Art History Gods and people Unit 1

Adad

Storm god (Ishkur in Sumerian), associated with bulls and thunderbolts.

Ahuramazda

Zoroastrian god, represented as a bearded man in a winged disc.

Alexander the Great

King of Macedon from 336 BC; conquered the Persian Empire in 331 BC.

Anu

God of heaven, a sky god; married to the Earth goddess Ki.

Artaxerxes I & II

I; king of the Persian empire from 464-423 BC. II; king from 404-359 BC.

Ashurbanipal I & II

I; king of Assyria from 668-627 BC. II; king from 883-859 BC.

Assur

A god and a city in Assyria; personification of the city, shown as a man in a winged disc.

Cyrus the Great

Ruled the Persian empire from 559-530 BC; conquered Babylon in 539 BC.

Darius I & III

I; king of the Persian empire from 521-486 BC, established Persepolis.

Ea/Enki

God of freshwater, wisdom, magic, arts, architecture, and crafts.

Enlil

A Sumerian god of the sky; associated with mountains and the city of Nippur.

Ereshkigal

Queen of the night; goddess of the underworld, also known as Allatu.

Gudea

Ruler of Lagash from 2150-2125 BC.

Hammurabi

Babylonian king from 1792-1750 BC; known for Hammurabi’s code.

Imdugud

A lion-headed eagle, a supernatural creature associated with Ningirsu.

Inanna

Goddess of love and war, known as Ishtar in Akkadian.

Layard, Austin Henry

British explorer who excavated Assyrian cities (1817-1894).

Meskalamdug

King buried at the royal cemetery of Ur in 2500 BC.

Nabonidus

King of Babylon from 555-539 BC.

Nabopolassar

King of Babylon from 626-605 BC; began the Neo-Babylonian dynasty.

Nabu

God of writing and scholarship; often shown holding a wedge.

Nanna

Moon god, also known as Sin in Akkadian; shown as a crescent moon.

Naramsin

King of the Akkad dynasty from 2254-2218 BC; first deified king.

Nebuchadnezzar I & II

I; king from 1125-1104 BC. II; king from 604-562 BC.

Nergal

A god associated with the underworld; consort of Ereshkigal and shown as a warrior.

Ningal

Consort of the moon god Nanna; mother of the sun god Utu.

Ninhursag

Mother goddess; known as “Lady of the mountain” and symbolized by a horned snake.

Puabi

Queen buried in the royal cemetery of Ur in 2500 BC.

Rassam, Hormuzd

Archeologist from Mosul; excavated Assyrian and Babylonian cities (1826-1910).

Sargon of Akkad

King and founder of the dynasty of Akkad from 2334-2279 BC.

Sargon II

King of Assyria from 721-705 BC; founded Dur Sharrukin.

Sennacherib

King of Assyria from 705-681 BC.

Shalmaneser III

King of Assyria from 858-824 BC.

Shamash

Sun god, also known as Utu in Sumerian; emblem is a sunburst.

Sin

God of the moon, known as Nanna in Sumerian; emblem is a crescent moon.

Tiglath Pilesar I

King of Assyria from 114-1076 BC.

Ur-Namma

King of the Ur III dynasty from 2112-2095 BC.

Wooley, Leonard

British archeologist who discovered the royal cemetery at Ur (1880-1960).