History: Prehistoric, Mesopotamian, Egyptian -

Venus of Willendorf

Paleolithic

c. 28,000-25,000 BCE, limestone, Kunsthistoriches, Vienna, Austria------small limstone figure -handheld to be carried or held for fertility

Venus of Laussel

- ~ 20,000 ya

- Holding bison horn/ moon

- 13 lines, interpreted as the Lunar cycle / fertility cycle (menstrual cycle)

Mesolithic Age

Most of the glacial ice and food disappeared. Beginning of settlements and farming, and pottery for food storage.

Neolithic Age

Men first developed agriculture and settled in permanent villages. Mud bricks were first used.

Trullo

Conical, stone-roofed building unique to the region of Puglia (Apulia) in southeastern Italy

dabbing

Dry roughly plastered wall

Menhir - Neolithic Age

A large single upright standing stone

Dolmen - Neolithic Age

A free standing chamber, consisting of standing stones covered by a capstone as a lid. It was used for burial and was covered by mounds.

Megalith - Neolithic Age

A large stone which has been used to construct a structure or monument either alone or with other stones

Mesopotamian Civilization

Known as the "cradle of civilizations" because of its enormous advances and contributions including domestication of animals, trade and coinage, legal government, potter's wheel, wagon wheel, alphabet, architecture, mathematics and astronomy, monotheism and monogamy

Sumerian - Mesopotamian

Contributed to the cuneiform and ziggurat architecture. Invented writing and produced world's first literature: Epic of Gilgamesh

Akkadian - Mesopotamian

First Mesopotamian ruler to call themselves king. Art of this period was personal glorification of the sovereign.

Babylonians - Mesopotamian

A group of people who conquered the Sumerians. They had a very famous king named Hammurabi. Hammurabi created nearly 300 laws known as Hammurabi's Code of Laws, the old known legal system based on the concept of "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".

Assyrian - Mesopotamian

Palaces in this period were fortified citadels with lamassu guardians.

Persian Period - Mesopotamian

Cyrus the great defeated the Babylonians. Persepolis was built by Darius I.

Cuneiform -Mesopotamian

A form of writing developed by the Sumerians using a wedge shaped stylus and clay tablets.

Lamassu (Mesopotamian Assyrian)

Great stone statue of a human headed winged bull that preceded the Palace of Ishtar

Ziggurat -Mesopotamian

Artificial mountains made of tiered artificial rectangular layers which rose in number from one to seven in the course of mesopotamian history.

City of Nebuchadnezzer (Babylonian-Mesopotamian)

Apadana/ Audience Hall (Egyptian period)

A large hypostyle hall begun by Darius and finished by Xerxes, used mainly for receptions of kings. It has 72 columns and 2 monumental stairways

Law of Frontality (Egyptian period)

Hands and feet in profile side, shoulders are in front view

Sphinx

A mythical Egyptian beast with the body of a lion and the head of a human. Symbolizes pharoah as incarnation of god sun ra.