Art History of the Near East through the 3rd Dynasty

Slim figurines, nude woman breast feeding baby, animal/serpent head. Nude with emphasis on the genetalia- perhaps a symbol of fertility. Disproportionate figure

Coated with white plaster. Not large because not a public space for people to worship. Only a select few could go there. Outside much more worship took place- center of activity.

Rose out from the desert. Platform for the temple, center of the city. Dedicated to Anu. Centerpiece of the city- served as a marker of identity and power (and power of the King). Used niches and buttresses to create a shadowy design

Stele of Kings hunting beasts. Shows that King is responsible for controlling wild and keeping people safe as well as getting people food- from a metaphorical standpoint. Lions are symbols of royalty. His right arm is exposed showing that he is fit to lead.

Made of marble, much more naturalistic than we've seen. Features very proportional and soft. Eyes empty, probably filled in at one point. Could be the representation of a goddess. Made to be put on a wall as seen by flat back.

Watershed moment in art- first piece to be done in registers. Made of alabaster. Depicts a hierarchy of life from plants and nature, to animals, humans and then gods. The registers gradually get bigger, showing the importance of the life forms. Communicate an idea in an orderly way. Humans engaged in ritual nudity giving to the gods. Didactic- shows that you should give part of your crop to the gods and in return they will bless you with a good harvest.

http://www.matrifocus.com/IMB05/images/warka-rollout.jpg

Not very naturalistic, made of stone. took the place of worshippers. Both males and females represented but mostly males. Large, disproportionate eyes, usually filled in (probably with lapis lasuli). Woman smaller and completely covered

Seated man, closed form. Adorned skirt, more proportional than Square Temple votives. Large, full beard.

Sitting down means that she is important. Very adorned with full clothing and headdress. Could be used in a ritual. Perhaps a goddess of some type?

Beginnings of Royal Depiction. King shown both seated and standing and is larger than the other figures in the composition. Shown rebuilding and dedicating a temple- the job of the king. Shown in the composite form, torso frontal while the rest of the body is in profile. Some cuneiform writing on the tablet as well.

2 stories shown in registers. Overall a fight between Umma and Lagash (Lagash wins). The left side is an iconic image of a god using a mace to kill the captives of war he has in a net. They are nude and in chaotic poses. The King is shown much larger than the captives or anyone else. On the flip side, when read bottom to top, the 3rd and 4th registers show the battle scene. The vultures on top are collecting the body parts. The army is shown as a single mass trampling the bodies of the naked dead enemies.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Yg3lYRZvzTo/TT3PCN7vEeI/AAAAAAAABAM/b5i0ELMxJSc/s1600/stelevolturedes1and2.jpg

Made of wood, lapus lazuli and shell. 3 registers on either side the one side is a war and shows the contrast between dead and alive via nudity and position, the front side shows. Front side shows ceremony after with the procession to the King. Little distinct portraiture.

Made of bronze- naturalistic. Full beard and headdress much like Sumerian ideals- try to blend the cultures. Propagandistic piece to convey uniqueness. Akkadians sought to create a sprawling empire.

Prisoners bound and naked- being transported. Naturalistic depiction of Akkadians. Well defined bodies standing in full profile.

Sandstone. Victory over Lullubi. Diagonal register. Unique sense of place with landscape features- trees and mountains. Narum -Sin most dominant, gods marginalized to stars. NS presented as the god for the first time. Wearing the bull horns and has the right arm exposed.

http://classconnection.s3.amazonaws.com/88/flashcards/681999/jpg/stele-of-naram-sin.jpg

Made of diorite (expensive and rare). Hard to carve accounts for blocky figures. No beard but does have cap. Naturalistic features of face and hands taken from Akkadians. Seated means importance. Similar of votives of Sumer (Square Temple).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Gudea_of_Lagash_Girsu.jpg/220px-Gudea_of_Lagash_Girsu.jpg

Limestone. King of Ur approaching a divinity and receiving rod and ring (stake out a path for justice). He's building a temple which is the job of the king. The god has horns on crown which equate to power. Ur Nammu approaching figure, putting something plantlike in the vase symbol of fertility perhaps. King has rolled rim hat.

Built by Ur-Nammu out of mud bricks. Bottom made out of bitumen to keep out the water of floods. Outside had niches and buttresses that created a visual effect. Center of the city, held the temple ona platform.

Wall art- very colorful. Rectangular register in the center where the ceremony happens. Ishtar giving the king rod/ring. 4 Rivers underneath (symbol would be replicated elsewhere). Outside register an Eden-like scenery with lush trees and animals.

Hammurabi's code consisted of 282 laws. Not the first but best preserved set of laws. Somewhat propaganda-like. On the top, the god seated in a twisted perspective. Sun rays coming out of shoulders (Shamash). Giving rod/ring. Hammurabi, right arm exposed with profile eye (first on profile), wearing headdress.

http://www.duhaime.org/Portals/duhaime/PropertyAgent/3064/Images/38.jpg

Nude women- Mesopotamian imagery. Buried a round pit (less need for space/less developed) perhaps notions of an afterlife. Idea of fertility found in the nakedness

From Hierakonopolis. More orderly than Oxford Palatte- implied ground lines, main action. Battle w/ naked prisoners- Lion may represent the king, idea of social order. Bottom part evokes the Stele of the Vultures (2450 BCE).

http://www.art-prints-on-demand.com/kunst/egyptian/the_battlefield_palette_depict_hi.jpg

2 registers, ivory handle in the middle. On one side two registers with fighting on top and perhaps a warship on the bottom. On the other side, master of animals motif and animal fighting.

Small grinding plate. Lots of chaos: animals fighting, some real some mythological. No ground lines or organization apparent.

See pictures of Egyptian funerary ships, transport the dead to the West side of the Nile. Master of animals motif, however the composition is not very organized.

This starts the historical period because there is writing on it. Divided into three registers- the first register at the top has the symbol for catfish and chisel which together make Narmer. Middle Narmer is holding a mace and is killing a captive in a chaotic pose. Horus, the representational god of the king is shown by a falcon who is standing on the symbol of Upper Egpyt. Narmer is wearing the white crown of Upper Egpyt. On the flipside, the battle is over and Narmer is wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt--> represents unity of the empire. Bottom image of the bull protecting the city

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0b/NarmerPalette_ROM-gamma.jpg/350px-NarmerPalette_ROM-gamma.jpg

Burial monument above ground, also burial in Southern Egypt- idea of a unified Egypt. Smaller mastabas surrounded the main one, probably for family. The outside was decorated with niches and buttresses much like Sumerian ziggurats.

Limestone staute. Seating pose with arm across lap. Generally closed form. Wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, from Hierakompolis.

In Saqqara. Made of stone to last forever. Seated, important. Wrapped fully in gown in a closed form. Very much connected to his 'throne' physically. Dark brown skin color, typical of male representation. Wearing the Lapat Crown.

http://cdn1.vtourist.com/15/4108186-King_Zosers_Step_Pyramid_Saqqarah.jpg

Part of the 3rd Dynasty. Designed by Imhotep. Made of limestone, idea of stone as permanence arises so things will last forever. Created an entire necropolis around the pyramid. The most important piece was the 6 tiered pyramid that held Zoser.

Standing and seated, idealized body (one that could be youthful in the afterlife). Shown carrying a rod. Composite perspective. Headress on. First instance of a private individual having a mastaba. In seated pose, carries a writing kit- writing meant a good job because so rare