Ancient medieval art midterm

Last Judgement of Hu-Nefer

Origin: Part of the Egyptian "Book of the Dead"

Depiction: The afterlife judgement process

Symbolism: Anubis weighs the heart against a feather; if heavier, the heart is consumed

by Anuit, a minor god. If not, the soul (Ka) is presented to Ra, allowing entry into the

afterlife.

Importance: Illustrates Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife and the roles of their gods,

particularly Anubis, Anuit, and Ra.

Ishtar Gate

Location: Entrance to Babylon

Construction: Comprised of individually crafted glazed bricks

Purpose: Believed to guard the garden of Babylon, adorned with depictions of both real

and mythical creatures.

Painted Chest of Tutankhamun

Theme: Military prowess of Tutankhamun and Egypt's might

Imagery: Depicts Egyptians as orderly and their enemies as chaotic, symbolizing

superior

Pyramids

Purpose: Tombs for Egyptian pharaohs

Symbolism: Represented the power and status of the pharaohs, showcasing architectural

ingenuity and religious beliefs.

Lamassu

Features: Statues with five legs to appear motion-correct from any angle

Function: Served for intimidation, commonly found guarding gates.

Banquet Scene

Medium: Cylinder seals

Use: Merchants wore them and used them as signatures. Also served as counting tools

and were carried around the neck.

Neolithic Animal Representation

Style: Strict profile view

Purpose: Enhanced recognizability for communication and documentation.

Human Figure Representation

Burial Practices: Bodies were placed under houses with plaster masks to preserve the

image of the deceased.

Protomes (Structure)

Animal representations on columns, denoting wealth and superior status.

Palette of King Narmer (structure)

Used for holding makeup, depicted the ceremonial unification of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Paleolithic

Old Stone Age

Neolithic

New Stone Age

Megalith

Large stone block

Corbeled Vaulting

Technique using balanced heavy rocks to create tunnels.

Post and Lintel

Structural system used in constructions like Stonehenge.

Henge

Circle of megaliths

Bent Axis

Architectural design detail from the ancient Near East.

Registers

Horizontal levels in artworks separated by lines.

Votive Offering

Personal item offered in worship, including food or effigies in altars.

Inanna

The most worshiped goddess of love and war during the ancient east, near modern day Iraq.

Hierarchy of scale

the more important a subject is, the larger they are in scale compared to other subjects.

Ground line

a way to organize pictures in art to tell a story.

Stylus

a writing utensil that was used to mark of clay tablets.

Cuneiform

The symbols that are used in ancient writing in Mesopotamia.

Cylinder seal

A cylinder with engravings that merchants would wear around their necks, and use as signatures and counting.

Protome

a statue of an animal's front forelegs and head, often built on the top of columns, sometimes one animal is depicted of two facing opposite sides.

Rhyton

a type of drinking vessel

Repousse

a metalworking technique that uses hammering to create a raised design on a sheet of metal.

Canopic Jars

Jars that held the organs of the deceased, so that they could be collected in the afterlife.

Mastaba

what a singular level of a pyramid is called

Imhotep

An Egyptian chancellor to the King Djoser, possible architect of Djoser's step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis.

Fluting

a way of creating columns

Clerestory

How a roof would be constructed so that natural light could come in during the day.

Sunken relief

When a room or wall is carved into the stone rather than built on top of.

Ka

soul of the dead inside of the heart used for the weighing ceremony.

Hammurabi's Laws

Medium: Steles

Notable Laws:

"If a man puts out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out"

"If he kills a man’s slave, he shall pay one-third of a mina"

"If a married woman dies before bearing any sons, her dowry shall be repaid to

her father, but if she gave birth to sons, the dowry shall belong to them.“

"If a man is guilty of incest with his daughter, he shall be exiled"

Venus of Willendorf

Artist: Predominantly male artists

Theme: Fertility, indicative of the era's focus on reproduction.

Hypostyle Hall (Egypt)

Design: Central columns taller than side columns, creating a sunken relief effect.

Statuettes of Two Worshipers

Purpose: Represented actual worshippers who could not always be physically present in

temples.

Akhenaton and Nefertiti Engraving

Features: Family depiction with no hierarchy of scale, children included, Aton

represented as a sun disc.