The Rise of Civilization: The Art of the Ancient Near East 2ART ID 111 | Study of Ancient Arts

Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD NYIT Center for Teaching and Learning with Technology

With modifications by Arch. Edeliza V. Macalandag, UAP

ANE Empires (continued…)

1. SUMER2. AKKADIA3. NEO-SUMER4. BABYLONIA5. ELAM

6. ASSYRIA7. NEO-BABYLONIA8. ACHAEMENID

PERSIA9. SASANID

Elamite ArtImage Source

About Elam• In the 13th century BC, became a

dominant power that included most of Mesopotamia east of the Tigris and reached almost to Persepolis

• Capital city is Susa• Divided into 4 periods:

– Proto-Elamite– Old Elamite– Middle Elamite period– Neo-Elamite period

Kneeling bull holding a spouted

vessel

from Susa, Iranca. 3,000-2,900 B.C.E.

silver

Statue of Queen Napir-Asu

from Susa, Iranca. 1,350-1,300

B.C.E.bronze and copper

50 3/4 in. high

Chogha Zanbil Ziggurat

Susa, Iranca. 1340–1300 B.C | mud bricks, baked bricks

- had five levels and is the best preserved of all ancient ziggurats

- there were small channels for water

- the temple of Inšušinak was on the top of the tower.

- facade is covered with glazed blue and green terracotta

- interior is decorated with glass and ivory mosaics.

Image Source

Image SourceSite of Chogha Zanbil ziggurat

Assyrian Art

About Assyria• Named for its original capital, the ancient

city of Assur• Characteristic art form is the polychrome

carved stone relief that decorated imperial monuments

• The Assyrians more than any society used art to establish the emergence of a super-culture.

Reconstruction drawing

of the citadel of Sargon II, Dar Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad) Iraq

ca. 720-705 B.C.E.

during excavation

Lamassu (winged human headed

bull)

from the citadel of Sargon II, Dar

Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad) Iraqca. 720-705 B.C.E.

Limestone 13 ft. 10 in. high Image Source

Lamassu (winged human headed bull)

from the citadel of Sargon II, Dar Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad) Iraqca. 720-705 B.C.E. | limestone | 13 ft. 10 in. high

This 40 ton statue was one of a two flanking

the entrance to the throne room of King

Sargon II. A protective spirit known as a

lamassu, it is shown as a composite being with

he head of a human, the body and ears of a

bull, and the wings of a bird. When viewed from

the side, the creature appears to be walking; when viewed from the

front, to be standing still. Thus it is actually represented with five, rather than four legs. Image Source

Gilgamesh Wrestling Lion

from the citadel of Sargon II, Dar

Sharrukin

ca. 720-705 B.C.E.limestone

13 ft. 10 in. high

Assyrian archers pursuing enemies

from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu (modern Nimrud)

ca. 875-860 B.C.E.gypsum | 2 ft. 10 3/8 in. high

Ashurbanipal hunting lions

from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Ninevah (modern Kuyunjik) Iraq

ca. 645-640 B.C.E. | Gypsum | approximately 5 ft. high

For their palace walls the Assyrian kings commissioned extensive series of narrative reliefs exalting royal power and piety. The degree of documentary detail in the Assyrian reliefs is without parallel in the ancient Near East.

Ashurbanipal hunting lions

from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Ninevah (modern Kuyunjik) Iraq

ca. 645-640 B.C.E. | gypsumapproximately 5 ft. high

Ashurbanipal hunting lions

from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Ninevah (modern Kuyunjik) Iraq

ca. 645-640 B.C.E. | Gypsum | approximately 5 ft. high

Neo-Babylonian Art

– With the collapse of the Assyrian Empire, Babylonian kings reestablished their power in the south.

– King Nebuchadnezzar II, restored Babylon to its rank as one of the great cities of antiquity. The city’s “hanging gardens” were counted as among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and its enormous ziggurat was immortalized in the Bible as the Tower of Babel.

– The city of Babylon became one of the greatest cities of antiquity, famous for its "hanging gardens" and its enormous ziggurat.

– The city gate was faced with blue-glazed bricks and glazed bricks molded into reliefs of animals.

About Neo-Babylonia

A 16th-century hand-coloured engraving of the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" by Dutch artist Martin Heemskerck, with the Tower of Babel in the background.

Image Source

restored

Ishtar Gate

from Babylon, Iraq

ca. 575 B.C.E.glazed brick

restored

Ishtar Gatedetails of dragon (Marduk)

and bull (Adad)

from Babylon, Iraq

ca. 575 B.C.E.glazed brick

Ishtar Gate restoreddetails of lion (Ishtar)

from Babylon, Iraq

ca. 575 B.C.E. | glazed brick

Achaemenid Persian Art

About Achaemenid Persia– Although Nebuchadnezzar boasted of

building a wall to surround Babylon to prevent the invasions, Cyrus of Persia captured the city in the 6th century.

– Named after its first official monarch, Achaemenes

– Developed the prestige during the time of Cyrus the Great (Cyrus II of Persia)

– Ceremonial capital: Persepolis

Palace of Darius I and Xerxes I

Persepolis, Iran

ca. 521-465 B.C.E.

UNESCO declared the citadel of Persepolis a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Palace of Darius I and Xerxes I

Gate of All Nations

Persepolis, Iran | ca. 521-465 B.C.E.

The most important source of knowledge about Persian art and architecture is the ceremonial and administrative complex on the citadel at Persepolis.It was built between 521 and 465 BCE by Darius I (r. 522-486 BCE) and Xerxes (r. 486-465 BCE), successors of Cyrus.

Palace of Darius I and Xerxes I

Persepolis, Iranca. 521-465 B.C.E.

Sasanian Art

– Around 224 A.D., succeeded the Achaemenid Persians.

– During its existence, the Sassanid Empire encompassed all of today's Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, the Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Dagestan), southwestern Central Asia, part of Turkey, certain coastal parts of the Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf area, and areas of southwestern Pakistan, even stretching into India.

– The Sassanid era, during Late Antiquity, is considered to have been one of Persia's/Iran's most important and influential historical periods, and constituted the last great Iranian empire before the Muslim conquest and the adoption of Islam.

About Sasanid

Palace of Shapur I

from Ctesiphon, Iraq

ca. 250 C.E.

Palace of Shapur I

from Ctesiphon, Iraq

ca. 250 C.E.

Triumph of Shapur I over Valerian

from Bishapur, Iraq

ca. 260 C.E.rock-cut relief

Triumph of Shapur I over Valerian

from Bishapur, Iraq

ca. 260 C.E. | rock-cut relief

Shapur I drachim

ca. 260 C.E.cast silver coins

Head of Sasanian King (Shapur II?)

from Ctesiphon, Iraq

ca. 350 C.E.silver with mercury gilding15 3/4 in. high

Head of Sasanian King (Shapur II?)

from Ctesiphon, Iraq

ca. 350 C.E.silver with mercury gilding15 3/4 in. high

Glossary .Apadana – The great audience hall in

ancient Persian palaces.Arch – A curved structural member that

spans an opening and is generally composed of wedge-shaped blocks (voussoirs) that transmit the downward pressure laterally.

City-state – An independent, self-governing city.

Glossary .Cuneiform – Latin, “wedgeshaped.” A

system of writing used in ancient Mesopotamia, in which wedge-shaped characters were produced by pressing a stylus into a soft clay tablet, which was then baked or otherwise allowed to harden.

Glossary .Cylinder seal – A cylindrical piece of stone

usually about an inch or so in height, decorated with an incised design, so that a raised pattern was left when the seal was rolled over soft clay. In the ancient Near East, documents, storage jars, and other important possessions were signed, sealed, and identified in this way.

Facade – Usually, the front of a building; also, the other sides when they are emphasized architecturally.

Glossary .Lamassu – Assyrian guardian in the form of a

man-headed winged bull.Lapis lazuli – A rich ultramarine semiprecious

stone used for carving and as a source for pigment.

Pictograph – A picture, usually stylized, that represents an idea; also, writing using such means; also painting on rock.

Stele – A carved stone slab used to mark graves or to commemorate historical events.

Glossary .Standard – a structure built for or serving as

a base or supportVotive offering – A gift of gratitude to a

deity.Ziggurat – In ancient Mesopotamian

architecture, a monumental platform for a temple.

Sources:Introduction to Prehistoric Art, 20,000–8000 B.C. | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn

Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Art Through the Ages, 12th/11th ed., Gardnerhttp://websites.swlearning.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?

fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0155050907&discipline_number=436http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Near_Easthttp://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/edys/hd_edys.htmhttp://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/ancient/mesopotamia.htmhttp://www.iranchamber.com/art/articles/art_of_elamites.php