Civ CLASS 5 Heirs to the Mesopotamian and Egyptian Cultures

A Quest for Eternal Cultural Values Architecture Pyramids Funerary temples Introduction from: Great Cities of the Ancient World: The Pyramids and the Cities of the Pharaohs (1994)

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

Mesopotamia-3500 BC

Mesopotamia-1500 BC

Mesopotamia-1450 BC

Mesopotamia-1000 BC

Oriental Institute University of Chicago very good collection in this period iles/uploads/tourfiles/index.html iles/uploads/tourfiles/index.html collections collections 1155 E 58th Street Chicago, IL General Info 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.

Object from the Age of Iron The Bronze Spearhead is from the 12th-11th cent. BCE... the "Israelite (Iron) Period I" The location appears to be AKHZIB... the item is numbered DA 156 and was part of a funerary offering in a cist-grave. "The narrow elongated weapon, which was probably carried on a long wooden shaft, was used for thrusting. The spearhead has a raised mid-rib and is decorated with incisions. The spear is one of the attributes of Reshef and of Anat, two deities in the Canannite- Phoenician pantheon."

Assyria Roughly, three historical “periods” – Old Assyrian (c. 21 st -18 th c. BC) – Middle Assyrian (c BC to 1056 BC) – Neo-Assyrian (c 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 8 military campaigns... 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 sculpture was one of a pair that guarded the entrance to the throne room, King Sargon II...composite being with the head of a human, body and ears of a bull and the wings of a bird

Ruins of Nineveh in Mosul Ruins of Nineveh in Mosul A map showing the ruins of the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh near Mosul, Iraq. The map shows the location of the mound ruins of Kuyunjik and Nebi Yunus, the remnants of the city walls and gateway, and the course of the Khausar (Khors) river that ran through the city.

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 BC, and was a great patron of urban development, bent on rebuilding all of Babylonia's cities to reflect their former glory.

Neo-Babylonians 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. Neo-Babylonians

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 t_objects/me/c/cuneiform_nebuchadnezzar_ii.aspx

Cuneiform tablet with part of the Babylonian Chronicle ( BC)

Persian Empire—circa BC

The Persian Empire After overthrowing and unifying with the Medes, swept through the entire region between India, Africa, right up to Greece (overtook Old Babylon as the largest empire yet)

Persian Empire—circa BC

The Persian Empire 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 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 HM-A HM-A