Hi-Q Art History

Middle Kingdom

(11th-12th dynasty) or (2040-1778BC) time period in which the architecture can be represented by the temple of Mentuhotep. Also many sculptures such as Sesostris III and the manned sphinxes of Amenemhet III which personify the pharaoh and his power

Yang Shou Vases

(5-4 millennium) decorated with fish and other animals and tripods vessels shaped like owls. Focusing attention on the decoration, background color contrast, rhythm of outlines

Ur Standard

2 rectangular panels of wood connected by trapezoidal end. Both sides are ornamented in mosaic with limestone shell and Lapis lazuli on black bitumen paste. Each piece of wood has three rows of figures, one piece shows peace while the other shows war

Solutrean-Magdalenian

24000-12000BC. Characterized by large low relief sculptures, engravings, clay modeling and big compositions

Aurignacian Period

36000-30000BC. Paintings and figurines often included dangerous animals as well as humans, horses and other food animals

Seated effigy of Ramesses II

A famous example of the monumental proportions of the art created during Ramesses II rule. His wife, Nefertari, and eldest son carved beside him

Funerary hoard of Queen Puabi

A large collection of diadems, earrings and other valuable jewelry from the Ur (city from Fertile Crescent)

Topographical Stone of Jebel Amud

A layout of the 150 settlements in the Jordanian Desert (defined by different shapes) connected by engraving paths.

ochre

A mineral which was pulverized and mixed with animal fat before being applied with the fingers, bone spatulae or brushes to make the color red or orange

manganese dioxide

A mineral which was pulverized and mixed with animal fat before being applied with the fingers, bone spatulae or brushes to make the color violet or black (charcoal was also used for the color black)

effigy

A model or sculpture, usually of a person

Nakht

A noble and royal astronomer, also the keeper of the king's vineyards

Palace of Knossos

A palace built on the terraced mound around a central court with surrounding quarters spreading out. Had monumental entrances, colonnaded halls, light wells, lustral basins and extensive storage facilities had lots of bright colors

Funerary effigy of Khafre

A prototype of pharaonic statues enclosed in a cubic Structure

Megaron

A reception area surrounded by storage rooms, archives, living quarters, and courts

Mesopotamia

A region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which included many cities such as Ur, Lagash and Mari

Ramesses II

A ruler of Egypt who is responsible for one of the greatest periods of architectural growth in Egypt. Credited with the columns in the hall of Karnak, Ramesseum, and the temples of Abu Simbel

Effigies of Gudea

A sculpture of the governor of Lagash wearing the clothing tv of a worshipper modeled in black or green diorite

Palette of King Narmer

A symbol of power and possibly responsible for uniting upper and lower Egypt

Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu

A system of superimposed terraces with a temple dedicated to Nanna, god of the moon

Inlaid style

A techniques of inlaying gold and silver where cold strips of gold, silver, or other metals were forced into the body amid an object

Ramesside Period

A time period in which the capital was moved to Piramesse and lots of building ensued with many temples and sanctuaries including a large temple which began with Seti I and ended with his son Ramesses II

Cycladic Art

A type of art characterized by ceramics decorated with zigzags, running Spirals, and water motifs and also marble sculptures, usually of women

frieze relief

A type of frieze where the sculpted image is connected to a background of the same material.

Complex of Saqqara

A vast area enclosed by a white limestone wall which contained the step pyramid among many other smaller structures. Was created by Djoser and his royal official Imhotep. Made of calcareous stone

Rhyton

A vessel in the shape of a figure or an animal, used for drinking or pouring liquids on special occasions

Bull Leaping

A wall painting found in Crete showing a Crete sport/ritual involving 3 figures and a bull called taurokathapsia

sistrum

An ancient rattle made by the egyptians

Apadana

An audience chamber with 72 columns, almost 20 m tall. These columns were better than those of the Greek and were adorned with Capitals featuring animals

ivory

And symbol of higher social status. Used to carve many spoons combs boxes and decorative plaques for furniture

Bandkeramic Pottery

Banded pottery from the 6th millennium which appeared throughout Central Europe. decorated with included parallel lines, often infilled with dots or cross-hatching

Near and Middle East vases

Began by 6th millennium. Simple, rough; burnished or reddish-colored wares. Decorated with impressed/rolled shells, and geometric abs figurative motifs

Palace of Mari

Built of mud-brick and arranged around 2 courtyards. Contained 300 rooms. Was 200m long and 120m wide and covered 6 acres. Does not have an altar. Includes private rooms of king, queens, and domestic quarters

Thebes

Capital of Egypt during the New Kingdom (18th-20th dynasties)

Kamares style

Combined refined techniques and creative flair. Was first produced for the first palace centers of Knossos and Phaistos. Had balanced and often repeating patterns of linear and spiral motifs with many naturalistic elements

Throne of King Tutankhamen

Covered with gold, silver, and vitreous paste. Backrest is adorned with figures of the young royal couple and the armrests are protected by a winged uraeus

Tombs of Mycenae

Discovered by Heinrich Schliemann. Evidence of royalty in the tomb as there was a profusion of gold, masks, vessels, personal items, and weapons, made from rare materials

The Oxus Treasure

Discovered in 1877 at Kuad. Consist of rings, vases, necklaces, bracelets, pendants, ornamental stones, and figures. Almost all of the treasures are made of gold and date back tot the 5-4 century

Terracotta Army

Discovered in 1974 at the mausoleum of Ch'in Shihhuang-ti. 10,000 warriors with each with individual faces representing every rank of an army. Each was equipped with complete armor for their class. Height varies from 1.75-1.97m and there are over 130 chariots and 500 horsemen

Statue of Ebih-il

Ebih-il, superintendent of Tell Asmar, seared with hands clasped against the chest, rapt expression and large attentive eyes. Symbol of the perpetual honor that must be paid to the divinity

Khnun

Egyptian Potter god with a ram's head. Fashioned the world and modeled all living forms on his potter's wherl

Statuette of Heracles-Melquart

Evidence of Egyptian influence in Phoenician art.Shown in the typical pose of a warrior God and most notably had a short skirt and headgear

Ashurnasirpal II

First Assyrian monarch to decorate the lower part of the throne room and other areas of his palace at Nimrud with a frieze in relief on hundreds of white limestone slabs

Altamira Cave, Spain

First example of Cave art to be discovered; pictures painted very high on walls, assumed that the people stood upon wooden scaffolding

Palace of Yarim-Lim

First of its kind. Built in 3 successive floors, the lowest designed for public use. Entrance to the principal room was through a smaller room with an opening supported by columns

Human Headed Bull

Found at the front of the palace of Sargon II to ward of evil spirirts

Limestone sarcophagus from Hagia Triada

From around 1400BC and is decorated with religious scenes of sacrifice and worship

European vases

From seventh millennium. Often well finished and painted with black or red geometric designs.

Heinrich Schliemann

German archaeologist who discovered Mycenae and excavated Troy. Believed that objects in gold, silver and amber that he found on the second layer of Troy was associated with King Priam

Minotaur

Half man half bull. Very prominent in Minoan Art

Steele of Hammurabi

Inscribed with the code of Hammurabi and an carving of the king in worship before the seated god of the sun and justice, shamash

Hammurabi

King of Babylon who reunited the entirety of Mesopotamia and proclaimed himself the universal monarch

Funeral garment of Prince Liu Sheng

Made from 2498 pieces of jade held together by 1.1 kg of gold thread

Kouratrophoi

Marble sculptures of women with babies in their arms

Gate of Ishtar

Monument at the beginning of a long street leading to the Seven terraced ziggurat dedicated to Marduk, god of Babylon. Opened in the center of the wall so much that a 4 horse chariot could turn on them.

Spearthrowers

Most effective hunting device made before the bow.

Seals from the Indus Valley Civilization

Mounded in Steatitie. Square shape with a raised surface and repetitive pattern of animals standing before an object with 4-5 symbols above

Imhotep

Name of the architect who designed the Step Pyramid and surrounding area. god of medicine

Indus Jewels

Needed sophisticated technology to produce. Usually made of semiprecious stones and gold

Terrocotta statuettes

Often represented on seals on steatite, include animals either shown alone or bound to small carts. Female figures are wrapped in a short skirt and their body has necklaces, with their head characterized by the many different hair styles

Hittite

People from India-Europe who has a strong central structure during the second imperial phase (1450-1200BC)

Toldense

People from Patagonia, southernmost region of South America who covered their caves with handprints

Mesolithic

Period after 12,000 BC in which African style of numerous humans and smaller animals appear in Europe. Also regarded as transitional period between Paleolithic hunting and Neolithic farming

First and Second Dynasties

Period between 2850-2650BC that saw the creation of mastabas and pyramids. Two royal cemeteries: Abydos and Memphis

Tomb of Nakt

Place where the wall painting of the harvesting of grapes can be found

Neo-Sumerian Period

Resurgence of Mesopotamian culture in which art was mostly religious monuments

Palace of Persepolis

Seen as a symbol of universality and the point where heaven and earth met. Was decorated with reliefs and monuments

Stele of Naram-Sin

Shows people arranged in a pyramid structure. The monarch is protected by three stars and is also larger than his warriors beneath him. Is pink

Palettes

Slate head slabs, often decorated in relief and thought to have been used for grinding pigments for eye paint (Predynastic Period)

Valley of the Queens

South of the valley of the kings and the final resting place of queens and other members of the royal family

Persepolis

The capital of the Persian empire built by Darius I

King Cheng

The founder of the Ch'in dynasty also know as Ch'in Shihhuang-ti, the first Emperor. Responsible for the terracotta Army and initiating the great wall of China

Falcon

This animal was symbolic of the king seizing the Nile Delta which was represented by a papyrus with a human head

Red, green, and azure

Three basic colors for mounting. Represented life giving blood, sense of renewal, and the dominion of the gods.

Burins

Tools used to engrave stone and carve portable works

quadriga

Two wheeled chariot drawn by four horses

Handprints

Typically from Upper Paleolithic. Can be in positive or in negative or pseudopositive. Almost always left and female

Sargon of Akkad

United Mesopotamia and extended boundaries to Elam and Syria. Akkad was the new capital

Vases from the Indus Valley

Usually with a black or red background lines with geometric motifs, rows of parallel lines, and other naturalistic subjects

Bronzes

Vessels which were designed for the presentation of offerings and sacred libations. Decoration consisted of idealized animal forms that may have had a totemic function

Frieze of Geese

Wall painting from the tomb of Itet. Was the lower part of a huge painting in of bird hunting with nets. Possibly the oldest wall painting in Stucco.

Paintings of Akrotiri

Wall paintings from the island Thera where there are many geometric patterns, marbles stones, plant motifs, animal motifs as well as scenes of life are commonly depicted.

frieze

a broad horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration, especially on a wall near the ceiling.

Sir Leonard Woolley

a famous British archaeologist who excavated Ur in the 1920s and 30s and is credited with the discovery of the standard of Ur, tombs of the city's early rulers among many others

The book of the dead

a roll of papyrus containing religious and magical texts. Included representations of the tribunal Osiris, and answers to the questions asked by the deities in judgement

Kamares Ware

a style of Minoan pottery characterized by schemes of white and polychrome patterning on a dark background. Often complex and in a the ordering of both geometric and natural motifs

Valley of the Kings

a valley on the west bank of the Nile that was chosen as the final resting place for many of the Pharaohs. Earlier tombs were asymmetric, but later tombs were symmetrical.

electrum

an alloy of gold and silver commonly found in most egyptian jewlery

Hattusas

capital of Hittite empire. Double fortification with towers surrounding the city with arched gates guarded by sphinxes and lions

Mastabas

flat-topped tombs with sloping sides (First and second dynasties)

Bedolina Map

one of the oldest topographical compositions from Valcamonica Europe

Venuses

portable portraits of women with a head and other individual characteristics such as hair and jewelry. More common outside of France

Amenhotep IV

ruler of Egypt who be forced his monotheistic policies and changed his name to Akhenaten. Eliminated the cult of the god Amun and recognized the solar disk of Aten as the he supreme divinity

The Wall-map of Catal Hüyük

the oldest topographical composition in which there is an erupting volcano

Bull

very important animal in Cretan culture as it was featured in many myths and was symbolic of god/king. Often used to mark the sacredness of an area

topographical compositions

ways for communities to depict an overhead view of the surrounding area