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CHAPTER 2
ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN ART
Google Earth Coordinates:
Apadana (Audience Hall) of Darius and Xerxes, Persepolis
Ziggurat of King Urnammu (Nanna Ziggurat), Muqaiyir (Ur), Iraq
Video Links:
An Empire that Perished in Flames: Persepolis
Compare and Contrast
Image Flashcards
Term Flashcards
In ca. 4000 BCE large urban communities began to emerge in Mesopotamia in the
area between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.
Sumerian Art
Key Images
Babylonian deed of sale, p. 22, 2.1
Religion
In Mesopotamia, we see the emergence of a polytheistic religion. Sumerian beliefs
were centered around the concerns of everyday life and Sumerian gods and goddesses
were powerful and immortal. Often we find an association of animals with these
deities.
Deity Attribute
An (Anu) Sky god and head of the pantheon
Inanna (Ishtar) Queen of Heaven, spouse of Anu
Goddess of fertility, love, war
gud
Storm god
Sun god
Each city had a civic god. The administrative staff for the city was based in the city
temple, and the temple staff supplied area farmers with seeds, tools, and work
animals. The farmers would donate a portion of their produce to the temple. In this
way, the civic god, in conjunction with the ruler of the city, governed the city with a
system called theocratic socialism.
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In one of the more lavish tombs in Ur, the tomb of Queen Pu-abi, a lyre
head of gold gilt and lapis lazuli was found. The front panel of the lyre depicts a
narrative scene of unknown meaning.
Cylinder seals, cylindrical objects carved with a design so that when impressed on
clay it would leave a raised reverse image, emerge during this period. These seals
would have been used to record business transactions and keep track of inventories.
Art of Akkad
Key Images
Head of an Akkandian Ruler, p. 30, 2.11
Stele of Naram-Sin, p. 31, 2.12
During the period of Sumerian power, a people known as the Akkadians settled the
area near modern Baghdad.
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Neo-Sumerian Revival
Key Images
Great Ziggurat of King Urnammu, Ur, p. 32, 2.13
Primary Source: Texts on Gudea Figures from Lagash and Surrounding Areas, ca. 2100,
p. 33
The rule of the Akkadians ended when the Guti gained control of the Mesopotamian
Plain. The Sumer drove them out in 2112 BCE under the leadership of King Urnammu
Babylonian Art
Key Images
Upper part of stele inscribed with the Law Code of Hammurabi, p. 34, 2.16
The Babylonians established a powerful dynasty centered around the city of Babylon.
Assyrian Art
Key Images
Gate of the citadel of Sargon II, p. 36, 2.18
Primary Source: The Code of Hammurabi, p. 35
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Late Babylonian Art
Key Images
Ishtar Gate (restored) from Babylon, Iraq, p. 38, 2.21
After the Assyrian empire fell to the Medes in 612 BCE, the city of Babylon witnessed
Regional Near Eastern Art: The Hittites
Key Images
The Lion Gate, Bogazköy, Anatolia, p. 39, 2.22
Babylon was overthrown by the Hittites in 1595 BCE. The Hittites adopted
cuneiform writing for their language.
Key Images
Phoenician ivory plaque depicting a winged sphinx, p. 39, 2.23
The Phoenicians were seafarers, founding settlements throughout the Mediterranean
and conducting active trading.
Key Images
Temple of Solomon (reconstruction), Jerusalem, p. 40, 2.24
The Akkadians expelled the Hebrews from Mesopotamia in ca. 2000 BCE. The
Hebrews settled in Canaan before moving to Egypt in ca. 1600 BCE.
Iranian Art
Key Images
Painted beaker, from Susa, p. 41, 2.25
Early nomadic tribes left no permanent structures, but grave goods reveal the extent
Persian Art
Key Images
Palace of Darius and Xerxes, Persepolis, p. 42, 2.26
Achaemenid rhyton, p. 42, 2.27
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Mespotamia between Persian and Islamic Domination
Key Images
Shapur I Triumphing over the Roman Emperors Philip the Arab and Valerian, p. 44, 2.31
Palace of Shapur I, p. 45, 2.32
Peroz I or Kavad I hunting rams, p. 46, 2.33
In 331 BCE, Alexander the Great (356 323 BCE) defeated the Persians, burning the
Key Terms/Places/Names
Mesopotamia
cuneiform
mud brick
ziggurats
cella
stele
buttresses
lamassu
Nebuchadnezzar
Orthostats
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Discussion Questions
1. Compare and contrast Sumerian sculpture with that of Egypt being done at the same
time.
5. Compare the Lion Hunt relief (2.20) to the Stele of Naram-Sin (2.12). In what ways
are they similar? How are they different?
6. What was Hammurab
the Law Code of Hammurabi (2.16)?
Resources
Books
Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins at Sumer. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press, 1994.
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