art of the ancient near east originally created by ms. susan m. pojer, horace greeley hs chappaqua,...
TRANSCRIPT
Art of the Ancient Near East
Originally created by Ms. Susan M. Pojer, Horace
Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY, Marsha Russell, St. Andrews Episcopal School, Austin, TX and Douglas Darracott, Plano West HS Plano, TX
Mesopotamia
“Land between the Rivers””
The Ancient Fertile CrescentThe Ancient Fertile Crescent
“The Cradle of Civilization” “The Cradle of Civilization”
Effects of cities
• Cities bring massive changes to human life• Alter physical environment (agricultures, slash and
burn, ziggurats) • New means of transport (wheel, sailboat) need
generated by lack of natural resources• Metallurgy new use for metals (tools, weapons): the
beginning of Bronze Age• Human organization and structure changes
(governments)• Division into social classes (royal, religious,
landholding)• Specialization (scribes, artisans, traders,
warriors, farmers)• Record keeping needed lead to development of
language and writing
Mesopotamian Civilizations
• Sumerian*– 5000 - 3000 B.C.E.– Gilgamesh, Ur, Uruk [Southern Iraq]
• Akkadian– 2400-2100 B.C.E.– Sargon I aka Nimrod, Babylon, Ninevah [central]
• Assyrian– 2000-1500 B.C.E. / 1500-1000 B.C.E. [Northern]
• Babylonian*– 1800-1300 B.C.E. / 700-500 B.C.E.– Hammurabi to Nebuchadnezzer [Central Iraq]
Santa Anna Never Baked A Nutty Pancake
• Sumerian • Akkadian• Neo-Sumerian• Babylonians• Assyrian• Neo-Babylonians• Persians
Rise of Sumer
• Migration of Sumerians to Mesopotamia (4000 B.C.E.)• Opportunity and need combine to create city• Challenges of river valley (floods and farming
create need for irrigation)• Lack of natural resources encourages long distance
trade• Need for protection and aggression results in
disputes over resources• Age of warring cities (Ur, Uruk, Lagash, Nippur)
3300 - 2350 B.C.E.• Creation of the first empires (control of other
lands and people) • Eventual creation of city-states and unified empires
SumeriansSumerians
Ziggurat at UrZiggurat at Ur
Temple
“Mountain of the Gods”
Temple
“Mountain of the Gods”
Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic
Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic
Enki
Enki
Innana
Innana
Anthropomorphic Gods
Anthropomorphic Gods
Mesopotamian TradeMesopotamian Trade
“The Cuneiform World”
“The Cuneiform World”
Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped” Writing
Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped” Writing
White Temple and Ziggurat at Uruk, c. 3200-3000 BCE
use of mud brick/ desire for monumental architecture/ celestial orientation/
cella
Ziggurat at Ur (modern day
Iraq), c.2100-2050 BCE
Statuettes from the Temple of Abu at Eshnunna (Tell Asmar), c.
2700-2600 BCE, gypsum
stylization of physical types/ hypnotic gaze
Above: Impression from a Sumerian cylinder seal,
c.2500 BCELeft:Seated Statuette of
Urnanshe, from the Ishtar temple at Mari (modern Tell Hariri,
Syria), c. 2600-2500 BCE, gypsum
Left: Soundbox of a Sumerian lyre (Ur, Iraq), c. 2600 BCEBelow: Lyre from Sumerian
Royal Cemetery (Ur, Iraq), c. 2600 BCE
Standard of Ur (Ur), c. 2700 BCE
Contrast between war and peace/ use of registers to depict a narrative/ discoveries from royal Sumerian graves/ depiction of human figures/ lapis lazuli
(Blue Stone)
“War side” of the Standard of Ur
“Peace side” of the Standard of Ur”
War side of the Standard of Ur, from Tomb 779, Royal Cemetery, Ur (modern Tell
Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Wood inlaid with shell,
lapis lazuli, and red limestone, 8” x 1’ 7”.
Peace side of the Standard of Ur
Sumerian Innovations
• Wheel [from pottery wheel]• Cuneiform• Astronomers• Arithmetic base of 10 and 6• Clock of 60 seconds, minutes, 12 hours, 12 months
• Military formations• Codified law /administration [govt]• Agriculture and irrigation• Wheat, barley, sheep, cattle
Akkadian Empires
The First Empire
Sargon of Akkad:The World’s First Empire [Akkadians]
Sargon of Akkad:The World’s First Empire [Akkadians]
Victory stele of Naram-Sin,
from Susa, Iran,
2254–2218 BCE. Pink sandstone,
6’ 7” high.
use of a stele to commemorate a victory/ Sargon of Akkad and
Naram Sin/ hierarchical proportion/ organization
of figures/ incorporating landscape
Akkadian Innovations
• Given credit for the world’s first empire
• Sargon of Akkad aka Nimrod• Multiethnic centrally ruled empire• Euphrates River to Mediterranean with parts of modern-day Iran,Syria, Anatolia, and Arabian Peninsulas
• Continuation of Sumerian civilization and innovations
Neo-Sumerian Empires
Phase Two
Seated Statue of Gudea
from LagashNeo-Sumerian c.
2100 BCE
Top: Relief of
Assurnasirpal II Killing
Lions (Nimrud,
Iraq) c. 850 BCE
Below: Drawing of the citadel and palace complex of Sargon II (Khorsabad,
Iraq)
Lion Gate (Boghazkoy, Turkey), c.1400 BCE, limestone
Assyrian Empires
“A land bathed in Blood””
The Assyrian EmpireThe Assyrian Empire©
2004
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Assyrian Military PowerAssyrian Military Power
Assyrian soldiers carrying away the enemy’s
gods.
Assyrian soldiers carrying away the enemy’s
gods.
Assyrian Lamassu from the Citadel of
Sargon II (Khorsabad, Iraq) c.
720 BCE
Reputation of the Assyrians/ royal citadel of Sargon
II/ lamassu/ sculptor’s viewpoints
Assyrian reliefs from the palace
of Ashurbanipal
(Ninevah, Iraq) c. 650 BCE
depiction of a wild beast/ bas relief
carving/ demonstration of the
king’s power
Lamassu (winged, human-headed bull)
R: from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (modern
Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 720–705 BCE. Limestone, 13’ 10” high.
L: from the palace of
Assurnasirpal II, modern Nimrud, Iraq,
883–859 BCE. Alabaster,
10’ 3 ½" high.
Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, relief from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu (modern Nimrud), Iraq, ca. 875–
860 BCE. Gypsum, 2’ 10 5/8” high.
Assurbanipal and His Queen in the Garden, The Palace of
Assurbanipal, Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 647 BCE.
Gypsum, 21” high.
Ashurbanipal hunting lions, relief from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 645–640 BCE. Gypsum, 5’ 4” high.
Historical and current range of the Lion (Time 8/23/04)
Babylonian Empires
Hammurabi to Nebuchadnezzer
Stele with law code of Hammurabi (Susa, Iran), c.
1780 BCE, basalt
Ishtar Gate (Babylon, Iraq),
c. 575 BCE
Neo-Babylonian Period/ King Nebuchadnezzar/ Ishtar and Tammuz/ bulls, lions, and the mususu/ the
“hanging gardens”
Ishtar Gate and throne room, Babylon, Iraq, ca.
575 BCE.
Reconstruction drawing
of Babylon in the 6th century BCE.
Persian Empire
A Brief Overview
Royal Audience Hall (apadana) at Persepolis of Darius I (Iran),
c. 500 BCE
Darius III and Alexander the Great/ elevation of platform/
apadana with bull capitals/ loose groupings of
buildings/ satrapies
Reliefs at Persepolis
Reliefs at Persepolis
Left: Layout of Persepolis Below: Bull Capital from the royal audience hall of the palace of Artaxerxes II (Susa) c. 375 BCE
Persepolis (apadana in the background), Iran, ca. 521–465
BCE.
Processional frieze (detail) on the terrace of the apadana, Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521–465 BCE. Limestone, 8’
4” high.
Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute, relief on the
stairway, Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521–465 BCE. Limestone, 8’ 4
” high.
Triumph of Shapur I over Valerian, rock-cut relief, Bishapur, Iran, ca.
260 CE.