Chapter 2: Ancient Near Eastern Art

The first great buildings of the ancient world; were made of baked mud, and they were tall, solid structures that dominated the flat landscape.

A network of caves near the village of Montignac, in the department of Dordogne in southwestern France.

A Mesopotamian celestial being with a human head, bull's body, and wings.

a system of writing in which the strokes are formed in a wedge or arrowhead shape

having the power to ward off evil or bad luck

It has realistic-look-ing figures acting out identifiable narratives.

empty space around an object or a person, such as the cut-out areas between a figure’s legs or arms of a sculpture

A sign of debasement; only slaves and prisoners are nude.

a system of representation that expresses a person’s importance by the size of his or her representation in a work of art

An advocate for a given city in the assembly of gods.

In the Sumerian world, the _____ symbolized powers that were manifest in nature.

Became the center point of both civic and religious pride.

ascending the stairs requires angular changes of direction to reach the temple

the main room of a temple where the god is housed

was used to disguise the mud appearance; hence the modern name of White Temple.

May be the first true city in history; the first with monumental architecture.

The god of the sky, the most important Sumerian deity.

Offered in fulfillment of a vow or a pledge

a baseline upon which figures stand

the map of a floor of a building

a horizontal band, often on top of another, that tells a narrative story

a deep-blue stone prized for its color

an Assyrian specialty, although the lamassus are virtually three-dimensional as they project noticeably from the walls they are attached to.

the top element of a column

an audience hall in a Persian palace

An indication of one of the many cultures that inspired the complex.

• Buttresses spaced across the surface

• tapers downward so that rainwater washes off

• resembles a mountain

• Bent-axis plan

• different heights

• hands are folded - gesture of prayer

• huge eyes; arms and feet cut away

• placed in a temple to pray before a sculpture of a god.

• wood inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red ­limestone

• broad frontal shoulders; bodies in profile; twisted perspective

• reflects extensive trading network

• Has two sides: War Side and Peace Side

• Written in cuneiform | Akkadian language

• One of the earliest law codes; 300 entries

• Human-headed winged animal guardian figures

• Meant to hold up the walls and arch of a gate.

• Meant to ward off enemies both visible and invisible.

• Carved from a single piece of stone.

• Built for lavish receptions and festivals

• proudly proclaim this complex as the seat of a great empire.

• Built by Darius I and Xerxes I

• Destroyed by Alexander the Great