MMW 11 Midterm Visual Sources

The Lauscaux Cave Paintings

• Paleolithic France, c. 17,000 BCE

• Context: Prehistoric cave art; its precise purpose is uncertain

• Themes: R (spiritual beliefs), A (artistic expression)

James Mellart’s Art on Dorak Treasure

• Identify: 1959, allegedly depicting Bronze Age artifacts from Turkey

• Context: Mellaart reported seeing the objects but did not produce the treasure; the account remains controversial and unverified.

• Themes: A (artistic expression/material culture), W (writing and the recording of the past).

Vase to Inanna

• Sumer, Mesopotamia; c. 3200–3000 BCE.

• Depiction: Registers show agricultural goods, animals, and offerings associated with Inanna

• Context: Connected to temple worship and the agricultural economy

• Themes: R (religion), S (social hierarchy)

Egyptian creation story of Nut Geb

• Ancient Egyptian religious imagery depicting the creation and structure of the cosmos.

• Egyptian religious traditions explained the relationship between the sky, earth, and cosmic order

• R — creation and divine beings; E — explanations of the natural world

King Djoser performing Heb-Sed Ritual

• Old Kingdom Egypt, Third Dynasty, c. 27th century BCE.

• Context: The ritual symbolically renewed the king’s strength and legitimacy; it was traditionally associated with a ruler’s continued reign.

• Themes: P — royal authority; R — sacred kingship and ritual.

Priest King of Mohenjo Daro

• Indus Valley (Harappan) Civilization, Mohenjo-daro, Pakistan, c. 2000–1900 BCE.

• Context: The figure was named “Priest-King” by modern archaeologists; its actual identity and role are unknown.

• Themes: S — possible elite status; A — sculpture and representation.

Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-daro

• Indus Valley Civilization, c. 2500 BCE; small bronze statuette made using lost-wax casting.

• Context: From the urban settlement of Mohenjo-daro; the figure’s exact identity and purpose are unknown.

• Themes: A — artistic and technical skill; S — representation of the human figure.

Top of the Code of Hammurabi stele

• Old Babylonian Mesopotamia, c. 1750 BCE, during Hammurabi’s reign.

• Context: Displayed a collection of laws and presented the king as a divinely supported ruler.

• Themes: P — political authority and law; R — divine legitimacy.

Shang Dynasty Bronze Wine Vessel

• Shang dynasty China, c. 1600–1046 BCE.

• Context: Bronze vessels were used by elites in rituals honoring ancestors and other spiritual powers.

• Themes: R — ancestor worship; S — elite status and hierarchy; A — bronze craftsmanship.

Relief of King Sennacherib’s Siege of Lachish

Neo-Assyrian Empire, Nineveh, c. 700–681 BCE, during Sennacherib’s reign.

Depiction: Assyrian soldiers attack Lachish, while captives and spoils are shown before the king.

Context: Palace reliefs commemorated military victories and communicated royal power.

Themes: P — imperial authority; O — treatment of conquered peoples.

Relief from the Persian Apadana Temple

• Achaemenid Persian Empire, Persepolis, primarily 6th–5th centuries BCE.

• Context: The Apadana was a monumental audience hall associated with royal ceremonies and imperial rule.

• Themes: P — imperial governance; O — relationships between different peoples.

Zhou silk painting of man riding dragon

• Ancient China, late Zhou period / Warring States era, approximately 4th–3rd century BCE.

• Context: The silk painting was associated with burial practices; its imagery is often interpreted in relation to the afterlife or the journey of the soul.

• Themes: R — spiritual beliefs about death; A — symbolic artistic expression.

Mayan fresco depicting ball game

• Ancient Maya civilization, Mesoamerica; the exact date depends on the particular fresco used in your course.

• Context: The Mesoamerican ballgame had social, political, and religious significance and could be associated with mythology and cosmic order.

• Themes: R — ritual and cosmology; S — social roles; P — political prestige.

Monument 19, La Venta

• Olmec civilization, La Venta, present-day Tabasco, Mexico; approximately 550–450 BCE. Arqueología Mexicana

• Context: A carved stone relief from La Venta, an important Olmec ceremonial center. The exact meaning of the scene is debated.

• Themes: R — religious and spiritual beliefs; A — artistic expression.