Urban life: permanent constructions
System of regulatory government
Class distinction (through wealth and occupation)
Tools/skills --> production/trade
Written communication
Shared system of religious belief

In pre-agricultural societies, as soon as there was enough food for all, work stopped.
With agriculture, a field must be sown, tended, and later harvested all at once.
The harvest must be stored.
Domestic animals must be maintained as a herd and be held in a contained area.
When all goes well, there will be a surplus of food that is not immediately distributed.
It is valuable, and must be managed and guarded.

With the Agricultural Revolution comes:
–Government bureaucracy
–Standing armies
–A controlling social elite

Not all people had to farm. Some could become specialists in particular tasks:
–Potters
–Tool makers
–Metal workers (smiths)
–Bakers, butchers, etc.
–Bureaucrats

Even if a farming society had begun to flourish with relatively independent farmers, once irrigation is introduced, infrastructure follows.
An irrigation ditch and water-raising devices are large, expensive projects, requiring government, taxation, a workforce, etc.

The first area of the world to move to an agricultural way of life was near where Africa,
Europe, and Asia meet.
An area called the
Fertile Crescent

The “Fertile Crescent” is fertile, because rivers from all three continents drain into it, bringing rich nutrients to the soil as well as water.
It was also in an area of moderate climate, perfect for growing crops.
For those reasons it was also more heavily populated.

The world’s first great civilization arose in the Fertile Crescent.
–This happened in particular in an area that is now part of Iraq.
–This area is bounded by the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers.
–The Greeks called it Mesopotamia, meaning “between the rivers.”

The first notable civilization in
Mesopotamia was
Sumer.
It was located in southern
Mesopotamia, near where the rivers join.

Sumerian Accomplishments
3500 BCE – Invention of the Wheel
3400 BCE – Invention of pottery wheel
3300 BCE – Invention of writing
(cuneiform)
3000 BCE – Epic of Gilgamesh written –
1 st literary work – Quiz 1 – due next week!

Other developments in Ancient Near East
2300 – 2150 BCE - Akkadian Dynasty and
Empire – conquest of Sumeria
2150 – 1760 BCE - Neo-Sumerian Dynasty
1760 – 1600 BCE – Babylonian Empire: develops advanced mathematics
1600 – 1000 BCE – Splintering of Empire into 3 areas: Hittites in north (develop iron weapons);
Kassites in center and Elamites in south.

1350 – 612 BCE – Assyrian Empire : most brutal and feared warriors of A.N.E.
669 – 627 BCE – Ashurbanipal rules Assyria
612 – 538 BCE – Neo-Babylonian (Chaldaean)
Empire : conquer Egypt in 605 BCE and
Jerusalem in 586 BCE under Nebuchadnezzar II
(Babylonian Captivity – Destruction of Temple of
Solomon)
538 – 330 BCE – Persian Empire : largest empire then known stretching from modern day
Iran to Egypt

Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations were nearly all polytheistic. Polytheism – belief in more than one god. (Only exception was the Jews who later developed monotheism – a belief in one god).
All Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations were theocratic. Theocracy – government which is led by religious rulers that were in charge of both the political and religious aspects of their cultures

Sumerian Gods
Annunaki – name for the
Sumerian gods
Anu- sky god/king of gods
Innana – fertility goddess/ queen of gods
Abu – god of plants
Enlil – god of earth /wind
Enki – god of wisdom
Shamash
– sun god
Assyrians, Babylonians,
Akkadians, Hittites shared the same gods though sometimes added new ones or changed the names
Persian Gods
Ahura Mazda – god of light
Ahriman – god of darkness
Dualistic religion where both gods were equal and opposite
Zoroaster – chief prophet of Persian religion
Zend-Avesta – Persian
Holy Book

Chart: Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. ca. 2200 –
2159 BCE.

Characteristics of Sumerian Art
Prominent Eyes
Arched eyebrows
Cylindrical body shape
Conceptual approach to human figures
Offers homage to the gods
Highly stylized/even abstract at times
Focus on the spiritual world

White Temple and ziggurat
Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E.
mud brick
Oldest temple structure in Mesopotamia

RECOVERED
Female head (possibly Inanna) from Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E.
marble approximately 8 in. high

RECOVERED
Warka Vase from Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E.
alabaster approximately 3 ft. high
Considered masterpiece of Mesopotamian pottery

Votive Statues from
Abu Temple
2600 BCE
Tell Asmar, Sumeria
Votive statues had prayers inscribed upon them and were offered to the gods
Votive means offering

Standard of Ur
2700 - 2600 BCE
Ur, Sumeria
Wood with inlaid shells, limestone and lapis lazuli
Considered masterpiece of Sumerian art
Two sided one side is war one is peace
King is largest figure on both sides

Bull’s Head Lyre
2600 BCE
Ur, Sumeria
Found in Queen Paubi’s tomb
Never used so signifies possible use in afterlife
Wood with inlaid shell, gold and lapis lazuli

Sumerian. Vessel in the shape of an ostrich egg, from the Royal Cemetery of Ur.
Height: 5-3/4".

Sumerian. Cuneiform writing in Sumer. Sumerian tablet from Lagash, modern Tello, Iraq. ca. 2360
BCE

Ram in a thicket from Tomb 789, Royal Cemetery Ur
(modern Tell Muqayyar) Iraq ca. 2,600 B.C.E.
gold, silver, lapis lazuli, copper, shell, red limestone, bitumen
42.6 cm. high
Sumerian mythology included many magical animals

Akkadian and Assyrian Art Characteristics
Art to commemorate warriors and rulers
More naturalistic than Sumerian
Portrayal of violence
Illustrates and glorifies the military power of the people and their king and his accomplishments

MISSING
Head of an Akkadian ruler from Ninevah (modern Kuyunjik) Iraq ca. 2,250-2,200 B.C.E.
copper
14 3/8 in. high
Possibly Sargon or Naram-Sin – 2 signs of power - beard and crown

Materials & Techniques: Lost-wax Casting
(diagram).

Victory Stele of Naram-
Sim
2300 – 2200 BCE
Akkad
Shows king on top of mountain triumphing over his enemies
Size of king dramatically larger than those around him
It was a public monument showing king’s power

Akkadian. Cylinder seal impression and the Seal of
Adda. ca. 2600 BCE.
Height: 1-1/2".

Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu
2500 – 2050 BCE
Ur, Sumeria (Iraq)
Priest was only one allowed to visit the home of the god at the top of the temple
Ur-Nammu writes first code of laws (incomplete)
Neo-Sumerians

Gudea of Lagash
2144 – 2124 BCE
Lagash, Sumeria
Priest-king – first statue of non-hero
Made of Diorite – because stone was strong and long lasting
No attempt at reality – but regal

Law Code of Hammurabi
1760 BCE
Babylon
Made of Diorite
First complete written code of laws
Sun god Shamash hands laws directly to
Hammurabi making it clear that all must follow them
Quiz 2 – Due Next Week!

Lion Gate
1343-1200 BCE
Hattusha, Turkey
Capital of Hittite
Empire
Hittites are first to use iron weapons

Lamassu from Citadel of Sargon
883 – 859 BCE
Nimrud, Assyria
Lamassu were protector gods assumed by the
Assyrians to come to life to protect them
Note 5 legs

Assyrian archers pursuing enemies from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu (modern Nimrud) ca. 875-860 B.C.E.
gypsum
2 ft. 10 3/8 in. high
Perspective is not even considered – larger figures are the important ones

Ashurnasirpal II Killing
Lions
850 BCE
Nimrud, Assyria
Limestone
Part of the Hunting
Reliefs
The Hunting Reliefs are considered the masterpiece of Ancient
Near Eastern Art

Dying Lioness
850 BCE
Nimrud, Assyria
Relief Sculpture
Limestone
Part of the Hunting
Reliefs
The Hunting Reliefs are considered the masterpiece of Ancient
Near Eastern Art

Hunting Reliefs

Tablet 11 of the Epic of Gilgamesh (fragment), with the
Flood Story. From the Library of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh
(modern Kuyunjik, Iraq). Second milennium BCE.

Sack of Hamanu by
Ashurbanipal
650 BCE
Nineveh, Assyria
Scale is all out of proportion
Narrative is what is important
Power of king and his army’s technique are the focus

Assyrian. Exile of the Israelites , from the Palace of
Sennacherib, Nineveh, Assyria. Late 8th century BCE.

Ishtar Gate
575 BCE
Babylon
From Neo-Babylonian period made of glazed brick
One of over 30 entrances to city – used for defensive purposes and to impress visitors
Animals used for ornamentation
Crenellations on top for defense

Ishtar Gate (restored) details of dragon (Marduk) and bull (Adad) from Babylon, Iraq ca. 575 B.C.E.
glazed brick

Ishtar Gate (restored) details of lion (Ishtar) from Babylon, Iraq ca. 575 B.C.E.
glazed brick

Babylonian. Reconstruction drawing: Babylon's
Processional Way & Ishtar Gate as they appeared in the 6th century BCE.

Anonymous. Beaker with ibex, dogs, and long-necked birds, from
Susa, southwest Iran. ca. 5000 –4000 BCE.
Height: 11-1/4".

Achaemenid Palace
518 – 460 BCE
Persepolis, Persia
Palace was destroyed by Alexander the
Great in revenge for the destruction of the
Acropolis in Athens
Laid out in grid pattern

Palace of Darius I and Xerxes I
Persepolis, Iran ca. 521-465 B.C.E.

.

Persian. Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute . Detail, relief from a stairway leading to the Apadana, ceremonial complex, Persepolis,
Iran.
491-486 BCE.
Height: 8' 4".

Achaemenid. Rhyton . 5th-3rd centuries BCE.

Winged Ibex
4 th century BCE
Persia
This object was used as a jar handle
Gilded in gold over stone
Animal motif prevailed in Ancient Near East

Palace of Shapur I from Ctesiphon, Iraq ca. 250 C.E.
Roman artisans aided in the construction – hence the arch

Triumph of Shapur I over Valerian from Bishapur, Iraq ca. 260 C.E.
rock-cut relief
The Roman Emperor kneels in defeat before the Sasanian King

Head of Sasanian King (Shapur II?) from Ctesiphon, Iraq ca. 350 C.E.
silver with mercury gilding
15 3/4 in. high
Sculpture

The End
Next Lecture: Ancient Egypt