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.
By Kalimanos, 410 BCE, marble and paint, classical Greek. 2 woman, left is a servant who is holding something. Right is Hegeso, woman who died, is inspecting item. Funerary grave marker with inscription, lead to modern day graves. Pediment on column.
Grave Stele of Hegeso.
Hellenistic, 190 BCE, marble. Hellenistic uses negative space (gaps between arms). Is an angel without a head, is supposed to be like a boat figurehead. Is holding a floral crown for victors. At the vase is a fountain shaped like a battleship. Found in Samothrace, is insitu( found where she was supposed to be).
Winged Victory of Samothrace
Hellenistic, 175 BCE, Marble. Temple at the top of stairs. Columns are ionic. Altar for Zeus and Athena. Big, low frieze that wraps all the way around. Shows battle where gods and goddess fight titans. Athena is dragging Alkyoneos (titan), up the stairs. Nike crowns Athena as winner. Gaia pleads for her son’s lives.Parallels battles at time, Alex the great and Persians.
Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon.
Hellenistic, 100 BCE, bronze, copper. Man is seated, made of multiple metals. Copper is used to give boxer appearance of blood. Exhausted expression, broken nose. Cuts and blood on arms and legs. Naturalistic( realistic). Is not a Roman copy. Good luck charm for athletes. Found at bathhouse.
Seated Boxer
Eutruscan, 520 BCE. Painted Terra Cotta. Man and woman with braided hair are lounging on a couch and are eating. Unnatural right angle above hips. Simple feet. Holds ashes of a couple. Woman was possibly feeding herself and husband a pomegranate. Etruscans believe in celebration afterlife. Women are more equal with men.
Sarcophagus of the Spouses
Master Sculpture Vulcan, 510-500 BCE. Original temple wood and mudbrick, tufa. Terracotta Sculpture. Know plan and Apollo sculpture. 3 rooms (cella), for Minerva, Zeus, and Hera. Porch with not fluted columns. Sculptures on roof. Tuscan columns(Doric with base). Stairs on front. Apollo was in roof to be viewed from below. Braided hair, hollow. May have been interacting with Hercules.
Temple of Minerva and sculpture of Apollo
Tarquina, Italy, Eutruscan, 480-470 BCE, Tufa and Fresco. Tomb that held ashes. Frescos on walls. Ceiling is checkered. Frescos show party. Men darker than women. Hands and limbs at odd angles/proportions. Leopards below. Triclinium is where they eat. Shows celebration of life.
Tomb of the Triclinium.
75-50 BCE, Roman, marble. Solemn old man’s head, “verism”, extremely accurate. Funerary, put in tomb to commerate life. Patrician is religious and civic patron. Victorious generals. Most are men, wrinkles show wisdom.
Roman Patrician
Imperial Rome, 1st century BCE, marble copy of bronze original. Marble statue of man in controposto. Not in the round, orator pose. Found in wife’s home to honor him. Cupid riding dolphin connects to Venus, who connects with Augustus. Possibly held a laurel branch. Breastplate symbol for warrior leader. Judge’s robes symbolize aspect of civil leader. On breastplate is gods and Cincinnatus.
Augustus of Prima Porta.
Pompeii, 2nd century BCE, cut stone and Fresco. Impluvim is pool to catch water from open roof. Atrium is open entry. Peristyle courtyard (porch with columns). No windows. Axium plan, see all the way thru. Owned by 2 bros who were former slaves turned merchants.
House of Vetti
Imperial Roman, 70-80 CE, stone and concrete. 50,000 capacity. Concrete with brick casing. Canvas roof, 76 entryways. Tuscan columns on bottom, ionic middle, Corinthian top. Entertainment(gladiators, animals, naval battles). Named after nearby collosus statue of Nero, who confiscated the grounds the colosseum is on. Given back to public, who still named it after him. Fire in 64 c.e.
Coliseum/ Flavian Amphitheater
Apollodorus of Damascus, 106-111 CE, brick and concrete, marble column. Apollodorus was an engineer. Trajan was emperor who brought Rome to it’s height. Market is densly packed, semicircle building, multileveled with shops. Uses brick, which is usually saves for common places.
Market, Forum of Trajan
Apollodorus of Damascus, 106-111 CE, brick and concrete, marble column. Used for judges meeting place. Had apses(rounded sitting areas), double columns, and Nave(central isle). In center of forum.
Basilica. Forum of Trajan
Apollodorus of Damascus, 106-111 CE, brick and concrete, marble column. Marble column built to honor Trajan and hold ashes. Statue of Trajan on top replaced with st.peter. Has a densly packed relief sculpture narrative. 128 ft tall. Multiple parts to story, has a register.
Column. Forum of Trajan..
Imperial Rome, 118-125 CE, concrete with stone facing. Pediment(triangle on roof), Corinthian capitals, oculus(hole on roof) helps with light and ventilation. Coffers( square indentations in ceiling), help bear weight and enhance sound. Square floors have juxtaposition with round main room, which shows power of emperor. Drainage system for rain. Thick walls. Pantheon has sunk down. Used to be temple until given to pope Boniface. Inscription that says Marcus Agrippa is contributed to construction.
Pantheon
Late imperial Roman, 250 CE, marble. Horror Vaevi( densely crowded, no negative space). Relief sculpture. Shows Romans without beards trampling goths( beards). Man in center is possibly general, wears no helmet to show he is invincible. Tomb of a wealthy soldier. Ludovisi is the cardinal who had in office.
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
Persian, 520-465 BCE, Limestone. Walled complex built on terraces. Lotus base columns with animal heads on top. Huge. Used for special occasions. Audience Hall has many columns. Inside the audience Hall is a relief sculpture a out a new years festival, represents 23 nations under empire. Audience Hall is hyposyle, shows influence and Persian acceptance. Centralize for Treasury safety. Alex the great destroyed it. Lammasu say the gates of all nations
Audience Hall of Darius and Xerxes
New Kingdom Egypt. 1150-1470 BCE, Completly done 550-1250 BCE, Sandstone and mudbrick. Go up pylon(ramp). Peristyle courtyard goes thru Hyposyle hall to sanctuary. Massive columns block light. Columns have bud or flower capitals and narratives. Post and lintel. Temple for Amun-re(sun god). Pool represents sacred waters that started civilization. Roof is sky, gates are horizon. Amun-re sanctuary is sun. Shows temple slowly came from sacred waters.
Temple of Amun-re and Hyposyle hall
Roman copy 100 BCE, Original painting 310 BCE, mosaic. Face made of Tesserae(tiles). Used on important floors, found in house of faun(Pompeii). Based on original Greek painting. Alexander the great is riding on a horse, spearing Persians in battle. Darius is scared and orders Persian to retreat. Darius’s bro oxa thres sacrificing himself to save him.
Alexander mosaic
