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Function unknown → could be commemorating a successful battle and celebrating afterward
Imported materials
Found in a very rich, possibly royal, tomb in the major Sumerian city of Ur
Demonstration of trade routes across vast distances, even at the early moment of human civilization
Connection between the two sides → peace and war side
Features registers
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Relief sculpture at the top of the stele shows Shamash (sun god) speaking with King Hammurabi
Twisted perspective and hierarchy of scale
Throne that the god is sitting on is in the shape of a temple - representing his power and size
Passing over the rod represents giving power
Function: Commemorative and records a law code given by one of the first kings of Babylon
1 of at least 50 Stelai with the law code on it → this is the best preserved
Found in Iran, far from Babylon, probably taken as war loot long after Hammurabi’s death
Most of the Stelai is a list of 282 laws set by Hammurabi “in order to keep the strong from oppressing the weak.”
Not the first law code ever, but the earliest that is completely preserved
The introduction names many Babylonian gods, giving Hammurabi the authority to rule over Mesopotamia
Political propaganda? Meant to make Hammurabi favorable to his religious subjects and to show the power he was handed by the god
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Combination of relief and sculpture in the round
Originally painted for more impressive effect
Bull symbolizes strength, power, aggression
Eagle represented flight
Man represents wisdom and intelligence
Function: Decorative, monumental,
Stood outside gateways to the palace of an Assyrian King
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Stairways decorated by register or relief sculptures depicting representatives of the 23 nations of the Persian empire
Functon: Residential + Treasury + Administrative + Ecomomic Center + Religious areas
Ceremonial Palace
King of the Persian empire hosted guests and tributes
Relief sculptures reinforce the power of the king and the span of the empire
Persian kings used art and architecture to reinforce their power over the diverse population and send messages to the people they ruled over.
Persian Empire was eventually conquered by Alexander the Great
Audience hall to receive visitors
Hypostyle Hall: A space where the roof is supported by pillars of columns
Capital: The topmost part of a column or pillar where the verticle support meets the roof
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