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Prehistoric Mesopotamian Egyptian Aegean

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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

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