Art 1: Homework 2
Mesopotamian and Egyptian Art
Based on reading Chapters 2 and 3 in Gardner’s Art through the Ages,
prepare “study cards” according to the following criteria for 2 art works to
share with your study group.
In class, you will be assigned to a group and given a number 1-10 to
correspond to the slide lists below. Each student will have one
Mesopotamian and one Egyptian artwork.
1. To simplify the exchange of information, prepare the 2 “cards” on one
typed page and bring 11 copies to class. Be prepared to explain your ideas in
class to your fellow students.
2. For each artwork you are assigned, begin with the essential data:
Artist’s name, Title, date, culture, medium
For culture in Mesopotamia, note if it is Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian or
Assyrian. For culture in Egypt, note if it is Old, Middle, or New Kingdom.
3. Then write a one sentence summary for each of these key factors under
the above data:
a. Art elements
b. Subject
c. Historical context
d. Meaning /significance
4. If this technique is helpful to you, you can use such active studying for all
the art on the class website study guides.
Ancient Near East
1. Female head (Inanna?), from Uruk (modern Warka), Iraq, ca. 3200–3000 BCE.
Marble, approx. 8” high.
2. Statuettes of two worshipers, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell
Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone, tallest figure
approx. 2’ 6” high.
3. Standard of Ur, from Tomb 779, Royal Cemetery, Ur Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Wood inlaid
with shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone, approx. 8” x 1’ 7”.
4. Head of an Akkadian ruler, from Nineveh Iraq, ca. 2250–2200 BCE. Copper, 1’ 2 3/8”
high
5. Victory stele of Naram-Sin, from Susa, Iran, 2254–2218 BCE. Pink sandstone, approx.
6’ 7” high
6. Ziggurat (northeastern facade with restored stairs), Ur, Iraq, ca. 2100 BCE.
7. Stele with law code of Hammurabi, from Susa, Iran, ca. 1780 BCE.
Basalt, approx. 7’ 4” high
8. Lamassu (winged, human-headed bull), from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin
(modern Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 720–705 BCE. Limestone, approx. 13’ 10” high.
9. Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, relief from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal
II, Kalhu (modern Nimrud), Iraq, ca. 875–860 BCE. Gypsum, 2’ 10 5/8” high.
10. Ishtar Gate (restored), Babylon, Iraq, ca. 575 BCE. Glazed brick.
Egyptian Art
1. Palette of King Narmer (left, back; right, front), from Hierakonpolis, Egypt,
Predynastic,
ca. 3000–2920 BCE. Slate, approx. 2’ 1” high.
2. IMHOTEP, Stepped Pyramid and mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt,
Dynasty III,
ca. 2630–2611 BCE.
3. Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV. From left: Pyramids of Menkaure, ca.
2490–2472 BCE; Khafre, ca. 2520–2494 BCE; and Khufu, ca. 2551–2528 BCE.
4. Khafre, from Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV, ca. 2520–2494 BCE. Diorite, approx. 5’ 6”
high.
5. Seated scribe (Kay?), from his mastaba at Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty V, ca. 2450–2350
BCE. Painted limestone, approx. 1’ 9” high.
6. Ti watching a hippopotamus hunt, relief in the mastaba of Ti, Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty
V,
ca. 2450–2350 BCE. Painted limestone, hunting scene approx. 4’ high.
7. Hatshepsut with offering jars, from the upper court of her mortuary temple, Deir elBahri, Egypt, ca. 1473–1458 BCE. Red granite, approx. 8’ 6” high.
8. Fowling scene, from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, Dynasty XVIII, ca. 1400–
1350 BCE. Fresco on dry plaster, approx. 2’ 8” high.
9. Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, from Tell el-Amarna, Egypt, Dynasty
XVIII,
ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Limestone, approx. 12 1/4” high.
10. Innermost coffin of Tutankhamen, Thebes, Egypt, Dynasty XVIII, ca. 1323 BCE.
Gold with inlay of enamel and semiprecious stones, approx. 6’ 1” long.