Quiz 1 Flashcards
What: Head of a Man
Who: Akkadian (Sargon I?)
When: 2300-2200 BC
Where: Nineveh
Why: Statue was deliberatly mutilated to express a political statement when Mede conquered the city. The statue is a symbol of the king’s power.
What: Stele of Naram-Sin
Who: Akkadian (Naram-Sin)
When: 2200 BC
Where: Susa, Iran
Why: Godlike depiction of the king during the conquest of Lullubi. The artist abandoned the traditional left to right format.
What: White Temple and Ziggurat
Who: Sumerian
When: 3200-3000 BC
Where: Uruk
Why: Monumental setting to worship dieties (Ziggurat of Anu the sky god). Showed Sumerian dedication to their gods and goddesses.
What: Ziggurat of Ur
Who: Sumerian
XWhen: 2100 BC
Where: Ur
Why: One of the largest Ziggurats in Mesopotamia. Example of Sumerian dedication and worship to dieties.
What: Warka Vase
Who: Sumerian
When: 3200-3000 BC
Where: Warka
Why: One of the earliest narrative relief sculptures found in Mesopotamia, compared to the Narmer Pallette found in Egypt.
What: Votive Statues from the Square Temple
Who: Sumerian
When: 2700 BC
Where: Eshnunna
Why: Speculated that the statues are substitute worshippers offering prayer to dieties in place of a real person. Large eyes symbolize eternal prayer and worship.
What: Lyre
Who: Sumerian
When: 2600 BC
Where: Royal Cemetary in Ur
Why: Lyre is a musical instrument also depicted in the Standard of Ur (similar to a harp). Relief on the lyre depicts animals acting like humans celebrating or participating in a ceremonial feast. Speculated that these animals guided and/or inhabited the afterlife.
What: Standar of Ur
Who: Sumerian
When: 2600 BC
Where: Royal Cemetary at Ur
Why: Another early example of historical narrative. Consists of a “war side” and a “peace side”, possibly depicting the victory of war and the celebration afterwards. Possible represents the duties of a king as a leader in war and a keeper of the peace.
What: City of Dur Sharrukin
Who: Assyrian (Sargon II)
When: 700 BC
Where: Dur Sharrukin
Why: Sargon II moved the Assyrian capital and built his new empire. Featured a ziggurat guarded by lamassu. Unfortunatly he was killed shortly after moving his court and the city was abandoned for Nineveh.
What: Apatropaic Lamassu
Who: Assyrian (Sargon II)
When: 700 BC
Where: Palace of Dur Sharrukin
Why: Lamassu are protective dieties, their guarding statues are meant to warn off the king’s enemies. The artist worked conceptually to show the lamassu with 2 legs frontal view and 4 legs profile view (5 legs in total).
What: Relief of Assyrian Archers Pursuing Enemies
Who: Assyrian (Ashurnasirpal II)
When: 800 BC
Where: Kahlu (Palace of Ashurnasirpal II)
Why: Communicating a clear narrative vs realistic perspective (large figures and bow string behind head). Relief exalts royal power when Ashurnasirpal II drove away enemy forces into the Euphrates river.
What: Relief of Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions
Who: Assyrian (Ashurbanipal)
When: 600 BC
Where: Nineveh
Why: Glorifies the king and shows his ability to fight and protect. However most combat with lions were held in controlled arenas so the king would now be harmed.
What: Stele With Code of Hammurabi
Who: Babylonian (Hammurabi)
When: 1700 BC
Where: Susa
Why: One of the earliest accounts of a law code. Hammurabi in the present of god Samash builds social order and passes judgement. An eye for an eye.
What: Gate of Ishtar
Who: Babylonian (Nebuchadnezzar II)
When: 500 BC
Where: Babylon
Why: Dedicated to the goddess Ishtar. The lions, bulls and dragons detailed on the gate are associated to Babylonian gods and goddesses. Gate is painted and glazed blue to look like its made of lapis lazurli.
What: Tomb of Cyrus
Who: Persian (Cyrus)
When: 500 BC
Where: Pasargadae
Why: Shows how Persian art and monuments drew from other civilizations such as the Sumerians, (ziggurats), Assyrians, ancient Egyptians and Babylonians.
What: Apadana Reliefs
Who: Persians (Darius)
When: 500 BC
Where: Persepolis
Why: Speculated that the reliefs are of idealized social orders and traditions. Tribute processions, Persian royalty, Persian guards and the king recieving tribute are the subject of the central relief panel in the Apadana.
What: Apadana (Audience Hall)
Who: Perisans (Darius)
When: 500 BC
Where: Persepolis
Why: The king recieved tribute here from all the nations in the empire. Decorated with reliefs about bringing tribute and social class.
What: Palette of Narmer
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians (Narmer)
When: 3000 BC
Where: Hierakonpolis
Why: On of the ealiest historical narratives. Depicts harmony of the two lands, upper and lower egypt.
What: Step Pyramid of Djoser
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians (Djoser)
When: 2600 BC
Where: Saqqara
Why: Closely resembles a ziggurat but is tomb filled with treasures and possessions for the afterlife. Imhotep was the first recorded artist in history.
What: Statue of Djoser
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians (Djoser)
When: 2600 BC
Where: Saqqara
Why: Egyptians beliefed in an afterlife and also incarnation through statue. The statue guards the serdab of the mastaba (tomb).
What: Great Pyramids
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians (Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure)
When: 2500 BC
Where: Giza
Why: Funerary tombs that show not only that the Egyptians believed in an afterlife, but contain reliefs that show everyday life.
What: Great Sphinx
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians (Khafre)
When: 2500 BC
Where: Giza
Why: Guards the funerary complex of Giza. Is a supernatural godlike being with a lions body and a pharoahs head.
What: Statue of Khafre
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians
When: 2500 BC
Where: Giza
Why: Shows the falcon god Horrus surrounding Khafre’s headress. Shows Khafre as perfect and godlike as he should be in the afterlife. It was insulting to include any imperfections on the pharoah’s statue because he is an incarnation of a god.
What: Menkaure and Khamererebty
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians (Menkaure)
When: 2500 BC
Where: Giza
Why: Perfect pharaoh and wife, differentiates between male and female (gender roles). Royalty where clothing while commoners often go nude.
What: Seated Scribe
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians
When: 2400 BC
Where: Saqqara
Why: The scribe is neither a god or a pharoah. His statue has defining features and imperfections such as his soft belly. Painted a tan orange compared to women who were often painted white because they worked indoors.
What: Ka-Aper
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians (Ka-Aper)
When: 2300 BC
Where: Saqqara
Why: Ka-Aper was a priest in charge reciting prayers for the deceased. His statue features imperfections and a specific rendition of his body type and facial features compared to the statues of pharoahs.
Hippopatomus Hunt
Who: Old Kingdom Egyptians (Ti)
When: 2300 BC
Where: Saqqara (Tomb of Ti)
Why: Features the natural order of the world and once again the duties of a pharoah (compare to Ashurbanipal hunting lions). Part of a larger relief that depicts daily life in Egypt.
What: Plan of City of Kahun
Who: Middlet Kingdom Egyptians
When: 1800 BC
Where: Kahun
Why: City featured working villiage and upper class living areas. Depicts life of the Middle Kingdom and the way houses were built.
What: Statue of Hatshepsut
Who: New Kingdom Egyptians (Hatshepsut)
When: 1400 BC
Where: Deir el-Bahri
Why: Step-mother of a young to-be pharoah, ruled as regent. Gender roles (she sometimes wore the pharoah beard). She ruled long after her son was fit to take the throne.
What: Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
Who: New Kingdom Egyptians (Hatshepsut)
When: 1400 BC
Where: Deir el-Bahri
Why: Temple features reliefs depicting Hatshepsut’s birth, campaigns and offerings to dieties. The temple was built into a rock land formation, is symmetrical and features a single axis ramp.
What: Great Temple of Amon (Hypostyle Hall)
Who: New Kingdom Egyptians (Seti I and Ramesses II)
When: 1200 BC
Where: Karnak
Why: Only pharoahs and priests were allowed to enter the temple. Features clerestory lighting allowing for privacy and light in the forest of collumns.
What: Lachish Narratives
Who: Assyrian (Sennacherib)
When: 700 BC
Where: Nineveh
Why: These narratives took record of an event that also was recorded in the bible (war with Judah). The images feature the conquering of Lachish while the text doesn’t mention Lachish at all.
Lachish Narratives:
How does the artist convey three dimensionality in this flat relief?
How does the viewer know what is in front and what is behind?
How does the artist convey passing time?
What modern day art techniques compare to these ancient techniques?
Features depth perspective, figures who are farther away are smaller, campsites are seen from a birds eye view.
There are overlapping figures, when featuring tents houses you can always see the figures within.
The narratives move from left to right, there are registers that read bottom to top (elaborate?)
Comic strips feature registers and are read from left to right.
Lachish Narratives:
What is the relationship between the images and the texts?
Who would have viewed these reliefs?
What intended messages do the reliefs convey?
How do the reliefs communicate where other forms of communication may fail?
How does Russell interpret the inconsitancies between the reliefs and the texts (epigraphs)?
The images feature the conquering of Lachish while the text fails to mention Lachish at all.
Preists and scribes important in upholding the reign of the king.
The awesome power of the Assyrian military and their leader King Sennacherib. It tells the story of how they conquered Lachish, but fails to mention that they were unable to take Jeurrsalim the capital of Judah.
Language and literacy barriers often prevented commoners and visitors from reading the text accompanying the reliefs. Images tell a story that most people can understand.
Russell argues that text requires narrative where art does not. He concludes that the reader in intelligent while the viewer is not. This poses my question: does the viewer not think beyond the narrative?
