The Ancient Near East Mesopotamia n Neolithic Era

The Ancient Near East Mesopotamia n Neolithic Era n 9000 -4500/4000 BC n Art History Vincent Baldassano n

Ancient Near East Farming began in the Middle East in an area called the Fertile Crescent Development of agriculture-irrigation systems (People noticed that seeds which had fallen on the ground grew into plants. They began to collect the seeds and plant them on purpose. The first crops grown were wheat and barley)

Neolithic Era Ancient Near East (con’t) Domestication of sheep and goats Earliest cities in Mesopotamia Copper smelting developed Development of complex urban societies Urban planning Mud-brick mainstay of architecture

Key Visual Art Historical Monuments n n n Babylon n Stele- Law of Hammurabi-1792 - 1750 BC, Basalt (stone) 7 feet by 28 inches Anatolia (Turkey) n The Hittites n Hittite War God, from Kings Gate, Hattusas Boghazkoy, Turkey, 1400 BC, 6 feet , 6 inches high Assyrian n King Assurnasirpal II hunting lions, from Nimrud, Irag, 883 -859 BC, Alabaster Relief, 3 feet by 8 feet Dying Lioness (detail from the Lion Hunt) from the palace of King Assurbanipal II, Nineveh, 668 -627 BC, Alabaster relief, Height 13 inches Neo-Babylonian n Ishtar Gate n C 575 BC, Glazed Brick Scythian n Stag, Russia, 7 th C BC, Gold, 12 ½ inches n Stag, 4 th C. BC, gold, bronze, siver, wood, 20 inches n n n

Inventions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Writing Poetry History Economic records Religious texts

Key Terms n n n n n Armature Mural Polytheistic n From Greek- Poly (many) n Theos-(God) Anthropomorphic n Human in form Cuneiform Cone mosaics Registers Inlaid Glyptic

The First Towns Jericho Near present day Jerusalem n n People lived houses made of mud brick n Dead were buried beneath their homes n Town was protected by a massive stone wall n Textbook Photo- “Neolithic Plaster Skull from Jerico” c. 7000 BC

The First Towns (con’t) n Catal Huyuk (pronounced chatal hoo-yook) was the largest of the early towns. Contained nearly 6000 people. n Catal Huyuk in Anatolia (modern day Turkey) n Deity – Mother Goddess made of clay reminiscent of the “Venus of Willendorf” n Town planned without streets, connected by roofs n skeletons were buried beneath floors and bences

Catal Huyuk c. 6500 -5500 bce. Largest neolithic site in ancient Near East. Deliberate city planning took place here. There were rooftop walkways/no streets. Preliterate society (no known written language)

Two cowrie shells were set horizontally into the eye sockets creating a ‘sleepy expression’ which resonates through to the • present day. It is thought that the jaw bone was removed intentionally and that the clay would have been built up to create a neat artificial chin. The plasterwork does not extend over the back of the skull, which was perhaps originally provided with some other material to look like hair. Separation of the skull was a common practice among the early farming populations. This example was found, together with six other skulls in a pile beneath the floor of a house. It is suggested that the heads preserved were those of venerated ancestors. They were kept for some sort of ancestor worship and then discarded after a generation or two.

The skull formed the basis of a sculpture. Below… on the surface of the skull there are the remains of clay and plaster. It was made over 9, 000 years ago. Then we would have seen little or none of the skull itself. Clay was built up around the skull and then plaster was applied to provide a smooth surface.

Mother Goddess, c. 6000 bce, baked clay, h. 8”, Chatal Huyuk, Turkey.

Mesopotamia n Near Eastern Conventions: Creation of composite view of human form n Legs and head in profile n Torso turned slightly n Eyes frontal

Sumarian

Ziggurat n Ziggurat- means raised up or high- a uniquely Mesopotamian architectural form n Imitation mountains as platforms for the gods who protected the city n Mountains believed to embody immanent posers of nature (life giving water that flowed in the plains and made agriculture possible) n Ziggurat considered a transition space between people and gods n Example of load-bearing construction- solid, step structures tapering towards the top with wide bases made of solid clay reinforced with brick an asphalt, white potter jars were embedded in the walls n Top of Ziggurat was the Temple

Nanna Ziggurat Ur, c. 2100 - 2050 BC Mud-Brick

Bull Lyre 2680 BC Wood, gold, Lapis Lazuli, & Shell From the tomb of Queen Pu-abi, Ur (modern Iraq)

Sumarian

Gudea with a temple plan Lagash, Iraq c. 2100 Diorite 29 inches high

Seated statue of Gudea, c. 2100 bce, diorite, Neo. Sumerian period, Tello (Lagash), Iraq.

Gudea with Temple Plan(left) Seated Gudea (right) c. 2150 B. C. E. 29" h. diorite

Note the similarities also how the artist consistently renders certain elements such as around the eyes and the shoulder/bice p/forearm

Statue of Gudea (standing figure) From Lagash c. 2120 BC Diorite Height 29 inches

Akadian

Neo- Sumerian

Stele (detail) Law code of Hammurabi Susa, Iran Hammurabi stands before the Akkadian sun god, Shamash

Hittite

Lion Gate (Royal Gate)Hattusas, Turkey

Audience Hall of Darius, Persepolis, Iran 500 bc

Neo-Babylonian

Ishtar Gate Babylon C 575 Glazed brick

Neo-Babylonian

Lamassu, from the gateway, Sargon. II’s palace at Dur, 720 BC, Limestone, Iraq

King Assurnasirpal II, Hunting Lions, Nimrud, Iraq, c 883 -859, Alabaster relief, 3 x 8 ft

Dying Lioness (detail of the great lion hunt), 668627 BC, Alabaster relief, 13 inches high, Iraq

Synthian

Stag, from Kostromskaya, Russa, 7 th. C, Chased gold , 121/2 in

Key Visual Art Historical Monuments n Babylon n Stele- Law of Hammurabi-1792 - 1750 BC, Basalt (stone) 7 feet by 28 inches n Anatolia (Turkey) n The Hittites n Hittite War God, from Kings Gate, Hattusas Boghazkoy, Turkey, 1400 BC, 6 feet , 6 inches high Assyrian n King Assurnasirpal II hunting lions, from Nimrud, Irag, 883859 BC, Alabaster Relief, 3 feet by 8 feet n Dying Lioness (detail from the Lion Hunt) from the palace of King Assurbanipal II, Nineveh, 668 -627 BC, Alabaster relief, Height 13 inches Neo-Babylonian n Ishtar Gate n C 575 BC, Glazed Brick. Scythian n Stag, Russia, 7 th C BC, Gold, 12 ½ inches n Stag, 4 th C. BC, gold, bronze, siver, wood, 20 inches n n

The End