Introduction to History of Western Art

Carved Vessel from Uruk, Sumerian City States

Stele of Naram-Sin, Akkadian Empire

Ziggurat at Ur, Neo-Sumerian Empire

Gudea, with water of life, Neo-Sumerian Empire

Stele of Hammurabi, Babylon

Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions, Assyrian Empire

Ishtar Gate, Neo-Babylon

Relief sculpture with King Darius and Xerxes receiving Tribute, Acaemenid

Palette of Narmer, Pre-Dynastic Egypt

Pyramid of Djoser, Pre-Dynastic Egypt

Statute of Khafre, Old Kingdom Egypt

Ti Watching a Hippopotamus Hunt, Old Kingdom Egypt

Head of Senusrett III, Middle Kingdom Egypt

Temple of Amun at Karnak, New Kingdom Egypt

Reconstruction of Hypostyle Hall, New Kingdom Egypt

Kneeling Figure of Hatshepsut, New Kingdom Egypt

Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut, New Kingdom Egypt

Stele

An ancient, upright stone monument

Ziggurat

Rectangular stepped tower, sometimes surmounted by a temple

Register

horizontal level in a work that consists of several levels arranged one above the other

Relief

a sculptural technique where figures or designs project from a solid background, remaining attached to it

Hieratic Scale

artistic convention that uses differences in the size of figures within a composition to represent their relative importance or social status

Iconography

visual images and symbols used in a work of art or the study or interpretation of these

Composition

deliberate arrangement and organization of all the visual elements—such as line, shape, color, value, texture, and space—within

Mastaba

type of ancient Egyptian tomb, characterized by its flat roof and rectangular, sloping sides, constructed from mudbrick or limestone

Post and Lintel

simple construction method where vertical posts support horizontal beams

Clerestory

use of high-level windows (the clerestory) in a building's upper story to admit natural light into the interior

Pylon

tower-like structure that serves to support something or mark a course

Peristyle

a row of columns surrounding a space within a building such as a court or internal garden

Hypostyle

roof which is supported by columns

Axial/Axis

designs or artistic movements centered around a central, often linear, axis