100,000 BCE First Ritual Burying of the Dead 28,000 23,000 BCE
Woman of Willendorf 15,000 10,000 Cave Paintings of Lascaux
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Her great age and pronounced female forms quickly established
the Woman of Willendorf as an icon of prehistoric art.
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The interior of the underground caverns evokes a sense of
ritual and sacred space
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Artists drew directly on wall with red, yellow, brown, and
black minerals. Paintings suggest they may have served some ritual
purpose. The practice of recreating animals through representation
may have been an attempt to capture life spirits and thus ensure a
successful hunt.
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Keen Observation Technical Skill Personal Interpretation
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Unlike their southern neighbors, the Mesopotamian area was in
conflict between warring nations very frequently. This area also
required much more maintenance of their agriculture systems.
Because of these and other factors, this area had a more limited
development of art as compared to Egypt. Standard of Ur, c. 2700
B.C.
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The Standard of Ur is one of the most exquisite and informative
Sumerian pieces of art that has been discovered. It was found in a
4,500-year-old grave in the city of Ur. The Standard consists of
six 18-inch-wide wooden panels inlaid with shells and lapis lazuli.
The panels include scenes of Sumerians from all social classes at
war and at a royal banquet. The Standard of Ur illustrates a
conceptual rather than a naturalistic approach to description.
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1. The concept of a city state was developed by the Sumerians
2. Writing was developed by the Sumerians - Cuneiform characters on
clay tablets 3. One of the most important cultural developments of
this period is the concept of the powerful god communicating their
desires to humanity through the medium of a powerful priest class
or autocratic ruler who serves as the intermediary. - Theocracy
govt. of the gods/priest class - ruler may be divine himself, or
chosen by the god/gods - each city had it's own gods This system
centralizes power in the hands of a small group of people and gives
political decisions a religious authority
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Harpist: Iraq, Old Babylonian Period, ca. 2000-1600 B.C. Cast
Clay Relief Clay plaques from this period depict musicians playing
a variety of stringed, percussion, and wind instruments.
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Iraq Akkadian Period, ca. 2254-2193 B.C. Black stone This
cylinder seal was dedicated to a little-known goddess, Ninishkun,
who is shown interceding on the owner's behalf with the great
goddess Ishtar. Ishtar places her right foot upon a roaring lion,
which she restrains with a leash. The scimitar in her left hand and
the weapons sprouting from her winged shoulders indicate her
war-like nature.
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Ziggurat of Ur c. 2100 BCE The Ziggurat of Ur was built by the
king Ur- Nammu. It is an impressive imposing structure. Imagine the
power of a leader speaking from high on the side of this symbolic
mountain of the god. ( The Code of Hammurabi )
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Iraq: Babylon, Processional Avenue north of the Ishtar Gate
Neo- Babylonian Period Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, ca. 604-562 B.C.
Molded brick with polychrome glaze. An icon is an image that is
readily recognized and generally represents an object or concept
with great cultural significance to a wide cultural group vs
Natural imagery means a congruous set of images depicting the world
of nature.image
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Ancient Egypt is perhaps the most fascinating of the ancient
civilizations. Even the Ancient Greeks thought themselves to be a
young and inexperienced society compared to the Egyptians. Indeed,
the Ancient Egyptian civilization was one of the longest in the
west, beginning in approximately 3000 B.C., and lasting until
nearly 300 B.C. What is amazing about the Egyptian's culture is not
their rapid growth and development, but their ability to preserve
the past and prevail with relatively little change. For example,
today in the United States we drastically change the style of our
clothing each decade, while Egyptian dress did not vary over the
thousands of years. Theirs was a civilization where the past lived
in the present.
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Frontalism In Sculpture, the entire presentation is to be
viewed from the front. In 2-dimensional work, the head of the
character is always drawn in profile, while the body is seen from
the front. Although the face is to the side, the eye is drawn in
full. The legs are turned to the same side as the head, with one
foot placed in front of the other. The head is at right angles to
the body. Every figure, in paintings or sculptures, stands or sits
with a formal, stiff, and rigid posture. The stance of the body is
severe, but the faces are calm and serene.
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Nobleman, Old Kingdom (frontal style)
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MEMPHITE FAMILY OF NEFER- HERENPTAH Old Kingdom 5th Dynasty
Painted Limestone Eternalizes the Ancient Egyptian family in it's
most simple and pure form. This nuclear family is meant to reunite
in the afterlife.
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Great Pyramids at Giza. Old Kingdom. c. 2601-2515 BCE. Original
height of pyramid of Khufu 480', length of each side at base
755'.
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KAEMHESET Old Kingdom, 5th Dynasty Painted Limestone the statue
of the chief of sculptors and royal architect Kaemheset represents
perfectly the " comme il faut " (according with custom or
propriety) aesthetic and artistic conventions of the Fifth
Dynasty
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Political divisions Increasing anxiety Uncertainty Sense of
Civil Unrest Loosening of Rules of Representation Naturalistic
tendencies Seated Statue of Sesostris III
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1364 1387 Reigh of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton); religious and
political reform; monotheism, worship of single god Aton;
Revolutionary figure
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Reign of Tutankhamen 1361 1352 BCE Return to Conservatism The
Boy King Return of Egyptian Conservatism and Strict Rules of
Representation
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Colossal Building Warfare with Mesopotamia End of Egypts
Imperial Power The Last Great Pharaoh The Last Great Pharaoh
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Two distinct cultures flourishedthe animal was an important
motif in both cultures, however, fluidity of Minoan art and
rigidity of Mycenaen art reflect differences Minoan civilization
flourished on island of Crete 2000-1450 BCE; based on agriculture
and wide seafaring; natural catastrophe may have caused abrupt end
As Minoan culture began to decline, Mycenaen rose to supremacy;
this bronze Age culture, which flourished about 1400-1100 BCE, was
named for walled city of Mycenae on Greek mainland; their art
offers a more abstracted mode of representation Mycenaen culture
ended when Dorians entered peninsula from north about 1100 BCE
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1600 1400 BCE Middle Minoan Period High point of Minoan Culture
Interior Frescos Human scale Life-oriented culture 3-D Knossos
Reconstruction
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From beneath the shrine in the court Palace of King Minos,
Knossos 1600-1580 BCE Mothyer Goddess Source of all life 2 snakes
=- mysteries of Life Lion atop her head
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QUEEN'S APARTMENT Palace of King Minos, Knossos c. 1500
BCE