Ancient Near Eastern ( 3,200-490 B.C )

White Temple and Ziggurat, Uruk

Creation & Material: Commissioned by King Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC during the Neo-Sumerian period (Third Dynasty of Ur). The massive structure uses a core of sun-dried mud brick faced with an outer layer of kiln-fired brick set in bitumen.

Representation: Dedicated to the city-state's patron deity, the moon god Nanna (or Sin). Its purpose was to serve as a stairway to the gods and the seat of the deity. Three monumental staircases converge at the first platform, emphasizing the structure's role as a pilgrimage destination and royal testament.

Ziggurat of Urnammu

Creation & Material: Commissioned by King Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC during the Neo-Sumerian period (Third Dynasty of Ur). The massive structure uses a core of sun-dried mud brick faced with an outer layer of kiln-fired brick set in bitumen.

Representation: Dedicated to the city-state's patron deity, the moon god Nanna (or Sin). Its purpose was to serve as a stairway to the gods and the seat of the deity. Three monumental staircases converge at the first platform, emphasizing the structure's role as a pilgrimage destination and royal testament.

Victory Stele of Naram-Sin

Creation & Material: Carved from pink limestone around 2254–2218 BC during the Akkadian Empire. It is one of the earliest known monuments to portray a specific historical event.

Representation: It commemorates King Naram-Sin's victory over the Lullubi people. The king is placed at the apex of the composition, wearing a horned helmet (a symbol previously reserved only for gods) and stepping over the fallen enemy, establishing the concept of the divine king in Mesopotamian art. The narrative moves diagonally, abandoning the strict horizontal registers common in earlier art.

Seated Statue of Gudea

Creation & Material: One of many statues carved from hard, dark diorite during the Neo-Sumerian period (c. 2120 BC). The expensive, imported stone links Gudea's power to trade networks and assures the statue's permanence.

Representation: Gudea, ruler of Lagash, is portrayed as a pious, humble servant of the gods. The cuneiform inscription on his robe details the temple he built. The tablet on his lap features an architectural plan and a stylus, emphasizing his role as a divinely inspired builder and restorer of temples.

Relief of Darius and Xerxes

Creation & Material: A low-relief carving from a doorjamb in the treasury at Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Persian (Achaemenid) Empire (c. 490 BC). It is carved from limestone.

Representation: The relief depicts King Darius I seated on the throne and his son, Xerxes I, standing behind him, receiving a tribute bearer. The use of formal, rigid style and the elaborate costumes emphasize the hierarchical structure, the power of the Great King, and the stability of the vast, multicultural Persian Empire.