Chapter 2: Ancient Near Eastern Art

Sargon II

founded the capital at Khorsabad; the city was surrounded by a wall with seven gates.

Columns

have a bell- shaped base that is an inverted lotus blossom; the capitals are bulls or lions.

Shallow relief sculpture

: an Assyrian specialty, although the lamassus are virtually three- dimensional as they project noticeably from the walls they are attached to.

Ancient Near East

is where almost everything began first: writing, cities, organized religion, organized government, laws, agriculture, bronze casting, and even the wheel.

Bent axis plan

: ascending the stairs requires angular changes of direction to reach the temple.

Hammurabi

is depicted with a speaking /greeting gesture.

Stone

is rare in Mesopotamian art and contrasts greatly with the mud- brick construction of the palace.

Human

- headed animal guardian figures: face of a person, ears and body of a bull.

Figures

are stoic, even while hunting lions or defeating an enemy.

Sumerian world

In the , the gods symbolized powers that were manifest in nature.

Lamassus

: A Mesopotamian celestial being with a human head, bull's body, and wings.

Cuneiform

: a system of writing in which the strokes are formed in a wedge or arrowhead shape.

Cella

: the main room of a temple where the god is housed.

Anu

: The god of the sky, the most important Sumerian deity.

Nudity

: A sign of debasement; only slaves and prisoners are .

study of art history

The is shaped by changing analyses based on scholarship, theories, context, and written records.

Humans

are virtually emotionless.

Register

: a horizontal band, often on top of another, that tells a narrative story.

Whitewash

: was used to disguise the mud appearance; hence the modern name of White Temple.

Apotropaic

: having the power to ward off evil or bad luck.

Lapis lazuli

: a deep- blue stone prized for its color.

gesture of prayer

Hands are folded in a(n) .

Lascaux

: A network of caves near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in southwestern France.

Religion

plays a dominant role in the art of the Ancient Near East.

Apadana

: an audience hall in a Persian palace.

Mud brick building

built on a colossal scale and covered with glazed tiles or cones.

Hypostyle hall

: An indication of one of the many cultures that inspired the complex.

Sumerian art

: It has realistic- look- ing figures acting out identifiable narratives.

Ancient

Near Eastern architecture is characterized by ziggurats and palaces that express the power of the gods and rulers.

Peace side

: food brought in a procession to the banquet; musician plays the lyre; the ruler is the largest figure- he wears a kilt made of tufts of wool; may have been a victory celebration after a battle.

Negative space

: empty space around an object or a person, such as the cut- out areas between a figures legs or arms of a sculpture.

Ground line

: a baseline upon which figures stand.

Uruk

: May be the first true city in history; the first with monumental architecture.

Shamash

: Sun god, enthroned on a ziggurat, hands Hammurabi a rope, a ring, and a rod of kingship.

Shamashs beard

is fuller than Hammurabis, illustrating Shamashs greater ­wisdom.

monumental architecture

The Persians erected , huge audience halls, and massive subsidiary buildings for grand ceremonies that glorified their country and their rulers.

Ground plan

: the map of a floor of a building.

hierarchy of scale

Figures are of different heights, denoting .

negative space

Figures are cut from stone, with hollowed out under their arms and between their legs.

hierarchy of scale

Figures are constructed within stylistic conventions of the time, including the , registers, and stylized human forms.

Ancient Near East is where almost everything began first

writing, cities, organized religion, organized government, laws, agriculture, bronze casting, and even the wheel

Reflects extensive trading network

lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, shells from the Persian Gulf, and red limestone from India

Law articles are written in a formula

"If a person has done this, then that will happen to him."

Human-headed animal guardian figures

face of a person, ears and body of a bull

Appears to have five legs

when seen from the front, it seems to be standing at attention; when seen from the side, the animal seems to be walking

Ziggurats

The first great buildings of the ancient world; were made of baked mud, and they were tall, solid structures that dominated the flat landscape.

Lascaux

A network of caves near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in southwestern France.

Lamassus

A Mesopotamian celestial being with a human head, bull's body, and wings.

Cuneiform

a system of writing in which the strokes are formed in a wedge or arrowhead shape

Apotropaic

having the power to ward off evil or bad luck

Negative space

empty space around an object or a person, such as the cut-out areas between a figure’s legs or arms of a sculpture

Sumerian art

It has realistic-look-ing figures acting out identifiable narratives.

Nudity

A sign of debasement; only slaves and prisoners are nude.

Hierarchy of scale

a system of representation that expresses a person’s importance by the size of his or her representation in a work of art

Local god

An advocate for a given city in the assembly of gods.

Temple

Became the center point of both civic and religious pride.

Bent-axis plan

ascending the stairs requires angular changes of direction to reach the temple

Cella

the main room of a temple where the god is housed

Whitewash

was used to disguise the mud appearance; hence the modern name of White Temple.

Uruk

May be the first true city in history; the first with monumental architecture.

Anu

The god of the sky, the most important Sumerian deity.

Votive

Offered in fulfillment of a vow or a pledge

Ground line

a baseline upon which figures stand

Ground plan

the map of a floor of a building

Register

a horizontal band, often on top of another, that tells a narrative story

Lapis lazuli

a deep-blue stone prized for its color

Shamash

Sun god, enthroned on a ziggurat, hands Hammurabi a rope, a ring, and a rod of kingship.

Shamash

judge of the sky and the earth, with a tiara of four rows of horns, ­presents signs of royal power, the scepter and the ring, to Hammurabi.

Shallow relief sculpture

an Assyrian specialty, although the lamassus are virtually three-dimensional as they project noticeably from the walls they are attached to.

Khorsabad

Sargon II founded the capital at ____; the city was surrounded by a wall with seven gates.

Capital

the top element of a column

Apadana

an audience hall in a Persian palace

Audience hall (apadana)

It had 36 columns covered by a wooden roof; held thousands of people; was used for the king’s receptions; had stairways adorned with reliefs of the New Year’s festival and a procession of representatives of 23 subject nations.

Hypostyle hall

An indication of one of the many cultures that inspired the complex.

Alexander the Great

He destroyed the Apadaa; perhaps as an act of revenge for the destruction of the Acropolis in Athens.

White Temple and its ziggurat

Details:

• c. 3500–3000 B.C.E
• mud brick
• Uruk (modern Warka), Iraq

Form:

• Buttresses spaced across the surface
• tapers downward so that rainwater washes off
• resembles a mountain
• Bent-axis plan

Function:

• terrace at top for rituals
• temple on top is small; access for royalty and clergy only.
• interior temple has cella and small rooms for deities

Statues of votive figures

Details:

• Square Temple at Eshnunna
• c. 2700 B.C.E.
• Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone

Form:

• different high figures
• huge eyes
• men are bare chested; women are dressed draped over one shoulder.
• pinkie in a spiral; chin a wedge shape; ear a double volute.

Function:

• “It offers prayer.“
• Represents mortals.
• Placed in temples to pray before a sculpture of god,

Standard of Ur

Details:

• Royal Tombs at Ur
• c. 2600–2400 B.C.E.
• Wood inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red ­limestone
• British Museum, London

Forms:

• frontal shoulders; bodies in profile; twisted perspective.
• emphasis on eyes, brows and ears.
• organized in registers.
• read from bottom to top.

Content and Theories:

• Two sides:
  • War Side
  • Peace Side
• Found in a tomb at a royal cemetery.
• reflects extensive trading network

Code of Hammurabi

Details:

• Babylon (modern Iran), Susian
• c. 1792–1750 B.C.E.
• basalt
• Louvre, Paris

Form and Function:

• stele meant to be placed in an important location
• earliest law codes; 300 entries

Content and Context:

• Shamash as sun god, judge of the sky ad earth
• Shamash giving Hammurabi the laws.
• Written in cuneiform; Akkadian language

Lamassu

• Details:

• From the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (c. 720–705 B.C.E.)

• Alabaster

• Louvre, Paris

Form:

• human-headed animal guardian figures; winged
• has five legs; seem to be walking
• faces exude calm, serenity, and harmony.

Function:

• meant to ward off enemies both visible and invisible.
• inscriptions in cuneiform

Apadana of Darius and Xerxes

Details:

• c. 520–465 B.C.E.
• limestone
• Persepolis, Iran

Form:

• artificial terraces
• bell-shaped base columns
• bulls/lions capitals
• built to dwarf the viewers

Function:

• for lavish receptions and festivals
• lamassu gates welcome visitors

History:

• Built by Darius I and Xerxes I
• Destroyed by Alexander the Great