Ancient Mediterranean Flashcards
3500-3000 BCE, Sumarian, mudbrick. Mudbrick temple on steeped structures with buttresses. Slanted sides so rain washes out, was once white. Built to honor a god, Anu. Corners were like a compass, ceremonies done outside on the top.
White temple and its ziggurat
2700 BCE, Sumerian limestone and alabaster. Limestone people in prayerful pose, opened eyes and wearing skirts. Men have rectangular beards. Were placeholders people paid to put in temples so they could “always worship”.
Statues of Votive Figures
Sumarian, 2600-2400 BCE, Wood inlaid with shell, lapis Lazuli, red limestone that shows trade networks. Is a standard, a symbol for an important person. Two sides, one war and one peace. Shows two sides of king. Found in a royal tomb in Ur
Standard of Ur
Babylon, 1792-1740 BCE. Stele meant to be in public forum. Visual of 300 laws of Babylon. Written in Acadian. On top is Hammurabi talking to sub god shamash. Shamash is handing Hammurabi a scepter. Shamash is in hierarchal scale. Hammurabi brought Mesopotamia together.
Code of Hammurabi
Iraq, 720-705 BCE, Assyrian, Alabaster. Human head with long beard and hair on body of an animal with wings, 5 legs. Places at City gate to guard city. Sargon 2 was king who founded the capital, walled city with 7 gates. Weight of arch distributed to lammasu
Lamassu from the citadel of Saragon 2
Predynanistic Egypt, 300-2920 BCE, Greywacke. 2 sided, Narmer is in heierachial scale. 2 serphants in middle form a circle called a palate used to crush makeup. Relief sculpture.Narmer wears lower Egypt crown. On front, he decapitated people against unification of Egypt. In front of Narmer is priest and standard bearer. On the back above Narmer is a falcon that represents horus.
Palate of Narmer
Saqqara Egypt, Old Kingdom. 2620-2500 BCE, Limestone. Chubby man holds a papyrus and is seated in a cross legged position. He is writing. Still has original pigment. Vessel for the ka. Scribe doesn’t have perfect body because he isn’t a pharaoh. Found in tomb.
Seated scibe
Giza, old Kingdom, 2620-2500 BCE, limestone. 3 pyramids, each has a mourning path. Used to bury pharaohs. Khufu is the oldest, had mysterious boat pits. Khafre still has casing, Sphinx at end of its path. Menkaura is smallest and most correct. Sphinx is a cat, which is sacred in Egypt. Design used ben-ben instrument, compass corners.
Great pyramid and the Sphinx
Egypt, old Kingdom, 2940-2472 BCE, Greywacke. Solid carving of king and queen, remaining paint.Queen is holding king as they walk.
Holds ka after life. Stiff arms, nemes on head, pharaoh only slightly taller than wife, showing equality.
King Menkaura and Queen
Luxor, Egypt, 1473-1458 BCE, Sandstone. 3 collonades, pillars/stairs. Blends into rock Cliff, pattern of pillars matches rock.terraces. built to honor Hatshepsut’s dad, supposed sun god. Statue is of h. Holding offering jars, used during processions. Tomb is behind temple bc it can’t be in it. First female pharaoh, people tried to erase. Lines up with winter solstice.
Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut and Queen Hatshepsut with offering jars.
Akhenaton and Nefertiti are seated with 3 daughters. Sun represents new monotheistic god of sun named Aton. Akhenaton switched Egypt to polytheism and caused amarna period, which had long, skinny bodies, elongated style, and flabby bellies. Ankhs are at end of sun rays, represent life. Shows private relationship with gods.
Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and 3 daughters.
Egypt, New Kingdom, 1324 BCE, gold inlaid with enamel. Coffin gold with enamel, in the shape of a human. Hearing Nemes(headdress). Very tall. Idealizes face, holds crook and flail that represents Osiris. 143 objects on body. Tut brought back polytheism and end of armana period. Found by Howard Carter.
Tutankhamun’s tomb, innermost coffin and tomb
New Kingdom, 1275 BCE. Narrative of gods participating in judgement of people, from the book of the dead. Osrisis, god of death, is seated. Scale in center of room that weighs soul/hearts. Ammit eats heart. Stenographer names thoth. Anubis brings people to be judged.
Last judgement of Hu-nefer.
Archaic thru Hellenistic, 600 BCE - 150 CE. Court yard with panathenaic way cuts thru the agora, which is connected by buildings with center. Used for festival and markers. Tholos is where senators had meetings. Stoa are covered walkways.
Athenian Agora
Archaic, 530 BCE, marble. Marble statue of nude man, originally painted, stiff pose like Egyptians. Braided hair. Funerary purpose to mark Graves. Statue is for soldier who died in war.
Anavysos Kouros.
Archaic, 530 BCE, marble with painted details. Statue of woman with broken arm that sticks out, wears peplos, braided hairs archaic style. Some paint remains, slim waist. Once had a crown. One hand had hole for arrow. Broken arm may have had bow.
Peplos Kore
By Polykleitos, original 450-440 BCE, marble Roman copy of original Greek bronze. Nude man in controposto stance,cross balancing, cannon(perfect body), once held a spear. Polykleitos’s perfect form. Found in Pompeii at a sports training center.
Doryphorus(spear bearer).
Acropolis, Athens Greece, Iktinos and Kalikrates, 447-410 BCE, marble. Can be written as an algebra expression. Shows Greek precision.
Parthenon’s plan
Acropolis, Athens Greece, Iktinos and Kalikrates, 447-410 BCE, marble. Caps of columns are Doric. Indents in columns are called fluting. Frieze is the band is pictures that is it broken up. Metopes is a band on the front that is broken up. Pediment is where the roof forms a triangle. Inner room for special people is called a cella. Corner pillars are bigger so light makes it look the same. Built to worship Athena. Built under Pericles, rebuilt after Persians destroyed it. Iktinis and Kalikrates designed it.
Parthenon
Acropolis, Athens Greece, Iktinos and Kalikrates, 447-410 BCE, marble. Gold statue of athena that used to be in parthenon. Very tall.Current location unknown. Made with gold and ivory. Wood interior. Used to have a ceremony on pathaneic way to bring Athena a new peplos.
Athena Parthenos
Acropolis, Athens Greece, Iktinos and Kalikrates, 447-410 BCE, marble. In the Acropolis, built to commerate win over the Persians at the Battle of the Marathon. Ionic capitals. Amphitrostyle, porch with columns.
Temple of Athena Nike
Acropolis, Athens Greece, Iktinos and Kalikrates, 447-410 BCE, marble. Headless godess is fixing sandal. Has wet drapery, even though it is classical.
Statue of Victory adjusting her sandal.
Acropolis, Athens Greece, Iktinos and Kalikrates, 447-410 BCE, marble. Used to be on the frieze and told a story. Has isocephalism (heads the same height). Shows Ergastines (woman who make peplos) in front of 2 priests. Possible sacrifice of kings daughter. Helios and horses. Dionysus(or Hercules). Demeter and Persephone.
Plaque of the Ergastines
Classical Greek, 460-450 BCE, Clay. Black vase with gold embellishments and white highlights. Man on ground getting stabbed. Is a calyx(punchbowl) one side has Artemis and Apollo killing Nairobi’s kids. Other has Hercules with soldiers from battle of marathon.
Niobides Krater.