ARTH 120 Ancient Mesopotamia Exam

identify where Mesopotamia is on a map

-

identify where Anatolia (aka Asia Minor) is on a map

-

identify where Levant (aka Syria/Palestine) is on a map

-

identify the Iranian plateau on a map

-

identify Ain Ghazal (Jordan) on a map

-

identify Jericho (West Bank) on a map

-

identify Çatal Hüyük (Turkey) on a map

-

identify Gobekli Tepe on a map

-

identify Ur on a map

-

identify Uruk on a map

-

identify Lagash on a map

-

identify Assur on a map

-

identify Nimrud (ancient Kalhu) on a map

-

identify Babylon on a map

-

identify Pasargadae on a map

-

identify Susa on a map

-

identify Persepolis on a map

-

Ahura Mazda

the supreme deity of Zoroastrianism.

means “wise lord”, with Ahura meaning lord, and Mazda meaning wisdom

An (Anu)

An (Anu in Akkadian) is the supreme sky god.

Ashur

Ashur is the national god of the Assyrian Empire

Apadana

A grand, columned hall (hypostyle hall), famously built by Persian kings (such as Darius I) at Persepolis.

akitu (New Years Festival)

a festival in ancient Sumer primarily centering around seasonal renewal, agricultural rebirth, and divine order

Enki (aka Ea)

Enki (aka Ea in Akkadian and Babylonian mythology), was the god of water, wisdom, magic and creation.

cuneiform definition

Cuneiform is the earliest known writing system in human history, developed by the ancient Sumerians in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500 B.C

Ishtar / Inanna (Sumerian name)

the supreme Sumerian goddess for love, war, fertility, and political power

• Her primary cult center was the Eanna temple in Uruk

lapis lazuli meaning

lapis lazuli symbolized divinity, cosmic order, and royalty.

• the Sumerians believed that the very spirit, soul, and favor of their gods resided within lapis lazuli

Lamassu

these guarded entranceways of homes, royal palaces, and entire cities against evil spirits and forces of chaos

• they had horns indicating their divine status

Marduk

Marduk was the supreme patron deity of Babylon

• son of Ea (god of wisdom)

• personified the triumph of civilization over chaos, governing creation, and justice

Orthostat

a large, upright stone slab placed at the lower portion of a wall

• primarily used in palaces and temples

• they served a dual purpose. of protecting fragile mudbrick walls from erosion and acting as a canvas for reliefs

tachara

translates to “winter palace” in Old Persian, and refers to the personal private palace of Darius the Great

• located in Persepolis

paradise (meaning the Persian feature)

means “walled enclosure”, or “walled garden” and refers to a “Garden of the Gods” used for hunting and retreat

Royal Hero/Royal Hunter

Royal Hero/Royal Hunter represents the king’s divine duty to impose order on a chaotic world

• lion hunting depiction sometimes

Ubaid culture votive figurine

baked-clay artifacts famous for their distinct, elongated bodies and reptilian, or “lizard like” heads.

• found primarily in southern Mesopotamian sites like Ur, Eridu, and Tell-al-Ubaid.

• symbols of fertility, ritualistic status, or representations of deities

Ziggurat

Mushushu

It is most famous as the protective, dragon-like symbol of Marduk, the chief god of Babylon

Adad

the ancient Mesopotamian god of storms, thunder, and rain.

• as a central deity in the Assyro-Babylonian pantheon, he represented both the necessary rains, and violent, destructive storms

Nabu

the ancient Mesopotamian god of wisdom, literacy and writing.

• considered the inventor of writing, the divine scribe

Ur-Nammu (Know who the following rulers were (culture/empire) and ID an art object or structure that

was associated with them)

Ur-Nammu (2112-2095 BCE)

• Sumerian

• third dynasty of Ur

• built the Great Ziggurat of Ur

Naram-Sin (Know who the following rulers were (culture/empire) and ID an art object or structure that

was associated with them)

Naram-Sin was a powerful ruler of the Akkadian Empire

• 2254-2218 BCE

• under his command, the empire reached its maximum territory

• first Mesopotamian king to claim divine status for himself

• seen on the Victory stele of Naram-Sin

Gudea

Gudea was the Ensi (ruler/governor) of the independent Sumerian city-state Lagash

• ruled in the Neo-sumerian period (2144-2124 BCE)

• associated with ~24 votive sculptures known as the Statues of Gudea

Ashurbanipal

Ashurbanipal was the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian empire (668-627 BCE)

• ruled over a vast territory stretching from Egypt to western Iran

• The North Palace at Ninevah decorated to demonstrate his might, divine protection, and martial dominance

• The Library of Ashurbanipal (30,000 clay tablets), including the Epic of Gilgamesh

Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great was the foundational ruler of the Achaemenid Empire (first Persian empire)

• united the Persian and median peoples

• built the largest empire the ancient world had ever seen

• The Cyrus Cylinder (tells us what Cyrus was trying to do and fitting himself into the culture of kingship)

• The tomb of Cyrus the Great: located in Pasargadae

Darius I

Darius I (Darius the Great) was the third King of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia), (522-486 BCE)

• expanded the empire to its greatest territorial extent

• The Tomb of Darius the Great: Carved into the cliff face at Naqsh-e Rustam in modern-day Iran.

Nebuchadnezzar II

Nebuchadnezzar II was the most powerful king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (605-562 BCE)

• most famously associated with the construction of the Ishtar Gate

• Ishtar Gate: the 8th monumental gateway to the inner city of Babylon. it had bright blue glazed bricks featuring alternating relief figures of the mushhushu dragon and bulls, honoring Marduk and Adam

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great was the King of Macedon (Macedonian Empire) and conquered vast territories all the way from Greece into Asia.

• famous art associated with him is the Alexander Mosaic

  • depicts Alexander battling the Persian King Darius III at the battle of Issus

think of at least one object/structure created with cone mosaic

the Eanna Temple

• located in Uruk

• dedicated to the Sumerian goddess Inanna

think of at least one object/structure created with glazed brick

Ishtar Gate

• Babylon

• built by Nebuchadnezzar II

think of at least one object/structure created with lapis lazuli

The Standard of Ur

• found in the royal cemetery of Ur (2600 BCE)

(2) think of at least one object/structure created with lapis lazuli

Ram Caught in a Thicket

• found in the royal cemetery of Ur

• (2600-2400 BCE)

think of at least one object/structure created with lost-wax technique

The “Head of a Ruler” was one of the earliest life-sized examples of hollow-core lost-wax metal casting

• 2300-2200 BCE

• Akkadian Culture

• found in Nineveh

think of at least one object/structure created with Mudbrick (baked)

Ziggurat of Ur

• located in Ur

think of at least one object/structure created with repoussé

Repoussé is an ancient metalworking technique in which a malleable metal is shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create intricate, raised designs

• The Bull’s Head from the Queen’s Lyre (2600 BCE)

  • crafted from beaten gold over a wooden core, embellished with a lapis lazuli beard, hair, and inlaid eyes

• Made in Ur

• Sumerian Culture

think of at least one object/structure created with monumental rock relief

The Behistun Inscription

• 520 BCE

• features Darius the Great facing defeated rebels

• empires like the Neo-Assyrians carved spectacular monumental reliefs into palace walls of their capital cities