This is a list of pre-Columbian cultures.
Ancient art refers to the many types of art produced by the advanced cultures of ancient societies with different forms of writing, such as those of China, India, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The art of pre-literate societies is normally referred to as prehistoric art and is not covered by the scope of the ancient era. Furthermore, although some pre-Columbian cultures developed writing in the centuries preceding the European discovery of the Americas, these advancements are, on grounds of dating, largely covered with the dedicated topic of pre-Columbian art and associated sub-topics, such as Maya art, Aztec art, and Olmec art.
The human history of the west coast of North America is believed to stretch back to the arrival of the earliest people over the Bering Strait, or alternately along the ice free coastal islands of British Columbia. This was followed by the development of significant pre-Columbian cultures and population densities and later arrival of the European explorers and colonization of the coast. The west coast of North America today is home to some of the largest and most important companies in the world, as well as being a center of world culture.