ARTHC 201: Artifacts (exam 1)

Lion-Human, Germany, Paleolithic, ca. 30,000- 25,000 BCE

1. carved from mammoth ivory

2. combines human and animal features, suggesting symbolic or spiritual meaning

Jade Ax, England, Neolithic, 4000-2000 BCE

1. made from rare jade that was not local to Britain

2. likely ceremonial rather than practical because it shows little wear

Stonehenge, England, Neolithic, ca. 3000-1500 BCE

1. a massive megalithic structure built with careful planning and labor

2. aligned to the solstices, linking it to seasonal and ritual life.

Stele of Hammurabi, Mesopotamia, Babylonian, ca. 1750 BCE

1. records one of the earliest law codes

2. the relief shows Hammurabi receiving authority from Shamash, linking law to divine power.

Assurbanipal Killing Lions, Mesopotamia, Assyrian, ca. 650 BCE

1. shows the king as powerful and dominant through the lion hunt - , using the lion hunt as a metaphor for the king’s ability to defeat his enemies and protect his people.

2. was made for a royal palace to impress and intimidate viewers.

Persepolis, Iran, Persian, 500 BCE

1. functioned as a ceremonial center of empire

2. its reliefs show conquered peoples bringing tribute, emphasizing imperial unity and hierarchy.

Palette of Narmer, Egypt, Early Dynastic Period, ca. 3000 BCE

1. likely commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt

2. uses hierarchical scale and formal poses to present the king as dominant.

Statue of Khafre, Egypt, Old Kingdom, ca. 2500 BCE

1. carved from hard diorite to emphasize permanence

2. idealized frontal pose presents the pharaoh as eternal and godlike.

Akhenaten and his Family, Egypt, Amarna Period, ca. 1350 BCE

1. The Aten appears at the top as a radiant sun disk, with rays ending in hands that offer life to the royal family, emphasizing direct divine blessing granted exclusively through the royal family;

2. Unlike earlier images of pharaohs as distant and timeless, Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their children are shown in a tender domestic scene.

Judgement of Hunefer, Book of the Dead, Egypt, New Kingdom, ca. 1300

·       This scene comes from Hunefer’s Book of the Dead, a painted papyrus scroll buried with the deceased to help guide him safely through the afterlife.

·       Hunefer’s heart is weighed against the feather of ma’at, symbolizing truth, justice, and cosmic order.

Terracotta Army, China, Qin Dynasty, ca. 200 BCE

·       The Terracotta Army was buried near the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, to comfort his spirit in the afterlife.

·       Soldiers are arranged by rank and role mirroring the structure of the Qin military.

Funerary krater, Athens, Geometric Period, ca. 750 BCE

1. served as a grave marker in an Athenian cemetery, signaling the status of the deceased and their family.

2. The surface is covered with repeated patterns reflecting the period’s emphasis on order and abstraction (geometric period).

Panathenaic Amphora, Athens, Archaic Period, ca. 520 BCE

1. awarded to victors in the Panathenaic Games

2. The figures are painted in black silhouette against the red clay, with incised details used to define anatomy, clothing, and movement. “Black figure pottery”

Zeus or Poseidon, Greece, Early Classical Period, ca. 460 BCE

1. The use of bronze allowed the sculptor to create an open, extended pose with outstretched arms, something much harder to achieve in marble.

2. The body’s weight shifts through the legs and torso, creating a dynamic but stable pose similar to contrapposto.

The Acropolis, Athens, High Classic Period, ca. 440 BCE

1. The Acropolis was the sacred high point of Athens, dedicated primarily to Athena, the city’s patron goddess.

2. Much of the Acropolis was rebuilt after the Persian destruction of Athens, turning architectural reconstruction into a celebration of victory.

Parthenon, Athens, High Classic Period, ca. 440 BCE

1. dedicated to Athena, the patron goddess of Athens, and housed a colossal gold-and-ivory statue of her

2. The battle scenes may have also been symbolic of the Athenians recent, but costly,  victory over the Persians.

Polykleitos’s Spear Bearer, Greece, High Classic Sculpture, ca. 450 BCE

1. Canon of proportions - The statue reflects the Greek belief that beauty could be achieved through order, measurement, and mathematical relationships.

2. More than a portrait of an individual, the sculpture represents an idealized vision of Greek masculinity the relationship between physical appearance and moral virtue.

Pergamon Altar, Pergamon, Hellenistic Period, ca. 175-150 BCE

1. emotional intensity and theatrical movement typical of Hellenistic art,

2. epicts the battle between gods and giants, a mythological struggle often interpreted as order defeating chaos

Dying Gaul, Pergamon, Hellenistic Sculpture, ca. 220 BCE

1. The figure represents a Galatian warrior, one of the peoples defeated by the rulers of Pergamon.

2. By showing the enemy as strong and noble, the sculpture makes Pergamon’s victory seem even more impressive.

Reclining Couple Sarcophagus, Etruria, Etruscan, Ca. 520 BCE

1. made to hold cremated remains, reflecting Etruscan burial customs that placed high importance on honoring the dead.

2. the woman appears beside her husband at equal scale and status, reflecting the more visible public role of elite Etruscan women.

Augustus of Primaporta, Rome, Early Imperial Period, ca. 20 CE

1. The statue presents Augustus as Rome’s ideal ruler, rather than as he actually looked in age or appearance,

2. The breastplate shows the return of Roman military standards from Parthia, featuring a diplomatic victory rather than a contest of arms.

Colosseum, Rome, Imperial Period, 80 CE

·       hosted gladiatorial games, animal hunts, executions, and spectacles, showing how entertainment functioned as a political tool of Roman public life.

·       Seating was arranged by social rank, subtly forcing the audience to sort themselves into the established social hierarchies.

Arch of Titus, Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 81 CE

1. built to honor Emperor Titus, monumentalizing his accomplishments to inspire empiric virtues.

2. Triumphal arche used to mark victories, frame processions, and turn military success into public memory.