Paris, dominated much of European art and architecture for over four hundred years, starting as early as 1100. During this year, monumental sculpture on the walls of cathedrals and Ile-de-France abbeys were built. As seen in African art, there are distinct subcategories that these types of art can fall into and which Stokstad examines quite a bit