HAID : Pre-historic & Near East

Menhir

A single, large upright monolith

Dolmen

Tomb of standing stones usually capped with a large

horizontal slab

Cromlech

Enclosure formed by huge stones planted on the ground

in circular form

Wigwam or Tepee

conical tent with wooden poles as framework

Trullo

dry walled rough stone shelter with corbelled roof

Mesopotamia

Started as villages on the flat land between Tigris and

Euphrates river became one of the earliest cradles of civilization, known for its advances in writing, architecture, and governance.

Paleolithic

known as the glacial age

Bison, Tuc d’ Audoubert

a prehistoric cave painting located in France, depicting bison and notable for its detailed representation of the animals ( a mixture of both high and round relief)

Shaman Trois Freres

shaman dressed in an animal suit and believed to connect the physical world with the spiritual realm, depicted in cave art at Trois Frères.

Relief sculpture

a sculptural technique where the sculpted elements remain attached to a solid background of the same material, creating either low or high

Gallery of the Running Bulls

found in Lascaux, France : showcasing a dynamic scene of bulls in motion, illustrating the vitality of the animals.

Sgrafitto

a technique wherein you incise the designs onto the surface

Neolithic

era where monumental architecture began to develop as well as temples and tombs. This period is characterized by the shift from nomadic lifestyles to settled farming communities, leading to advancements in agriculture and social organization.

Vernacular architecture

architecture not formally designed by architects and were communally built by the people.

Mesopotamian

civilization that emerged in 4300 BC - 331 BC

polytheistic

religion of the Mesopotamian civilization

Anu

Mesopotamian supreme male god, represented with a bull, key symbol of male power. Considered the sky god and king of the gods

Cuneiform

considered the world's first known system of writing. comes from the Latin word “cuneus” meaning wedge. around 3500-3000 BC

King Hammurabi

1792 BC

Cylinder seal

a small, barrel-shaped stone object with a hole down the center and an incised design or cuneiform inscription. Used for business transactions in Mesopotamia.

Tell Asmar Figures

A collection of 12 ancient Sumerian sculptures, considered to be primarily for worship purposes. Eyes were inlayed with lapis lazulli and black limestone.

Standard of Ur

Sumerian artifact that depicts the violence and grandeur of Sumerian kingship. Made of wood and inlaid with mosaics of shell, red limestone, and lapis lazuli. Consists of 3 levels called register.

Ram in a Thicket

an offering stand from Ur in the 2600 BC made of gold, wood and lapiz lazulli.

Assyrian

Based in Ashur, biggest empire under King Ashurbanipal – conquered Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine and Egypt

Persian

Begun by Cyrus the Great from 559 to 529 BC

King Ur-Nammu

built the Ziggurat of Ur around 2100 BCE to honor the moon goddess Nanna. The ziggurat was a massive step pyramid that served as a temple and administrative center in the Sumerian city of Ur. 

King Sargon of Akkad

was the first ruler of the Akkadian Empire in 2334 BC, which was the first multi-national empire in history

Akkadian

semitic-speaking Mesopotamian people, lived in the north of Sumer.

Head of An Akkadian Ruler

presumed to be a bronze sculpture of Sargon I. Made through the lost wax method

Cire-perdue

the lost wax method, method of metal casting; molten metal is poured into a mold.

Stele of Naram-sin

is an upright stone slab that depicts the Akkadian victory over the Lullubi people. It was carved around 2250 BCE and is now in the Louvre in Paris.

Code of Hammurabi

written on stone stele and clay tablets in 1754 BCE, it comprises of 282 laws written in Akkadian in 51 cuneiform columns

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

dedicated to the wife of Nebuchadnezzar and thought to have been located near the royal palace in Babylon.

Tower of Babel

is a mythical tower in the Bible, said to have been built to reach the heavens. Measures 300ft high with a temple at the apex

Gate of Ishtar

Built about 575 BC, it became the eighth fortified gate in the city of Babylon. More than 38 feet (12 metres) high and decorated with glazed brick reliefs, in tiers, of dragons and young bulls.

Seraglio

part of the Palace of Sargon II, provider with the King’s residence, state halls, apartments and courts.

Khan

service chamber

Palace of Sargon II

a complex of large & small courts, corridors & rooms covering 23 acres; entrance portals flanked with statues of headed winged bulls & lions.

Lamassu

monumental stone sculptures of human-headed, winged bulls, lions that guarded the entrances to Mesopotamian palaces & temples

Cyprus the Great

founded the Persian Achaemenid Dynasty from 559 to 529 BC which was the largest empire in the world.

Persians

goldsmiths from the early kingdom of Iran.

Zoroastrianism

the belief of polar opposites, the idea of a single god, heaven, hell and a day of judgment.

Persepolis

was the capital of the Persian Achaemenid Empire from the reign of Darius I (522-486 BCE)