Transcript Ancient Civilizations

Ancient Civilizations
The Bronze Age (33001200BC)
and
The Iron Age (1200-586BC)
The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural
development when the most advanced metalworking (at least in
systematic and widespread use) consists of techniques for smelting
copper and tin from naturally occurring outcroppings of ore, and
then alloying those metals in order to cast bronze
The Beginnings of the Bronze Age
“…people began making small tools and decorative ornaments from
the native copper (chalkos); thus the phase is termed Chalcolithic,
referring to the transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age.”
Hemingway, Colette, and Seán Hemingway. "Prehistoric Cypriot Art and Culture". In Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pcyp/hd_pcyp.htm (October 2004)
Group of four vases, ca. 2300–2000 B.C.; Early Bronze Age
Bowl with handles terminating in lotuses, ca. 850–750 B.C
Standard with two long-horned bulls, 2400–2000 B.C.; Early Bronze Age
This pair of long-horned bulls
probably served as a finial
for a religious or ceremonial
standard.
"Standard with two long-horned bulls [North central Anatolia] (55.137.5)". In Timeline of Art History. New York: The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/02/waa/hod_55.137.5.htm (October 2006)
Statuette of a female,
Iron Age;
1st millennium B.C., early
Iran, Caspian region
Sword, mid-1st century B.C.; Late Iron Age, Celtic
Iron blade, L. 19 3/4 in.
Mesopotamian Art
Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu
The Peoples of Mesopotamia
The Sumerians
The Akkadians
The Bayblonians
The Assyrians
The Neo- Babylonians
See the site for detailed information:
http://www.eyeconart.net/history/ancient/mesopotamian.htm
21st - 17th c BCE Mesopotamian Babylonian Sculpture
The cuneiform script underwent considerable changes over a period of more than two
millennia. The image below shows the development of the sign SAG "head" (Borger nr. 184,
U+12295)
Stage 1 shows the pictogram as it was drawn around 3000 BC. Stage 2 shows the rotated
pictogram as written around 2800 BC. Stage 3 shows the abstracted glyph in archaic
monumental inscriptions, from ca. 2600 BC, and stage 4 is the sign as written in clay,
contemporary to stage 3. Stage 5 represents the late 3rd millennium, and stage 6 represents
Old Assyrian ductus of the early 2nd millennium, as adopted into Hittite. Stage 7 is the
simplified sign as written by Assyrian scribes in the early 1st millennium, and until the script's
extinction.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh is, perhaps, the oldest written story on Earth. It
comes to us from Ancient Sumeria, and was originally written on 12 clay
tablets in cunieform script. It is about the adventures of the historical King
of Uruk (somewhere between 2750 and 2500 BCE).
The statues found at the Abu Temple in Tell Asmar from c. 2700 BCE
Faces are dominated by very large eyes; but, for reasons we might take for
granted, artists of many cultures have placed emphasis on eyes.
Helmet of King Meskalamdug, c. 2400 BCE
Sumerian Votive Figures
Akkadian (2300–2150 BC) The Akkadian invaders quickly
assimilated Sumerian styles. The stele (decorated upright slab)
Victory of Naram-Sin (2200 BC; Louvre, Paris), carved in relief,
depicts a military campaign of the warlike Akkadians. The
technical and artistic sophistication of bronze sculpture is
illustrated by the Head of an Akkadian King (2200 BC; Iraq
Museum, Baghdad).
Assyrian (1400–600 BC) The characteristic Assyrian art form
was narrative relief sculpture. Unlike the other southern
Mesopotamian peoples, the Assyrians had access to large
quantities of stone, and their many carved reliefs have
consequently survived well. These shallow carvings were used
to decorate palaces, for example, the Palace of Ashurbanipal
(7th century BC). Its finely carved reliefs include dramatic
scenes of a lion hunt, now in the British Museum, London.
Winged bulls with human faces, carved partially in the round,
stood as sentinels at the royal gateways (Louvre, Paris).
Human-headed winged lion (lamassu), Assyrian 883–859 B.C
Mesopotamia, Nimrud, Head of a Woman, late 8th
century BCE, ivory plaque, originally part of
furniture. This piece is listed on the Oriental
Institute's database of treasures that have been lost
or stolen from Iraq.
A Babylonian relief sculpture of a bull made of brightly glazed tiles on
the restored Ishtar Gate. The original sculpture dates from around 575
BC and stood on the gate of the Temple of Bel, the biblical Tower of
Babel in Babylon.
Persia, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, sixth century BCE. Accounts
indicate that the garden was built by King Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled
the city for 43 years starting in 605 BCE, and that he built them to cheer up
his homesick wife, Amyitis. Medes, the land she came from was green,
rugged and mountainous, and she found the flat, sun-baked terrain of
Mesopotamia depressing, so the king decided to recreate her homeland
by building an artificial mountain with rooftop gardens. The Hanging
Gardens weren't actually "hanging", but instead were "overhanging" as in
the case of a terrace or balcony.
Persia, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, sixth century BCE. Accounts
indicate that the garden was built by King Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled
the city for 43 years starting in 605 BCE, and that he built them to cheer up
his homesick wife, Amyitis. Medes, the land she came from was green,
rugged and mountainous, and she found the flat, sun-baked terrain of
Mesopotamia depressing, so the king decided to recreate her homeland
by building an artificial mountain with rooftop gardens. The Hanging
Gardens weren't actually "hanging", but instead were "overhanging" as in
the case of a terrace or balcony.
Egyptian Art
Bowl with Human Feet, ca. 3750–3550
B.C.E.; possibly late Naqada I–early Naqada II;
Predynastic period
Statue of Demedji and Hennutsen,
ca. 2465–26 B.C.E.;
early Dynasty 5;
Old Kingdom
Egyptian
Relief of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep,
ca. 2040–2010 B.C.E.;
reign of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep;
Middle Kingdom Egyptian;
Upper Egypt, Western Thebes
Scarab of Wah,
ca. 1990–1985 B.C.E.;
early Dynasty 12;
Middle Kingdom
Egyptian;
Western Thebes
Statue of an Offering Bearer, ca.
1985 B.C.E.; Dynasty 12, early reign of
Amenemhat I; Middle Kingdom
Egyptian; Western Thebes
Coffin of Khnumnakht, ca. 1900–1800
B.C.E.; Dynasty 12;
Middle Kingdom
Egyptian; Possibly from
Asyut
Pectoral with
the Name of
Senwosret II, ca.
1897–1878
B.C.E.; Dynasty
12, reigns of
Senwosret II–
Amenemhat III;
Middle Kingdom
Egyptian; Lahun
Statuette of a Hippopotamus, ca. 1981-1885 B.C.E.; Dynasty 12; Middle Kingdom
Egyptian; Middle Egypt, Meir
Outer Coffin of Henettawy, ca. 1040–
991 B.C.E.; Dynasty 21; Third
Intermediate period
Egyptian; Thebes
Cat, 330–30 B.C.E.;
Ptolemaic period
Egyptian
The Temple of Dendur, ca. 15 B.C.E.; Roman period
Egyptian; Nubia, Dendur
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html
Kinds of Pyramids
Pyramid: a special type of polyhedron (a polyhedron is
a solid figure with flat faces that are polygons)in which all
of the faces, except possibly the base, are triangles that
meet in a common point called the vertex. The base is
always a polygon (a polygon is a closed figure with 3 or
more sides) but not always a triangle.
There are three main kinds of pyramids:
the Step Pyramid, which has six steps;
the Bent Pyramid (only one was made, and that was for
Pharaoh Sneferu),
and the Straight-sided Pyramid (also known as the True
Pyramid, which is also the most common).
The Great Sphinx of Giza with Khafre's pyramid in the background.
Fourth dynasty, Old Kingdom