CHAPTER TWO
ART OF THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
2
Multiple Choice
1. The Sumerians invented the first system of writing called
A. pictographs.
B. hieroglyphics.
C. cuneiform.
D. inlay.
2. Ziggurats functioned symbolically as
A. entrances to the underworld.
B. bridges between the earth and the heavens.
C. fortresses of the rulers.
D. the home of the gods.
3. The Epic of Gilgamesh was attributed to the
A. Sumerians.
B. Akkadians.
C. Babylonians.
D. Persians.
4. What technique did the Sumerians use to create cylinder seals that ensured the identification of
documents and established property ownership?
A. illusionism
B. registers
C. vertical perspective
D. sunken relief
5. Which culture controlled most of Mesopotamia by the end of the ninth century BCE?
A. Assyrian
B. Persian
C. Hittite
D. Babylonian
6. What was at the top of the Anu ziggurat White Temple?
A. scenes of military victories
B. a living quarters for priests
C. giant columns
D. a simple rectangle with an off-center doorway
7. The Stele of Hammurabi is significant as both a work of ancient Mesopotamian art and as
A. an example of Babylonian literature.
B. a religious artifact recording Hebrew tradition.
C. a key to deciphering cuneiform texts.
D. a historical document recording a written code of law.
8. What did the low relief scenes on the walls at Kalhu portray?
A. war campaigns and lion hunts
B. abstract, geometric motifs
C. bulls and the god Marduk
D. judgments and punishments
9. What does the uppermost scene of the Carved Vessel (Fig. 2-4) from Uruk represent?
A. the birth of a goddess
B. a ritual burial
C. a re-enactment of a ritual marriage
D. the signing of a peace treaty
10. What original element of the Head of a Woman (Fig. 2-3) symbolizes the purity of the
figure?
A. the wooden body
B. a gold wig
C. inlaid eyes
D. the marble face
11. Stepped structures known as ziggurats may have developed from the practice of
A. using prisoners as a workforce.
B. repeated rebuilding at sacred sites.
C. establishing settlements on high land for safety.
D. burying the dead in pyramids.
12. The incised design on a cylinder seal found in the tomb of Queen Puabi (Fig. 2-8)
demonstrates the Sumerians’ use of
A. narrative images.
B. geometric patterns.
C. personal monograms.
D. cuneiform.
13. The lion hunting scene of Assurnasirpal II (Fig. 2-14) marks a shift in Mesopotamian art
from a sense of timeless solemnity toward greater
A. political content.
B. emotional drama.
C. historical accuracy.
D. interest in individuals.
14.Which city was Nebuchadnezzar II responsible for transforming into one of the most splendid
of its day?
A. Ur
B. Persepolis
C. Babylon
D. Nineveh
15. The relief of Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute (Fig. 2-23) exemplifies Persian art’s
emphasis on
A. the divinity of the king.
B. military power.
C. allegiance and economic prosperity.
D. multicultural tolerance.
16. The first domestication of grains occurred in the area known as the
A. Fertile Crescent.
B. Kalhu.
C. Zagros Mountains.
D. Persia.
17. What did the Sumerians use to produce cuneiform writing?
A. stylus
B. seal
C. picture stamp
D. chisel
18. A beautiful copper alloy head, which is the earliest major work of hollow-cast sculpture
known in the ancient Near East, dates from the time of
A. Darius.
B. Nebuchadnezzar.
C. Ashurbanipal.
D. Sargon.
19. In the Stele of Hammurabi, Hammurabi stands before the seated god Shamash in an attitude
of
A. submission.
B. defeat.
C. prayer.
D. solidarity.
20. What were most of the buildings in Kalhu built from?
A. cut marble
B. alabaster
C. bitumen
D. mud bricks
21. Which ruler conquered the Persian Empire in 334 BCE?
A. Alexander the Great
B. Xerxes
C. Sargon II
D. Gudea
22. The Persians won the loyalty of their subjects by tolerating
A. relaxed punishment toward slaves.
B. trade with the Greeks.
C. local chieftains and advisors.
D. native customs and religions.
23. Which object, taken by an Elamite king, demonstrated the importance of art objects as
military booty?
A. Disk of Enheduanna (Fig. 2-9)
B. Stele of Naram-Sin (Fig. 2-1)
C. Votive Statue of Gudea (Fig. 2-12)
D. Stele of Hammurabi (Fig. 2-13)
24. Cylinder seals, which were often buried with the dead, were signs of
A. favor of the gods.
B. belief in the afterlife.
C. status or high office.
D. penance.
25. In the image of Enemies Crossing the Euphrates to Escape Assyrian Archers (Fig. 2-15),
what device is used to convey spatial depth?
A. closed outlines
B. different viewpoints
C. large-scale animals
D. overlapping swimmers
Short Answer
1. In the ancient Near East, why was there a need to control the water supply of the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers?
2. Why was Mesopotamia vulnerable to political upheaval?
3. How did agriculture change the face of culture in the Fertile Crescent?
4. How is trade exemplified in the Great Lyre with Bull’s Head (Figs. 2-6A and B)?
5. What did the mutilations of the Head of a Man (Fig. 2-1o) mean?
6. What story does the Stele of Naram-Sin tell?
7. What were some of the significant features of the palace complex of Sargon II?
8. What types of Persian art show the Persians’ high level of technical and artistic sophistication?
Essay
1. Trace the development of the various cultures that inhabited Mesopotamia from the Assyrians
to the Persians.
2. Discuss the religious beliefs and funerary practices of the Mesopotamians, and describe how
Mesopotamian art reflects the region’s history and beliefs. Provide at least one example of
architecture and one example of sculpture.
3. Discuss the development of Mesopotamian architecture and city development from Sumer to
Persia.
4. Discuss the form, iconography, and style of the figure of Gudea as seen in Figure 2-12.
5. Consider the style and purpose of the female figures portrayed in Head of a Woman (Fig. 2-3),
Carved Vessel (Fig. 2-4), and Assurbanipal and His Queen in the Garden (Fig. 2-18). What do
these images suggest about the role of women in Mesopotamia?
Skill Level: Apply What You Know and Analyze It