Heirs to the Mesopotamian and Egyptian Cultures Civ 101-03 1-30-15 CLASS 5 Heirs to the Mesopotamian and Egyptian Cultures

(The Medes) and the Persians The Assyrians The Neo-Babylonians (The Medes) and the Persians

Mesopotamia-3500 BC

Mesopotamia-1500 BC

Mesopotamia-1450 BC

Mesopotamia-1000 BC

Persian Empire—circa 500-300 BC

Oriental Institute, University of Chicago http://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/tourfiles/index.html http://oi.uchicago.edu/collections/highlights-collections 1155 E 58th Street Chicago, IL 60637 773.702.9514 General Info 773.702.9520 Museum Office Museum Hours Tuesday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. Thursday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Friday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Sunday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Assyria Roughly, three historical “periods” Old Assyrian (c. 21st-18th c. BC) Middle Assyrian (c. 1365 BC to 1056 BC) Neo-Assyrian (c. 911-600 BC) During this period, overthrew Egypt for a time.

Human-Headed Winged Bull Clay Prism of Sennacherib On the six inscribed sides of this clay prism, King Sennacherib recorded eight military campaigns undertaken against various Peoples. . . As part of the third campaign, he beseiged Jerusalem and imposed heavy tribute on Hezekiah, King of Judah- a story also related in the Bible. This colossal sculpture was one of a pair that guarded the entrance to the throne room of King Sargon II. . a composite being with the head of a human, the body and ears of a bull and the wings of a bird

Ruins of Nineveh in Mosul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTforK9Jc1k http://etc.usf.edu/maps/pages/10800/10844/10844.htm

Neo-Babylonians (sometimes called Chaldean Empire) Neo-Babylonian rulers were motivated by the antiquity of their heritage Ancient artworks from the Old-Babylonian period were painstakingly restored and preserved, and treated with a respect verging on religious reverence Neo-Babylonian art and architecture reached its zenith under King Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled from 604 - 562 BC, and was a great patron of urban development, bent on rebuilding all of Babylonia's cities to reflect their former glory. http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ARTH110-2.4-NeoBabylonia.pdf

It was Nebuchadnezzar II's vision and sponsorship that turned Babylon into the immense and beautiful city of legend. The city spread over three square miles, surrounded by moats and ringed by a double circuit of walls. At the heart of the city lay the ziggurat Etemenanki, literally "temple of the foundation of heaven and earth." Originally seven stories high, it is believed to have provided the inspiration for the biblical story of the Tower of Babel. It was also during this period that Nebuchadnezzar supposedly built the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, although there is no definitive archeological evidence to prove that they existed. A reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way was built at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin in 1930, using the material excavated from the original site. Other parts of the gate, which include glazed brick lions and dragons are housed in different museums around the world. http://etc.ancient.eu/2014/11/17/visiting-ancient-city-babylon/

Some of the evidence for Neo-Babylonian art and architecture is literary. The material evidence itself is mostly fragmentary. Some of the most important fragments that survive are from the Ishtar Gate, the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in 575 BC by order of Nebuchadnezzar II, using glazed brick with alternating rows of bas-relief dragons and aurochs. Dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, it was a double gate and its roofs and doors were made of cedar, according to the dedication plaque http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/cuneiform_nebuchadnezzar_ii.aspx

Cuneiform tablet with part of the Babylonian Chronicle (605-594 BC)

The Persian Empire After overthrowing and unifying with the Medes, swept through the entire region between India, Africa, right up to Greece. Their religion, Zoroastrainism, was concerned with the ethical dimensions of good and evil, concepts that alluded most of the ancient religions in the region (except, of course, the religious beliefs of the Jews/Hebrews). Heaven, hell, good, evil, sins, a Messiah figure, virtues, etc.

We know a lot about their art and architecture, because excellent ruins remain: Palace at Persepolis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeA_jo6HM-A