1. Ancient Near East
3500 BC- 500 BC
The Artist as Magician

3. Developed at the same time as Egypt
Physical region had few natural defenses- many different cultures dominated
Discouraged uniting under single ruler
No defining culture, but art thrived
Sumerians were the first to settle- language was unrelated to any other
Sumerians had own developed writing- Cuneiform used for records, but also for literature (Gilgamesh)
Not a lot of archeological evidence of the culture
Used brick and mud which leaves very little remains (poor natural resources- depended on trade)
Most information found on inscribed clay tablets

4. Ziggurat- platform on which the temple stood
White Temple, Uruk, 3000 BCE
Temples were dominant form of architecture-
religion was city-state-based. Each had its own god who was regarded as king. Human ruler was seen as the god’s steward on earth who governed people to worship the God. In return, the God was expected to plead the case of the city-state among the other deities who controlled fertility, the weather, water, etc.
Administrative and religious center was the temple
Ziggurat- platform on which the temple stood

5. Ziggurat of King Urnammu, Ur, 2500 BC
- most famous was the Tower of Babel. Height of 40 Ft- mountain tops are the dwelling place of the gods, stairs and ramps lead up to the sanctuary. Space not meant for crowds- select few.
-Main room is called the cella, where sacrifices were made. The entrance faces away from the stairs- the worshipper must work to be able to worship- an angular spiral path

6. Sculpture was found in Cella- used as cult statue- eyes and eyebrows were originally inlaid with colored materials and the hair was covered with gold/copper wig- the rest of the figure was probably made up of wood- (because of expense) severe style
Female Head, Uruk, BCE

7. Statues from Abu Temple, c.2700-2500 BCE
Geometric
No real likeness
Important people are taller
Simplified faces and bodies
No distraction from the eyes
Forms based on cone and cylinder
Statues from Abu Temple, c BCE
Votive Statues

8. Close up of worshipper
Big eyes now interpreted as the eternal wakefulness needed to worship their deity
Votive sculpture

9. Victory Stele of Naram-Sin c.2300-2200 BCE
Akkadians- after the decay of the Sumerian society (due to ambitious rulers trying to conquer each other)- nomadic people moved in from the Near East
Sargon of Akkad and successors ( BC) proclaimed ambition to rule the earth
New task for art- personal glorification of rulers
Steele- immortalizing military victory
Both soldier and leader are active
Only celestial bodies are above him in importance
Space is more real, less organized horizontally
Victory Stele of Naram-Sin
c BCE

10. Head of Akkadian Ruler c.2200 BCE
Persuasive likeness
Very detailed and elegant
Surface texture
Cast in copper, a complex technique
Head of Akkadian Ruler c.2200 BCE

11. One of the Sumerian city states remained independent- Gudea was the ruler- still retained ruler- god idea, but he did have many statues of himself in shrines
Carved of diorite, extremely hard stone, imported and difficult to sculpt
Not very individualized features
More realistic human characteristics
Head of Gudea, c.2150 BCE

12. Stele of Hammurabi c.1780 BCE
Babylon-
BC- power was controlled by the Babylonians
Hammurabi was its founder
Main goal was to provide justice to the people
Hammurabi’s Code- earliest form of written law
Top of code shows Hammurabi confronting the sun god- announcing code
Related to the Gudea sculpture in style and technique
Very high relief
Eyes are in the round- establishes the relationship between god and man
Entire Stele is 7 ft. tall
Stele of Hammurabi c.1780 BCE

13. The Sack of the City of Hamanu by Ashurbanipal, c. 650 BCE
Assyrians-
Controlled all of Mesopotamia and surrounding areas
Drew on Sumerian achievements and reinterpreted them
Sack of city-has foreground and middle ground and background
Artist’s purpose was to show the story clearly and economically- people are in composite view
The Sack of the City of Hamanu by Ashurbanipal, c. 650 BCE

14. Ashurnasirpal II Killing Lions, c. 850 BCE
Subject used for personal glorification of king
not real hunts- ceremonial- lions were already caged and then released
Energy and emotion are obvious- meant to show courage, nobility, and strength of the king

15. Neo-Babylonians Ishtar Gate, c.575 BCE Assyrians fell in 612 BC
Babylon had a final era of artistic growth BC
Used glazed bricks rather than stone slabs- used for surface ornamentation
Ishtar Gate has been completely rebuilt and restored
Continuation of the theme of animals in Mesopotamian art
Ishtar Gate, c.575 BCE

16. Persia-- Painted Beaker, 5000-4000 BCE
Area which is now called Iran- always a nomadic land- art is a collection of objects known as the “Animal Style”
Decorative use of animal motif in an abstract manner
Painted Beaker, BCE

17. Palace of Darius and Xerxes Persepolis, Iran c. 500 BCE
Babylon became huge empire-included Egypt and Asia Minor- only toppled by Alexander the Great (331 BC)
Religion was Zoroastrianism- altars were in open air so no religious architecture was created
Secular palaces instead
Palace of Darius and Xerxes
Persepolis, Iran c. 500 BCE
Columns were used on a grand scale- Egyptian influence
Use of the motif of animals everywhere

18. Darius and Xerxes Giving Audience c. 490 BCE
Relief within the palace is formal and stiff, solemn, repetitive and ceremonial
Subservient to the architecture
Assyrian’s energy and expression has been rejected
Overlapping garments are completely new
Body parts can be seen underneath the fabric (probably taken from the Greeks)