Art History Slide Test 1

Cylinder seal of priest-king feeding sacred sheep, ca. 3300 BCE

- appears to show the feeding of a temple herd, which provides a significant portion of the temple's wealth, while the human figure's distinctive costume and hat may identify him as a priest-king
- would decorate the seals because they were crucial for food storage and keeping things fresh

Babylonian deed of sale, written in cuneiform, ca. 1750 BCE

- the impressions here were made by a stylus in soft clay, people believe it may be the first work of writing

Remains of the “White Temple” on its ziggurat, ca. 3500-3000 BCE Uruk, Iraq

- had an indirect approach to the altar in which the stairs and ramps led around so that the viewer could admire the technical accomplishments of the area

Statues from Abu Temple, Tell Asmar, ca. 2700-2500 BCE

- seeing was a major channel of communication with gods and the sculptures may have been responding to the god's awe-inspiring nature with eyes wide open in admiration

Royal Standard of Ur, ca. 2600 BCE

- contains panels of red limestone, shell, and lapuis lazuli inlay set in bitumen
- the panels all together show the king as warrior, priest, and meditator with the gods (dual aspects of kinship)

Head of an Akkadian ruler, ca. 2250-2200 BCE

- statue was treated as though it were the living king himself, they gouged out the eyes, cut off the nose, etc.
- beard is like armour, stylized, and is very controlled making him seem eternal rather than in the moment

Great Ziggurat of King Urnammu, Ur, ca. 2100 BCE

- used huge staircases for a dramatic ascent into the temple so that those who were able to go inside felt the importance of the building and recognized its power

Stele with the Law Code of Hammurabi, ca. 1760 BCE

- king is standing while the god is seated and is receiving the rights of ruleship directly from a god which shows that he is worthy and righteous

Reconstruction of the Citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin, ca. 721-705 BCE

- to reach the palace, visitors had to cross the open plazas and climb broad ramps
- the citadel revealed the privileged relationship between the king and the gods

Gate of Citadel of Sargon II, with lamassu, 742-706 BCE (photo taken during excavation)

- the figures are lamassu, winged, human-headed bulls, that were made to demonstrate power to whomever entered

Fugitives crossing a river, ca. 883-859 BCE

- the archer's faces are shown here as tense and concentrated, you can see this because the bowstrings are pulled behind their heads as a way to make this clear

Lion hunt, ca. 645 BCE

- can't see the lion that the king is attacking but the servants are keeping one lion who is lunging at bay so that the king may finish him off
- lion is in a sense a king and they are shown fallen and beaten, displaying that the king is victorious over other equal opponents

Horse, Lascaux Cave, ca. 15,000-13,000 BCE

- abstract shapes beside the horse have been interpreted as weapons, traps, insects

Bear, Chauvet Cave, ca. 30,000-28,000 BCE

- is created along the contours of the wall which gives the bear a more realistic, natural form as it hunches over

Lions and Bison, Chauvet Cave, ca. 30,000-28,000 BCE

- the blended lines of the bison suggests movement in the herd, perhaps a stampede