Art History Chapter 2 Quiz: Ancient Mesopotamia and Persia

What was the function of the ziggurat at Ur?

It was a temple platform.

The Ishtar Gate, with its glazed tile decorations, was built at which city?

Babylon

Column capitals in the shapes of bull heads were the characteristics of which region?

Persia

What monument embodies Nebuchadnezzar II's goal of beautifying his city?

The Ishtar Gate at Babylon

What do art historians believe is the purpose of the eye shape of Sumerian votive sculptures?

The enlarged and rounded eyes indicate their internal wakefulness.

What determined the orientation of the White Temple at Uruk?

The cardinal points of the compass

What is the thematic emphasis of the murals that decorated Assyrian palaces?

The assertion of royal power

How do Persian palatial reliefs differ from Assyrian beliefs?

Persian reliefs are more rounded and project more from the surface.

What was the purpose of these statuettes from the Square Temple at Eshnunna?

They accompanied the deceased in the tomb to offer prayers to deities.

On the Warka Vase, shown here, what is the purpose of the hierarchy of scale?

To show the greater importance of the king and priestess

Which of the following advances was not a significant contribution of the Sumerians?

The defensive fortification wall

What Mesopotamian king codified the law and prescribed penalties for infractions?

Hammurabi

Who placed many statues of himself in temples to render his perpetual service to the gods?

Gudea

The Sasanian leader Shapur I set up a number of reliefs at the Bishspur that showed him accomplishing what feat?

Capturing the emperor Valerian

Who is this subject of the narrative reliefs in the Assyrian palace at Nimrud?

Ashurnasirpal II

What prior event might have motivated Alexander the Great to raze Persepolis in 330 BCE?

Persian sack of the Athenian Acropolis

What epic poem recounts the exploits of a legendary king of Uruk and slayer of the monster Huwawa?

Epic of Gilgamesh

What information does the victory stele of Eannatum (Stele of the Vultures) provide about the nature of the ensi, or leader?

The ensi is the fearless general who paves the way for his soldiers against the enemy.

The rods and ring connoting the ruler's capacity to build social order and render judgments are highlighted on which monument?

Stele of Hammurabi

What is the significance of the polished diorite used for many sculpted portraits of Gudea?

The material was costly to acquire.

Which of the following works of art was created first?

Warka Vase

What do art historians call the large composite creatures that guarded the gates of Assyrian royal complexes?

Lamassu

The Gate of All Lands, the monumental gateway to the citadel of Persepolis, is a reference to what reality?

The harmony of the peoples of the Persian empire

Which civilization created the statues seen here?

Sumer

Of the original components that made up this statue, which used the rarest material?

Marble face

What decorative details of the bull's head harp and the Standard of Ur are the same?

Both display inlaid scenes in registers.

What accounts for the great weight of the statue?

The patron wanted it to be a permanent and immovable dedication.

What appears on the lap of the figure in this statue?

A temple plan

What term connotes the royal audience hall shown here?

Apadana

Who were the creators of this palace at Ctesiphon?

Sasanians

What material makes up the hair and beard of the bull?

Lapis Lazuli

What is this object?

A cylinder seal

What are the subjects of the two sides of the Standard of Ur?

War and Peace

What is a rhyton?

A conical pouring vessel

Because the statue was meant to be both a frontal view and a profile view, how many legs does the lamassu figure have?

Five

What architectural design feature at Persepolis seems uniquely Persian?

Protome capitals

The Palace of Sargon II and the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II were built by which people?

Assyrians

What is the story told by this relief?

Assyrians drive enemy forces into the Euphrates River.

What monument is represented here?

The White Temple at Uruk

What event ended the Achaemenid empire?

The death of Darius III after his defeat in 330 BCE

What is the central feature of the Ctesiphon palace, shown here?

Iwan

What term describes the Sumerian writing system?

Cuneiform

How many years separate the construction of the White Temple and the construction of the ziggurat at Ur?

A millennium

What was the administrative an economic center of the Sumerians city?

The temple

At what Elamite site have archaeologists discovered examples of painted pottery going back to the Neolithic period?

Susa

How is Ashurnasirpal II identified in the painted panels from the palace at Kalhu?

He is taller than the other figures.

What materials were used in the construction of the Ishtar Gate?

Mudbrick and blue-glazed tile

What is name of earliest-known author?

Enheduanna

What aspect of the statue makes an allusion to fertility?

Hands crossed over the belly

What is the subject of the relief on the stele of Hammurabi?

Divinity grants Hammurabi the right to rule