Art History Chapter 1, 2, 3
Old Kingdom
Egypt from about 2700 B.C. to about 2200 B.C when early pharaohs united Upper and Lower Egypt the time in which the Egyptian sculptors, painters and architects codified the modes of representation and the methods of construction which would be followed for two thousand years,
Saqqara
Egypt; burial ground for Memphis; step pyramid here is the first pyramid ever. Cemetery near Memphis where important officials were buried in mastaba tombs, the predecessors of the pyramids. The earliest pyramid, the Third Dynasty step-pyramid of Djoser, essentially several successively smaller mastabas stacked one upon the other, is at Saqqara., Egypt; burial ground for Memphis; step pyramid here is the first pyramid ever.
Horus
Egyptian falcon-headed solar god, the falcon- He was the son of Isis and Osiris, shown with the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. The pharaohs were thought to represent Horus on earth.
dynasty
a sequence of powerful leaders in the same family
sarcophagus
A stone coffin, often inscribed or ornamented with sculpture.
true pyramid
4 smooth triangular sides that meet in a point at the top 4th dynasty- real triangle
Great Lyre with Bull's Head, Bull-headed lyre (restored) from Tomb 789 ("King's Grave"), Royal Cemetery, Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Lyre: Gold leaf and lapis lazuli over a wooden core, 5' 5" high. (Sumerian) ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN:
'The Sound Box of the Great Lyre' Sumerian, use of lapis lazuli This piece of art is made from various materials such as wood, gold, silver, lapis lazuli, bitumen, and shell used in celebrating religion discovered with the heads of three elaborately attired women
nomadic
(of groups of people) tending to travel and change settlements frequently
twisted perspective
A convention of representation in which part of a figure is shown in profile and another part of the same figure is shown frontally
lyre goes with, Great Lyre with Bull's Head
A lyre was generally played to accompany the chants of hymns and songs of praise. It is an 11-string instrument that was believed to evoke the divine bull, a sacred bull said to be the gatekeeper of Shiva. an ancient stringed instrument somewhat like a harp
post and lintel system
A method of construction in which two posts support a horizontal beam, called a lintel
passage grave
A prehistoric tomb with a long stone corridor leading to a burial chamber covered by a great tumulus.
canon of proportion
A rule of proportion. The ancient Greeks considered beauty to be a matter of "correct" proportion, for the human figure and for buildings. First incorporated into a statue by fifth-century BCE sculptor Polykleitos.
stepped pyramid
A stepped construction made up of 6 mastabas of decreasing size stacked on top of each other. It protects King Djoser's mummy and symbolizes his godlike power.
Ziggurat (northeastern facade with restored stairs), Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2100 BCE. (Akkadian) ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN
Akkadian
Victory stele of Naram-Sin, from Susa, Iran, 2254-2218 BCE. Pink sandstone, 6' 7" high. Louvre, Paris. (Akkadian) ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN:
Akkadian TWISTED PERSPECTIVE, relief sculpture, hieratic scale, canon of proportion, Naram-Sin's title was "King of the Four Quarters" meaning "Ruler of the World."
hieroglyphics
An ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds
hieratic scale
An artistic technique in which the importance of figures is indicated by size, so that the most important figure is depicted as the largest.
bitumen
An asphalt like substance used between the sun dried bricks on a ziggurat
Amarna style
Art created during the reign of Akhenaton, which features a more relaxed figure style than in the old and New kingdom art. More elongated, curved, and effeminate figure representation, a reaction against the established style. More intimacy shown in family scenes. Like depicted in Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353-1335 BCE. shown above., New art style created by Akhenaton which emphasized naturalism, sensuality, and intimacy. Hallmarks of the style are elongated figures and curvilinear lines. Examples: Bust of Nefertiti and the Statue of Akhenaton.
Lamassu (winged, human-headed bull), from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 720-705 BCE. Limestone, 10 foot high. Louvre, Paris. (Assyrian) ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN
Assyrian guardian in the form of a man-headed winged bull
lamassu
Assyrian guardian in the form of a man-headed winged bull
Ashurbanipal hunting lions, relief from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 645-640 BCE. Gypsum, 5' 4" high. British Museum, London (Assyrian) ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN
Assyrian, Relief sculpture TWISTED PESPECTIVE
Aten
Aten was the Lord of the Heaven and Earth. He became the most important god during the reign of Akhenaten. This example is showing Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, receiving ankhs of life from Aten, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353-1335 BCE. Monotheistic god of Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaton (r. 1353-1335 B.C.E.) and arguably the world's first example of monotheism. Aten's hands deliver ankhs of life to all whose rays he shines upon - another "Re" metaphor or expression., Represented as the sons disc with rays, Aten was the Lord of the Heaven and Earth. He became the most important god during the reign of Akhenaten.
Venus of Willendorf PREHISTORIC:
Date:28,000-23,000 BC Civilization:Mesopotamia (Paleolithic) Museum/Place:Naturhistorisches Museum Material:Limestone Size:4.25in 1. Symbolizes fertility. 2. Emphasizes sexual characteristics. 3. Plaited hair or headdress covers the head.
relief sculpture
Figures projecting from a background of which they are part. The degree of relief is designated high, low (bas), or sunken. In the last, the artist cuts the design into the surface so that the highest projecting parts of the image are no higher than the surface itself.
Pyramids of Menkaure, Khafre, and Khufu, Giza (Fourth Dynasty), c. 2601-2515 BCE The pyramids of Giza were built over the span of three generations - by Khufu, his second reigning son Khafre, and Menkaure. ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
Forth Dynasty
Fertile Crescent
Found along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, this was the first early river civilization. Name given to crescent-shaped area of fertile land stretching from the lower Nile valley, along the east Mediterranean coast, and into Syria and present-day Iraq where agriculture and early civilization first began about 8000 B.C.
sculpture in the round
Freestanding figures, carved or modeled in three dimensions.
Ka Statue of Khafre, from Giza (Fourth Dynasty), c. 2500 BCE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
Gizeh, Egypt. 4th dynasty, ca. 2500 BCE, diorite. Depicts Khafre as an enthroned divine ruler with a perfect body. Rigidity of the pose creates the effect of an eternal stillness, appropriate for the timeless afterlife.
megalith/megalithic Stone
Greek, "great stone." A large, roughly hewn stone used in the construction of monumental prehistoric structures.
Palette of King Narmer (left, back; right, front), from Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, ca. 3000-2920 BCE. Slate, 1 foot high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. (Predynastic) ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
Hierakonpolis, Predynastic, slate. ca. 3000-2920 BCE. commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Narmer, the largest figure, effortlessly defeats a foe on one side, and on the other surveys the beheaded enemy. Palette in the shape of an object used to prepare eye makeup, to protect from the glare of the sun.
Palette of Narmer, from Hierakonpolis (First Dynasty), c. 3150-3125 BCE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
Hierakonpolis, Predynastic, slate. ca. 3000-2920 BCE. commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Narmer, the largest figure, effortlessly defeats a foe on one side, and on the other surveys the beheaded enemy. Palette in the shape of an object used to prepare eye makeup, to protect from the glare of the sun.
ka
In ancient Egypt, the immortal human life force. Meaning: The "ka" is a very complex part of the symbolism in ancient Egyptian mythology and represents several things: the ka is a symbol of the reception of the life powers from each man from the gods, it is the source of these powers, and it is the spiritual double that resides with every man. The ka as a spiritual double was born with every man and lived on after he died as long as it had a place to live. The ka lived within the body of the individual and therefore needed that body after death. This is why the Egyptians mummified their dead. If the body decomposed, their spiritual double would die and the deceased would lose their chance for eternal life.m1
necropolis
Literally this means "city of the dead". In Egypt it describes the Valley of the Kings and Queens, areas devoted to burial.
Stonehenge, Aerial view of Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, England, ca. 2550-1600 BCE. Circle is 97' in diameter; trilithons 24' high. (Neolithic) PREHISTORIC:
Neolithic http://twitter.com/#!/BradshawFND Stonehenge is aligned northeast-southwest, and it has been suggested that particular significance was placed by its builders on the solstice and equinox points, To get the 9 ton lintels into place, the most likely method of construction may have been via the use of an earth ramp piled up against the uprights. The lintels would then have been hauled up the ramp by ropes into their exact position.
Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353-1335 BCE. Limestone, 1" 1/4". Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin. (New Kingdom) ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
New Kingdom TWISTED PERSPECTIVE and Amarna style,New art style created by Akhenaton which emphasized naturalism, sensuality, and intimacy. Hallmarks of the style are elongated figures and curvilinear lines. Akhenaten with his wife Nefertiti and three daughters under the rays of Aton A Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, ruled for 17 years and died in 1336 BC or 1334 BC. He is especially noted for abandoning traditional Egyptian polytheism and introducing worship centered on the Aten, which is sometimes described as monotheistic or henotheistic.
Euphrates
One of two main rivers in ancient Mesopotamia (now modern Iraq, and eastern Turkey)
Female Figure, Laussel France, c. 23,000 BCE Woman holding a bison horn, from Laussel, France, ca. 25,000-20,000 BCE. Painted limestone, approx. 1.5 foot high. Paleolithic PREHISTORIC:
PALEOLITHIC BASE RELIEF venus of Laussel is a Venus figurine, a 1.5 foot high, One of four carvings found at Laussel, the Venus of Laussel was carved onto a limestone block that had fallen from the wall.limestone bas-relief of a nude female figure, painted with red ochre. It is related to Gravettian Upper Paleolithic culture (approximately 25,000 years old).The figure holds a wisent horn, or possibly a cornucopia, in one hand, which has 13 notches. According to some researchers, this may symbolize the number of moons or the number of menstrual cycles in one year,.there are traces of red ochre on the sculpture, and reports suggest that it was covered in the substance when it was found over 100 years ago
Lion-Human, Germany, Human with feline head, from Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany, ca. 30,000-28,000 BCE. Mammoth ivory, 11" 5/8" high. Ulmer Museum, Ulm. (Paleolithic) PREHISTORIC:
Paleolithic Its creator polished it with saliva and leather -- and an experiment showed that it likely took the sculptor about 320 hours to carve the figure. Is it meant to represent a mythical creature, or a shaman hiding under an animal hide?
Hall of the Bulls (left wall) in the cave at Lascaux, France, ca. 15,000-13,000 BCE. Largest bull . (Paleolithic) PREHISTORIC:
Paleolithic These are the first documented markings made by humans. A mural of various animals, such as bulls, horses, and large cats, drawn on the walls of the cave by people who used a sort of paste made with charcoal and other minerals. This paste was then either chewed and spit onto the wall (like a human spray can) or painted on using sticks, early brushes, or fingers. Why: Possibly a need to fill space, possibly for supernatural reasons (like painting a bull would increase their likelihood of finding one), or to commemorate a great hunt. It would have to be a community effort because primitive lamps and scaffolding were needed.
Hall of Bulls, Rhinoceros, wounded man, and disemboweled bison, painting in the well of the cave at Lascaux, France ca. 15,000 - 13,000 BCE. Bison 3' 8" long. (Paleolithic) PREHISTORIC:
Paleolithic human (clearly a male) abstracted, animals less so - Painting was intended for storytelling purposes - different because there's a human - religious figure? mask/staff
Judgment of Hunefer Before Osiris, Book of the Dead of Hunefer (Nineteenth Dynasty), c.1285 BCE Last judgment of Hu-Nefer, from his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1290-1280 BCE. Painted papyrus scroll, high. British Museum, London. (New Kingdom) ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
Pre Dynastic Painted Pupyrus of the journey of the afterlife, 1. Anubus leads to be questioned about your deeds in life. 2. Heart weighted against an astrich feather (symbol of Maat, godess of truth) 3. If you fail ammit eats your heart 4. if you pass Osiris 5. Top shows person talking to gods in the egyption Pantheon. 6. many of the hieroglyphs representing humans or animals were left incomplete or drawn mutilated, most likely to prevent them causing any harm to the dead pharaoh.
Stepped Pyramid and mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Third Dynasty, ca. 2630-2611 BCE. (Predynastic) ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
Predynastic
predynastic
Refers to the Prehistoric Egyptian culture before the dynasties begin (before 3000 BCE)
Votive statues from Square Temple, Eshnunna, Sumer, c. 2550-2400 BCE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN:
Statue made as an act of worship to the gods. The figure is given or dedicated in fulfillment of a vow or pledge. Simplified, cylindrical body shaped figures, hands clasped, big eyes... served "stand in" for religious purposes
votive figure
Statue made as an act of worship to the gods. The figure is given or dedicated in fulfillment of a vow or pledge. Simplified, cylindrical body shaped figures, hands clasped, big eyes... served "stand in" for religious purposes
Reconstruction drawing of the White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), Iraq, ca. 3200-3000 BCE. (Sumerian) ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN:
Sumerian
White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), Iraq, ca. 3200-3000 BCE. (Sumerian)
Sumerian
cuneiform
Sumerian writing made by pressing a wedge-shaped tool into clay tablets
Banquet scene, cylinder seal (left) and its modern impression (right), from the tomb of Pu-abi (tomb 800), Royal Cemetery, Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Lapis lazuli, 2" high. British Museum, London. (Sumerian) twisted perspective ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN
Sumerian, cylinder seal, TWISTED PERSPECTIVE
Sound box (right): Wood with inlaid gold, lapis lazuli, and shell, 1' 7" high. University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia. (Sumerian) ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN:
Sumerian, use of lapis lazuli
ankhs of life mentioned in above discription symbolizing the breath of eternal life
The Ankh was, for the ancient Egyptians, the symbol (the actual Hieroglyphic sign of life, but it is an enduring icon that remains with us even today as a Christian cross. It is one of the most potent symbols represented in Egyptian art, often forming a part of decorative motifs. The ancient gods of Egypt are often depicted as carrying ankh signs. We find Anqet, Ptah, Satet, Sobek, Tefnut, Osiris, Ra, Isis, Hathor, Anibus and many other gods often holding the ankh sign, along with a scepter, and in various tomb and temple reliefs, placing it in front of the king's face to symbolize the breath of eternal life.
valley temple
The Valley Temple attributed to king Chefren , one of the kings of the 4th Dynasty . This temple served definitely two functions: First, it was used for the purification of the mummy of the king before its burial. Second, it was used for making the Mummification process of the king., The temple closest to the Nile River associated with each of the Great Pyramids at Gizeh in ancient Egypt.
mortise and tenon joint
This type of joint is similar to post and beam construction where there is an opening and a pin that goes through the opening. There is only one example of this type of joint and that is the atlas with the dens of the axis. This type of joint allows for rotation only (uniaxial).
Stepped pyramid of King Djoser, Saqqara (Third Dynasty), c. 2681-2662 BCE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
[Old Kingdom] (2630-2611) • By Imhotep first known artist in history • First complex of buildings constructed entirely of stone • Consists of six unequal steps, like a giant staircase • Gives the impression of being a huge staircase to the heavens • Appears like a stack of mastabas, one atop the other • Burial is below ground, as in a mastaba. Stepped Pyramid is solid • Part of a complex is called a necropolis
Paleolithic period
a prehistoric period that lasted from about 2,500,000 to 8,000 BC, during which people made use of crude stone tools and weapons--also called the Old Stone Age.
mummification
a process of embalming and drying corpses to prevent them from decaying; practiced by the Egyptians who preserved the bodies in tombs so they could get the best of their afterlife
henge
a circular area enclosed by stones or wood posts set up by Neolithic peoples. It is usually bounded by a ditch and raised embankment.
cylinder seal
a cylindrical piece of stone usually about an inch or so in height, decorated with an incised design, so that a raised pattern was left when the seal was rolled over soft clay. In the ancient Near East, documents, storage jars, and other important possessions were signed, sealed, and identified in this way
lapis lazuli
a deep blue, semiprecious gemstone
pharaoh
a king of ancient Egypt, considered a god as well as a political and military leader
ka statue
a statue in which it was believed the ka or life essence of a dead person could reside, often placed in or near tombs.
Giza
an ancient Egyptian city on the west bank of the Nile opposite Cairo site of three Great Pyramids and the Sphinx
mastaba
an ancient Egyptian mudbrick tomb with a rectangular base and sloping sides and flat roof "the Egyptian pyramids developed from the mastaba"
Stele of Naram-Sin, Akkadia, c. 1792-1750 BCE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN:
an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings similar to tomb stones
Stele with law code of Hammurabi, from Susa, Iran, ca. 1780 BCE. Basalt, 7' 4" high. Louvre, Paris. (Neo-Sumerian/Babylonian) ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN:
an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings this one shows Shamash
stele
an ancient upright stone slab bearing markings, a monument, vertical in style, small or large, that contained writing or pictures to commemorate or record something
Ra
ancient hawk-headed Egyptian sun god,anthropomorphism
Lamassu, Palace of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (Assyrian), c. 720 BCE ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN / MESOPOTAMIAN:
anthropomorphism Guardian
diorite Rock
is an extremely hard rock, making it difficult to carve and work with. It is so hard that ancient civilizations (such as Ancient Egypt) used diorite balls to work granite. Its hardness, however, also allows it to be worked finely and take a high polish, and to provide a durable finished work.
ziggurat
massive pyramidal stepped tower made of mudbricks. It is associated with religious complexes in ancient Mesopotamian cities, but its function is unknown. (p. 37)
Figure 3-13 Menkaure and Khamerernebty(?), from Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca. 2490-2472 BCE. Graywacke, 6" 1/2" high. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. (Old Kingdom) ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
old kingdom
Model of the Fourth Dynasty pyramid complex, Gizeh, Egypt. Harvard University Semitic Museum, Cambridge. 1) Pyramid of Menkaure, 2) Pyramid of Khafre, 3) mortuary temple of Khafre, 4) causeway, 5) Great Sphinx, 6) valley temple of Khafre, 7) Pyramid of Khufu, 8) pyramids of the royal family and mastabas of nobles (Old Kingdom) ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
old kingdom
Tigris
one of the two main rivers in Mesopotamia (now modern Iraq). One the rivers at the eastern end of the fertile crescent.
Book of the Dead
scrolls that served as a guide for the afterlife in ancient Egypt
canopic jars
small ornamental jars each on with a god's head on the lid. These were used to enclose the organs taken from the dead body. They were placed in the tomb with the body and everything else.
Shamash
the chief sun god Akkadian name for the sun god. Referenced in the Epic of Gilgamesh. ex. drives away winter and storms and brightens the earth with greenery; drives away evil and brings of justice and compassion
Neolithic period
the final era of prehistory, which began about 9000 B.C.; also called the New Stone Age
afterlife
the next life in which the Egyptians believed the dead would live again
New Kingdom
the period from about 1550 to 1050 BC in Egyptian history when Egypt reached the height of its power and glory
anthropomorphism
the representation of objects (especially a god) as having human form or traits, an animal that takes on human characteristics (walking, talking, etc.)
anthropomorphism
the representation of objects (especially a god) as having human form or traits, the attributing of human form or characteristics to a god, animal, or inanimate thing
architecture
the style and design of a building
Prehistory
the time during the development of human culture before the appearance of the written word