White Temple and its ziggurat
Uruk (modern Warka, Iraq). Sumerian. c. 3500-3000 B.C.E. Mud brick.
Using only mud bricks, Sumerians erected towering temple platforms several centuries before the Egyptians built stone pyramids. This temple was probably dedicatred to Anu, the sky god.
Palette of King Narmer, from Hierakonpolis, Egypt.
Predynastic Egypt. c. 3000-2920 B.C.E. Greywacke. 2' 1" high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
Back: Narmer's palette is the earliest surviving labeled work of historical art. The king, the largest figure in the composition, wears the crown of Upper Egypt and slay
Statues of votive figures from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar, Iraq)
Sumerian. c. 2700 B.C.E. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone. man 2' 4-1/4" high, woman 1' 11-1/4" high. National Museum of Iraq, Baghdad.
The oversized eyes probably symbolize the perpetual wakefulness of these substitue worshipers offering pray
Seated Scribe at Saqqara
c. 2,620-2,500 B.C.E. Painted limestone. 1' 9" high. Musee du Louvre, Paris.
The idealism that characterizes the portraiture of Egyptian god-kings did not extend to the portrayal of non-elite individuals. The sculptor portrayed this seated scribe with cle
Standard of Ur from the Royal Tombs at Ur (modern Tell el-Muqayyar, Iraq)
Sumerian. c. 2,600-2,400 B.C.E. wood inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and limestone.
The entertainers at this banquet of Sumerian nobility include a musician playing a bull-headed harp oof a type found in royal graves at Ur. The long-haired, bare-chested
Great Pyramids at Giza (Menkaura, Khufu, and Khafre) and Great Sphinx.
2,550-2,490 B.C.E. Fourth Dynasty. Cut limestone.
The three pyramids of Gizeh took the shape of the ben-ben, the embelm of the sun god, Re. The sun's rays were the ramp the Egyptian kings used to ascend to the heavens after their death and rebirth.
King Menkaura and His Queen
Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty. 2,490-2,472 B.C.E. Greywacke.
The statue of Menkaura and his wife (or Hathor?) displays the conventional postures used for Old Kingdom royal statues. The formalized embrace denotes the close assocaiation of the two figures.
The Code Stele of Hammurabi
Babylon, (modern Iran). c. 1,792-1,750 B.C.E., Susian. Basalt.
Crowning the stele recording Hammurabi's laws is a representation of the flame-shouldered sun god Shamash extending to the Babylonian king the symbols of his authority to govern and judge.
Temple of Amun-Re and Hypostyle Hall
Karnak, near Luxor, Egypt. c.1550 B.C.E. Cut sandstone and mud brick.
The vast Karnak temple complex contains a pylon temple with a bilaterally symmertrical axial plan and an artificial lake associated with the primeval waters of the Egyptian creation myt
Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
c. 1,473-1,458 B.C.E. New Kingdom. 18th Dynasty. Near Luxor, Egypt. Sandstone, partially carved into a rock cliff, and red granite.
Hatshepsut was the first great female monarcg whose name is recorded. Her immense funerary temple incorporates shrines to A
Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and Three Daughters
ca. 1,353-1,335 B.C.E., limestone
-from an altar in a home (domestic environment is new to Egypt)
In this sunken relief, the Amarna artist provided a rare intimate look at the royal family in a domestic setting.Akhenaton holds eldest daughter, Nefertiti h
Tutankhamun's Tomb, innermost coffin
-c. 1,323 B.C.E., gold, enamel, semiprecious stones, Giza, Egypt
The boy-king Tutankhamen owes his fame today to his treasure-laden tomb. His mummy was encased in three nested coffins. The innermost one, made of gold, portrays the pharoah as Osiris.
Last Judgement of Hu-Nefer
-c. 1,275 B.C.E., New Kingdom, 18th dynasty,
painted papyrus scroll
-illustration from the "Book of the Dead"
-god of embalming, Anubis, leads the deceased (Hu-Nefer) into a hall where his soul is being weighed against a feather (if weighs more than feath
Lamassu
-c. 720-705 B.C.E., alabaster
Ancient sculptors insisted on complete views of animals. This four-legged composite monster that has guarded an Assyrian palace has five legs- two when seen from the front and four in profile view.
Athenian Agora
-600 B.C.E. -150 Plan C.E. Athens, Greece.
Found at the base of the Acropolis, the agora was a center of Athenian civic life. Originally an area for farmers and artisans to display their wares, over time the agora became the center of administrative, poli
Anavysos Kouros
-530 B.C.E.
-medium=marble and paint
-Athens, Greece
-grave marker for a young military hero Kroisos; the inscription at the base identifies
-archaic smile: a symbol of being transcendent, not having real emotions, beyond us
-not a real portrait of Kroiso
Peplos Kore from the Acropolis
-c. 530 B.C.E.
-medium=marble and paint
-Athens, Greece
-peplos: cloth worn, kore: young woman (in Greek)
-may be the goddess Artemis, if only we knew what she was holding, could be holding a bow and arrow
-rounded naturalistic face
-tightened waist, brea
Sarcophagus of the Spouses
-c. 520 B.C.E.
-medium=terra cotta
-Rome, Italy
-of a married couple, whose ashes were placed inside
-both once held objects in their hands
-great concentration of the upper body, less on the legs
-bodies make an unrealistic L-turn to the legs
-reclining
Audience Hall of Darius and Xeres
-c. 520-465 B.C.E.
-medium=limestone
-Persepolis, Iran
-heavily fortified complex of Persian royal buildings on a high plateau at Persepolis included a royal audience hall (apadana)
-36 columns topped by animal protomes
Temple of Minerva
-510-500 B.C.E.
-medium=mud brick or tufa and wood
-Veii, Italy
-little architecture survives, model drawn from descriptions by Vitruvius (Roman architect)
-steps in front direct attention to the deep porch, entrances emphasized
-influence of Greek archit
Sculpture of Apollo
-c. 510 B.C.E.
-medium=terra cotta
-Veii, Italy
-one of four large figures that once stood on the roof of the Temple at Veii, dedicated to Minerva
-meant to be seen from below
-Archaic Greek smile
-may have been carved by Vulcan of Veii, the most famous E
Tomb of the Triclinium
-c. 480-470 B.C.E.
-medium=tufa and fresco
-Tarquinia, Italy
-named after triclinium: an ancient Roman dining table, which appears in the fresco
-men painted in darker colors than women
-trees spring up between main figures, shrubbery grows beneath couche
Niobides Krater
-460-450 B.C.E.
-medium=clay
-Orvieto, Italy
-one side is depicted of the killing of Niobid's children
>Niobid bragged about her fertility to the god Leto, who had two children (Apollo and Artemis)
>Apollo and Artemis seek revenge by killing Niobid's twel
Doryphoros (Spear Bearer)
-c. 450-440 B.C.E.
-medium=marble copy from a bronze original
-found in Pompeii in a place for athletic training
-alternating tense and relaxed elements of the body: left arm and right leg relaxed, right arm and left leg are tensed
-broad shoulders, thick
Acropolis
-Athens Greece
-c. 447-424 B.C.E.
-medium=marble
-Aerial view of the Acropolis
-under the leadership of Pericles, the Athenians undertook the costly project of reconstructing the Acropolis after the Persian sack of 480 B.C.E.
-the funds came from the Deli
Grave Stele of Hegeso
-c. 410 B.C.E.
-medium=painted marble
-Hegeso is the name of the woman seated
-shown in domestic setting
-one of the first domestic art pieces (not for the state)
-used to mark a grave (stele)
-Diphylon cemetery in Athens
-inscription identifies Hegeso, a
Winged Victory (Nike) of Samothrace
-c. 190 B.C.E.
-medium=marble
-found on Samothrace
-meant to stand in or above fountain cascading water around rocks below, similar to figurehead of a boat
-wet drapery, evidence of invisible wind on her body
-dramatic twist and contrapposto of the torso
Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon
-c. 175 B.C.E.
-medium=marble
-altar placed on an elevated platform up a dramatic flight of stairs
-conscious effort to be in dialogue with the Panathenaic Frieze ofn the Parthenon
-7 1/2 foot high frieze over 400 feet long wraps around the monument
-cont
House of the Vettii
-second century B.C.E. to first century C.E.
-medium=stone and fresco
-Pompeii, Italy
-two brothers owned the house, both freedmen who made their money as merchants
-narrow entrance sandwiched between several shops
-large reception area: atrium, that is o
Alexander Mosaic, House of the Faun
-c. 310 B.C.E.
-Roman copy of c. 100 B.C.E. Greek mural
-medium=mosaic
-Alexander at left: young, brave, assured of success
-Darius in center right on chariot: horrified, weakly ceding the victory, his charioteer commands the horses to make their escape
-
Seated Boxer
-c. 100 B.C.E.
-medium=bronze
-rare Hellenistic bronze
-may have been part of a group, or perhaps a single sculpture with head turned to face an unseen opponent
-older man, past his prime, mostly defeated look, has great emotion
-smashed nose, lips sunken
Head of a Roman Patrician
-c. 75-50 B.C.E.
-medium=marble
-Museo Torlonia, Rome
-realism shows the influence of Greek Hellenistic art
-extremely realistic face (veristic portrait)
-bulldog-like tenacity of features, overhanging flesh, deep crevices in face
-full of experience and
Augustus of Prima Porta
-20 C.E.
-medium=marble copy of bronze original
-idealized view of the Roman emperor
-confusion between god and man intentional, sense of divine rule
-standing barefoot indicates he is on sacred ground
-breastplate indicates he is a warrior, judge's robes
Colosseum
-72-80 C.E.
-medium=stone and concrete
-Rome, Italy
-real name: Flavian Amphitheatre
-accommodated 50,000 spectators
-76 entrances and exits circle the fa�ade
-meant for wild and dangerous spectacles--gladiator combat, animal hunts, naval battles--but not
Forum of Trajan
-106-112 C.E.
-Rome, Italy
-built with booty collected from Trajan's victory over the Dacians
-large central plaza, stoa-like buildings
-complex included the Basilica of Ulpia, the Markets of Trajan, and Column of Trajan
-Markets originally had 150 shops,
Pantheon
-118-125 C.E., concrete with stone facing
-Rome, Italy
-dedicated to all the gods
-Inscription: "Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, having been consul three times, built it."
-fa�ade has two pediments, Corinthian capital porch at the front of the building
-sq
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
-c. 250-260 C.E., marble
-extremely crowded surface with figures piled on top of one another
-figures lack individuality
-confusion of battle is echoed by congested composition
-Roman army trounces bearded and defeated barbarians
-youthful Roman general a