AP Art History Chapter 2 Outline Hana Buckholz The Ancient Near East o First language, epic poetry, written

records, religious texts, economic records- invention of writing The Neolithic Era o Agriculture brought more complex societies- irrigation, hierarchy o Elaborate concepts, city planning Jericho (8000-7000 BC- built) o Rectangle homes of mud bricks- fortification walls o Bodies under homes, skulls plastered- armature Catal Huyuk (6500-5500 BC) o Largest city found- very advanced (agriculture, trade, stoneware etc.) o No streets, mud brick homes- bodies under floors, shrines with murals Mesopotamia o Tigris and Euphrates- vulnerability- Neolithic ends c. 4500/4000 BC o Urbanization, temples- cone mosaics- aesthetics o Pottery wheel, metallurgy (weapons, art, vessels) The Uruk Period (3500-3100 BC) o Earliest writing- protoliterate era o 3-D figures in flat space, no indication of space in background o Command of 3-D form in sculpture, organically modeled faces, eyebrows meet over nose- classic Uruk Ziggurats o Unique Mesopotamian architecture o Stepped platform, symbolic mountain for gods, load bearing construction, tapering at the top- solid o Oriented with cardinal directions Cylinder Seals o Glyptic art- intaglio printing- carved stone cylinders o Continuous bands designated ownership- development of pictorial style From Pictures to Words o Wedge-shaped- cuneiform- Sumerian and Akkadian similarities o Record keeping created need for writing system Sumer: Early Dynastic Period (2800-2300 BC) o Full literacy, city states, specialized careers- administrations of priests Tell Asmar

o Small cult figures holding cups, branches- females more clothing o Hierarchical proportions- rounded sculptures- big eyes show encounter/relation to divinity o Horizontalization of hair and beards- organic form Ur o Royal tomb- chariots, harps, jewelry- ritual sacrifice for royalty o Bull mythology- very important- combines species in art o Musical influence- animal depictions- gods or humans costumed Akkad (2300-2100 BC) o Metal sculpture- stylized hair with organic structure (curly beard, hair) o Stelae used to mark victories- hierarchical proportions- landscapes o Upward is good, downward is bad (movement) o Right side of leader shown, good side- successful rule Neo-Sumerian Culture (2100/1900-1800 BC) o Guti beat Akkadians, Sumerians beat Guti- revival of Sumerian culture Lagash o Gudea built many temples- divine kingship o Hands folded in prayer, no spaces between arms/legs o Combines organic form and surface stylization- shown in eyebrows The Ziggurat of Ur o Ur-Nammu built huge ziggurat with three stages o Later expanded into temples, workshops, factories, and commercial center Babylon (1900-539 BC) o Amorites took over- Hammurabi- basis of legal traditions- law code containing over 300 statutes o Cultural and historical importance of code Anatolia: The Hittites (1450-1200 BC) o Archived carved tablets give insight to cultural achievements o Palaces, walls, temples- reliefs on walls- citadels o Guardian lions- war god- stylization with organic form- shows protection and authority Assyria (1300-612 BC) o Culture since 3000 BC- got international status, great kings and military o Alabaster reliefs, 3-D movement, opposing diagonals, overlapping figurescreating movement o Palaces guarded by lamassu- body of bull, human head, naturalism with stylization- wings- movement The Neo-Babylonian Empire (612-539 BC) o Ziggurat (Tower of Babel?) and Ishtar Gate (one of eight arches)

o Built under Nebuchadnezzar o Round arches are stronger- all civilizations have used it Iran (5000-331 BC) o Distinct pottery- animal subjects, stylized- movement using 3-D form o Bull sculpture- purpose unknown, shows animal preference The Scythians (8th-4th centuries BC) o Nomadic- high technical skills- naturalistic art using visual metaphors o Gives motion to sculpture Achaemenid Persia (539-331 BC) o Cyrus the Great ruled- Zoroaster religion o Huge palaces- multi-columned buildings- Persepolis o Reliefs show kings grandeur, slow-moving, curvilinear hair o Lion attacking the bull is typical of this time o Architecture is a mix of cultural influences o Metalwork is stylized, yet organic- typical- detailed design o Merges elegance and power- the typical aesthetic