Nude woman (Venus of Willendorf)

ca. 28,000-25,000 BCE

Prehistoric

red ocher = menstral cycle, exaggerated fertility features. limstone is fragile

fertility, rebirth, good luck charm for pregnancy, lack of facial features could mean that she is a goddess, ellabrate hairstyle may distinguish who she is.

Hall of the Bulls 

ca. 15,000- 13,000 BC

Rhinoceros, wounded man, and bison

prehistoric

cave paints were consevative (did not change) = religious or mythological narratives? the animals depicted they did not eat. figures without settings. animals realist, but few humans were crude. Little violence and nothing sexual. used the structures of wall to show the strength of animals. twisted perspective

ca. 15,000- 13,000 BC

War and peace sides of the Standard of Ur

Ur , Iraq

ca. 2600 BCE

war side does not show a particular battle, but the strength of king and authority over enemy. Hierarchy of scale used for power and importance. 

Peace side could show a funeral since there is a bull-harp. king is breaking through the register

White Temple and ziggurat

 prehistoric

 priests have powr because they have contact with gods and bring them gifts and sacrifices. City within a city. made out of mud brick to simulate a mountain. for Anu (great sky god)

ca. 3200- 3000 BCE

Presentation of offerings to Inanna (Warka Vase)

Near Eastern art

ca. 3200- 3000BCE

registers organize narrative. levels of importance go from the bottom up. Nakedness shows peace and humility inorder for the priest to appease the goddess. priest had power because they were the ones who presented the gods with gifts. his power is shown through his size.

Statuettes of two worshippers

Near Eastern

ca. 2700 BCE

used a offerings during festivals. created to stand in for the owner so they could be in constant prayer. Their eyes are enlarged so they can be watchful  and look for the gods. 

Found burried as they were sacred obects, needed to make room for new prayer objects

Bull-headed lyre and sound box

Near Eastern Art

ca. 2600 BCE

found at a death pit. It is self-referential and shows itself being played at a ceremony. animal mythology bringing offerings

Victory stele of Naram-Sin

Near eastern art

2254-2218 BCE

The first time the role of the king has changed to being the level of a god. No registers for organition. Shows a real landscape and represents a real battle. Used to comemorate the conquest of the Lullubi.

1000 years later was taken as a token of defeating the people, and inscribed that they defeated them on it

Ziggurat (northeastern façade with restored stairs)

near eastern

ca. 2100 BCE

Stele with law code of Hammurabi

near eastern

ca. 1780 BCE

Hammurabi approaches and looks directly at sun god. He is almost at the same leve as sun god.sun god sits in ziggurate with his feet on mts. sitting shows power.

Laws cover steele as Hammurabis rule covers the land. Very small, not meant to read but to show the sun god told Hammurabi details and knows all

Processional frieze on the terrace of the apadana

Persepolis, Iran

521-465 BCE

limestone

Palatte of King Narmer

Ancient eygptian art

Predynastic

ca. 3000- 2920 BCE

Used for eye makeup. created as a votive offering.  

Show the power of king namer. Smitting kings and mantaining order over chaos. Hathor and Horus help/protect him.

Show that he has control over his enemy as well as control over mythological creatures. Fish and chisel represent his name

Imhotep

Stepped Pyramid and mortuary precinct of Djoser

eygptian archetect design step pyramid. North to south orientation with the pharoah faceing the north star. 

has fake administration buildings so the pharoah can continue ruling after death.

boundart makers for pharoah to run

ca. 2630-2611 BCE

Great Sphinx

Gizeh, Egypt

ca. 2520- 2494 BCE

sandstone

Khafre enthroned

ancient eygptian art

Horas embraces him for protection as if they are one. sema-tawy on the side show lungs and blow pipe (lungs were viewed as source of life) and papyrus and lotus flowers show the unitfying of the upper and lower regions. sitting equals power, facing forward is so that he can accept his offerings in the afterlife 

ca. 2520- 2494 BCE

Seated scribe

egyptian

ca. 2500 BCE

more reaistic than rulers were because they were not god-like. is chubby, eyes and ears are exagerrated to represent watching and listening that scribes do. was put in his tomb so he could be a scribe in the afterlife. 

Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut

Deir el-Bahri, Egypt

18th Dynasty

Nebamun hunting fowl

Egyptian

ca. 1400-1350 BCE

plants and animals are very realistic,but the humans are sylized. it resembles a hunting scene, but dress isnn't appropriate so represents the waddi-festival, which peasants were not allowed to show in their tombs. was a festival to celebrate the passing of dead loved ones. hierarchy of size, father being the largest. twisted perspective to show strength.

Akhenaton

Egyptian

ca. 1353- 1335 BCE

wearing hat to signify the unification of the upper and lower regions, consolidated the gods into one god, Aton. was very unpopular with the priests, they were not hapy about the change. tried to invent a new style along with new religion, has both male and fmale attributes.

Thutmose, Nefertiti

Egyptian

ca. 1353- 1335 BCE

Name means beautiful, has a very elongated face

Akhenaton, Nefertiti and three daughters

Egyptian

ca. 1353- 1335 BCE

Tendder family scene was not common, affection toward family as rare. Both mother and father are about same size,  realism in the cusions, they bend under weeight. Aton -= the disc in sky, akhenaten worshipped and converted ll his people o that as well. 

Innermost coffin of Tutankhamen

tomb at Thebes, Egypt

ca 1323 BCE

horus wrapped around body to protect.  

Death mask of Tutankhamen

from the innermost coffin of his tomb at Thebes, Egypt

ca. 1323 BCE

uraeus, snake head to represent total power. death mask slightly must look llike pharaoh so ka can return to body for afterlife. was made out of precious material so it longlasting. 

Last judgment of Hu-nefer

 Egyptian

ca. 1290- 1280 BCE

anubis god of underworld leads you into afterlife, heart is weighed on scale with feather of maat. once weighed meet with osiris, god of the afterlife. horus shown here as both bird human/ bird. function is to make the passing of heart being light as a feather reality, as whenthings were written, it made them so.

Temple of Horus

Edfu, Egypt

ca. 237-47 BCE

Figure of a woman

ca. 2500- 2300 BCE

bronze age 

looking upward, feet are t an angle bc it's meant to lay on back. meant as a fertility object, as the belly is protruding, has breasts and female parts are prominent. 

the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece

minoan, no living quarters, mazelike due to the myth of the minotaur

ca. 1700- 1400 BCE

Bull-leaping, from the palace at Knossos (Crete), Greece

ca. 1450- 1400 BCE

 broze age

all minoan art has to do witmotion, alive,had lots of festivals. 

Snake Goddess

bronze age

snakes represent life force and regeneration,  near eastern influence with thee wide eyes, unibrow but that stops, as minoan art is very lively unlike near eastern art. knot of isis for protection. possibly for protection during pregnancy and childbirth. 

ca. 1600 BCE, faience

the citadel at Tiryns, Greece

mycanean , , , fortified walls, so big they thought cyclops built them. used fo prtection, had military within walls (minoan had naval forces so no walls) also had living quarters running water, ittle light and air unlike minoan

ca. 1400-1200 BCE

Vault of the tholos of the Treasury of Atreus

1300- 1250 BCE