Prehistoric and Ancient Near East Art Review

Flashcards covering key concepts from Prehistoric Art and Ancient Near East topics, based on the provided lecture notes. This set focuses on definitions, characteristics, periods, and significant historical details to aid in exam preparation.

What is the general definition of "prehistoric"?

Before written history

What characterizes Paleolithic cave paintings, such as those found in the Hall of the Bulls?

Images/scenes of animals

What are two types of Paleolithic art, besides portable art?

Parietal art (stationary cave art)

When referring to images of animals, how is 'twisted perspective' defined?

The animal is depicted in a composite/simultaneous viewpoint (e.g., body in profile, head in frontal view)

Which period does Stonehenge belong to?

Neolithic period

What was one of the earliest fortified cities in the Neolithic period?

Jericho

What transition did Çatalhöyük witness across its history regarding plant and animal usage?

Domestication

How many stages was Stonehenge created in?

Three stages

What characterizes monuments from the Neolithic period in Western Europe, such as Stonehenge?

Megalithic architecture (large stone constructions)

Is monumental architecture considered powerful human-made topography?

True

Did the use of bronze allow for the beginnings of urban civilization, metal tools, government, and proto-writing?

True

Who ruled a theocratic society?

Gods or priests (divine authority)

Where can some of the earliest complex urban centers in Mesopotamia be found?

Between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers

What was the earliest known writing, which emerged in southern Mesopotamia around 3400 BC, called?

Cuneiform

Besides wax and bronze, what other material is used in the lost wax casting process, as seen in the Head of an Akkadian Ruler?

Clay (for the mold)

The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin represents a victory over which Mountain People?

Lullubi Mountain People

Is it true that after 612 BCE, Babylonian kings Nabopolassar and Nebuchadnezzar II were able to claim much of the Assyrian empire and rebuilt Babylon on a grand scale?

True

What famous set of laws is inscribed into the stele of Hammurabi?

The Code of Hammurabi

What was the most elaborate of the inner-city gates constructed in Babylon in antiquity?

The Ishtar Gate

Which empire dominated Mesopotamia and all of the Near East for the first half of the first millennium BCE?

The Neo-Assyrian empire