Power of the Sun
The light, heat, and energy that come from the Sun are essential for growth and life on Earth. The Sun has long been associated with power and importance. Since Ancient times, the rulers of different cultures around the world have used stylized images of
stylized
adjective; represented in a non-naturalistic, conventional form. using artistic forms and conventions to create effects, not spontaneous or natural.
Mesopotamia
(Greek for "land between two rivers"). A region centered between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and located in what is now Iraq and Eastern Syria, where many consider that civilization was born. The fertile river valley allowed for settled, agricultural
Neolithic Age
(New Stone Age). Agriculture was born in 9000 BCE. The fertile area enabled these peoples to settle and cultivate the land, instead of relying on Nomadic hunter-gatherer tendencies they had lived under for ages before.
Ancient Near East
a geographical region that included the modern political states of Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Iraq, and Iran. It was the location of Mesopotamia.
Sumerians
an early Ancient Near East culture that created the first system of writing, cuneiform. They held power in the Mesopotamian area from 3500 to 2334 BCE, when the Akkadians took control of the region. They were united by a common language and religious cult
city-states
Independent political entities consisting of a city and its surrounding geographical area. Sumerian city-states often fought and each were under the protection of a deity to whom the main temple was dedicated.
cuneiform
a Sumerian system of writing that used a combination of wedge-shaped marks imprinted with a reed stylus into a wet-clay tablet or scratched into stone. Originally comprised of pictographs which later evolved into a more abstract set of symbols and charact
ziggurat
A platform of 1 or more levels that supported a temple. Used first by the Sumerians and subsequently by almost all cultures of Mesopotamia. It served as a kind of artificial mountain (worshippers had to climb grand staircases to reach the temple) to bring
Akkadians
A people who ruled Southern Mesopotamia from 2334 to 2150 BCE, after the Sumerians.
Neo-Sumerian Period
The period of Sumerian political resurgence in Mesopotamia from 2180 to 1792 BCE.
Babylonians
A semitic people from the Arabian Peninsula who invaded Southern Mesopotamia and ruled from 1792 to 1750 BCE (after the Neo-Sumerian period) under the leadership of their ruler, Hammurabi.
Semitic
A major branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family.
The Semites were a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Middle-East and northern Africa.
primary source
A text or other source produced in the time and place of the period and under scholarly consideration. The first primary sources are Sumerian writing of the mid-fourth millennium BCE, and were probably used as a means of keeping track of goods traded betw
mud-brick
a nondurable building material used in much of the Ancient Near East for architectural construction, due to the scarcity of stone. Used especially in Southern Mesopotamia.
terrace
a flat open roof on the surface of a building that also serves as a kind of porch or deck.
buttress
an architectural element used to provide additional support for a building from the exterior; it presses up against an external wall from the outside.
patron
the person responsible for the commisioning of otherwise supporting the construction of a work of art or architecture.
grave goods
objects placed in a grave along with the body of the deceased for their use in the afterlife.
standard
an object carried at the top of a pole in battle to serve as a symbolic rallying point.
register
a horizontal division of space in a composition (lower, middle, upper).
ground line
an artificial line representing the base or ground on which the elements of a composition are positioned.
composite view
the inclusion of both frontal and side views (or profile views) in the representation of a single figure; used in the Standard of Ur and in Egyptian art.
hierarchical scale
a symbolic scale of representation in which size indicated the political, social, or spiritual significance of one figure relative to others in the same composition.
lyre
a musical instrument; included in the peace side of the Standard of Ur.
offering stand
used to present a deity with a token of thanks, especially for some provision of resources.
cylinder seal
a carved cylindrical object that created an image when rolled over a surface of clay.
votive figures
figures offered in thanks for or hope of the granting of divine favor or blessing; such figures frequently stand in for the religious devotee in a cultic (prayer) setting.
bronze
an alloy of copper and tin; frequently used by the Akkadians.
Akkadians
A people who ruled Southern Mesopotamia from 2334 to 2150 BCE, after the Sumerians. They invaded Sumer from the South in 2334 BCE and conquered and united all of the city-states in Southern Mesopotamia under their first king, Sargon of Akkad. Unlike the S
stele
an upright stone monument set up as a marker or to commemorate an event, often with a text or image inscribed into the surface.
plural: stelae
Gudea
When Gutians wrested power from the Akkadians, only the city-state Lagash remained free because of the capable leadership of this ruler. He erected many durable statues of himself.
enlarged eyes
show constant vigilance and adoration for god/goddess.
clasped hands
indicate piety and composure, as if folded in prayer.
Hammurabi
A Babylonian leader who used cuneiform to record the law code for his territory.
Hittites
A people who dominated Anatolia (the central part of modern Turkey) in the Ancient world. Beginning in about 1450 BCE, they expanded their kingdom and began developing an empire that also included parts of Syria and Lebanon. Their monumental use of stone
Assyrians
A powerful people whose empire was centered in Northern Mesopotamia. At the height of their empire (ca. 9th-7th centuries BCE), they ruled as far as Egypt. They produced extensive relief sculpture on the walls of their fortresses that emphasized the power
Neo-Babylonian Period
The resurgence of Babylon at the end of the 7th century BCE. The best known of the Neo-Babylonian rulers was Nebuchadnezzar II, who commissioned the reconstruction of the city of Babylon and the famous Hanging Gardens, one of the Seven Wonders of the Worl
Achaemenid Persians
Early Persian dynasty centered in Iran and named after the ruler Achaemenes. In the 6th century BCE, they ruled the largest empire the Ancient Near East had ever seen, from Iran to Egypt. The Persians' art (especially in their capital city Persepolis) ref
Elamites
A people from the area now known as Iran whose civilization stretched back to a period contemporary with the earliest Sumerians.
citadel
a fortress of stronghold commanding the central defensive position in a city.
palace complex
the central administrative and cultic center of the citadel where the residence of the ruler was located; a wide ramp was the only entrance usually, leaving limited access for protection.
courtyard
an open space with access to the main reception rooms.
throne room
the official chamber in which the ruler would preside.
lamassu
large composite (half-man, half-beast) supernatural creatures sculpted as intimidating guardian figures and designed to flank gates within an Assyrian citadel.
an Assyrian protective deity, often depicted with a bull or lion's body, eagle's wings, and hum
bas-relief
shallow sculptural carving of a 2-D surface.
Assyrian Art of Intimidation
Specificity of Detail: documentary depiction of a specific batter, rather than a timeless scene of victory.
Historical References: reliefs of battle depicted specific historical events.
Propaganda Function: glorified the power of the Assyrian ruler and wa
Assyrian Lion hunts
An enduring theme, the ritual animal hunt is frequently depicted in Assyrian relief sculpture.
The Mesopotamian lion (now extinct) was hunted.
Although the king's slaughter of these beasts reflect his power, the lions are shown as ferocious adversaries wh
Herodotus
Greek historian (ca. 484 to 425 BCE) often known as "the father of history" who wrote a lengthy account of the wars between Persia and the Greeks.
glazed brick
mud-brick covered with a glass glaze and fired to approximate the appearance of stone bas-relief as seen in Assyrian art).
processional
having to do with a procession or an orderly ceremonial movement.
The Persian art of Absolute Power
Kings Darius (r. 521-486 BCE) and Xerxes (r. 485-465 BCE) built the city of Persepolis, which reflected the extent of the power and diversity of peoples over whom they ruled.
Unlike the Assyrians, the Persians did not use hunting and battle scenes to inti
apadana
a Persian audience hall; the central space of Persepolis.
Zoroastrianism
A Persion religion founded in the 6th century BCE by the prophet Zoroaster and entailing a dualistic opposition between the forces of light (represented by the god Ahura Mazda) and darkness.
The Palace Complex of Persia (Persepolis)
The Persians were the only culture of the Ancient Near East thus far to use columns. They likely looked at architecture of Ionian Greeks or Egyptians.