Chapter 3 Art 321 Ancient Mesopotamian Art

Flashcards covering key concepts, artworks, and historical context from Chapter 3 Art 321 Ancient Mesopotamian Art.

In Ancient Mesopotamia, where did the invention of writing first appear?

In the temple

Which of the following best supports the fact that the temple was the center of life in ancient Uruk?

The temple had great economic power, organizing agriculture and trade.

The Temple of Anu at Uruk was built of mudbrick atop which of the following structures?

A tall earthen platform that raised the temple above the city's urban center

The Limestone Temple at the Eanna complex at Uruk is significant for several reasons. Which of the following should be disregarded as one of these reasons?

Its creation using the lost-wax technique

Which of the following artworks is one of the very earliest examples of pictorial narrative?

Uruk Vase

Why is the figure on the Lion-Hunt Stele from Uruk referred to as a "priest-king"?

A similar figure is often depicted elsewhere as a dominating person associated with worship.

Which definition best describes a stele?

It is a stone slab that is placed upright and often includes imagery and/or inscriptions.

The cylinder seal was an innovation of the Uruk period. What was innovative about it?

Its round design, which enabled a continuous image

Evidence suggests that the statues found at the Temple of Abu in Eshnunna served a devotional function. Which of the following should be disregarded as an indication of this devotional function?

They were carved from veined gypsum.

The evidence discovered in the Royal Tombs of Ur fails to support which of the following statements?

People and objects were buried separately.

Which of the following details from the Standard of Ur is a good example of hierarchical scale?

The size of the large seated figure in the top register

The Akkadian head is identified as a representation of a ruler for several reasons. Which of the following is least likely to be one of them?

It features abstracted eyebrows.

What is a significant way in which the art of the Akkadians differs from earlier Mesopotamian art?

They focused primarily on depictions of military victories and rulers.

In what way does the Stele of Naram-Sin completely break from previous Mesopotamian visual conventions?

It does not use registers.

Which of the following details visually reinforces the idea that the Stele of Naram-Sin depicts an actual event?

The depiction of specific tree species

The Akkadian Disk of Enheduanna is noteworthy for which reason?

It depicts the ruler's daughter, who is also mentioned in a cuneiform inscription.

What does Gudea's clean-shaven face suggest?

His religious devotion

Temples built on ziggurats were elevated. For whom were the highest spaces reserved?

The priests and priestesses

Which site transcended power struggles and maintained its importance across Mesopotamia?

The ziggurat and sanctuary at Ur

Which work tells the story of an important victory utilizing three different means of communication: a historical pictorial narrative, a mythological scene, and a cuneiform inscription?

Stele of Eannatum