ARTS 149 1st Edition Lecture 4 Current LectureIntroduction to Chapter 2: The Ancient Near EastI. Mesopotamia a. Known as “land between two rivers”i. The Tigress R. and Euphrates R. b. Located in Modern Day Saudi Arabiac. Fertile Crescent – location of many agricultural resourcesd. Land was subject to invasioni. Constant warfare occurrede. Climatei. Difficult, lots of floodingii. Most Gods were about weather and Naturef. Each city-state had its own deity II. Technology of Mesopotamian Civilizationsa. Brick kilnsb. Textile workshopsc. Increase in tradeIII. Sumerian Empirea. Began 3,000 BCEb. A polytheistic society c. Leaders considered Gods represented on Earthd. City-state Structurei. Temples were placed in middle (“nucleus”) of city state ii. Businesses and houses built around templesiii. Cities had tall walls around them for protectioniv. Cities often went to war because of water resourcese. Division of labor i. Specifically in the agricultural systemf. Inventionsi. Calendarsii. Constellationsiii. Zodiaciv. Wheelv. Mathematicsg. Development of writing i. Cuneiform = “wedge-shaped writing”These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.ii. Created with a stylus on clay iii. First created at the same time as hieroglyphics writingh. White Temple and Ziggurati. Located in Urak, Iraq ii. Made of mud-brick and originally had white-washed wallsiii. The temples, like the white temple, were only meant for prietsiv. Cella1. The central hall and location of the altar 2. These were also considered to be waiting rooms where priest waited to meet with deity IV. What is a Ziggurat?a. A large stepped platform, located in city centerb. Usually names of these temples meant something along the lines of “house of mountain” or “between heaven and earth”c. Purposesi. To proclaim wealth of rulersii. To worship deities d. Properties of Zigguratsi. Compass-point orientation 1. Meaning corners of temple pointed in either north, east, south or westii. Battered sides 1. Meaning that they leaned inwardsiii. Exterior Buttressingiv. Bent stairwaysV. Art from Sumerian Empirea. Presentation of Offerings to Inanna (ca. 3,200 – 3,000 BCE)i. A vase of ceremonial purposes created from alabasterii. An example of narrative art1. People present offerings to Inanna on vaseiii. Incorporated registers1. These were bands that separate parts of the artwork on the vase2. Modern day registers – comic books iv. Hierarchy of Scale in used 1. Meaning most important figures are the largest in sizea. i.e. Inanna is the largest person on vaseb. Statuettes of Worshippers from Square Temple (ca. 2,7000 BCE)i. Hundreds of these have been found in Eshnunna, Iraqii. Made of gypsum and inlaid with shell and black limestoneiii. Purpose1. They represent mortal worshippers and act as substitute worshippers iv. Appearance1. Solemn2. Cylindrical in shape3. Bare and big footed4. Huge wide eyesa. Wide eyes are meant to indicate that they are always awake and worshipping b. Looking upwards to godsc. Standard of Ur (ca. 2,600 BCE)i. Two sided, made of wood and inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli and limestone1. One side representing War and the other representing Peaceii. An example of narrative artd. Bull-headed Lyre (ca. 2,600 BCE)i. Is made of wood and inlaid with gold, lapis lazuli and shellii. The Bull is very realistic and has a bearde. Soundbox of Lyre from Tomb (ca. 2,600 BCE)i. Within panels, it shows a Heraldic Pose1. Meaning symmetrical on both sides of central feature ii. Also shows a lot of Composite Creatures1. Creatures that are half-man and half-animalf. Cylindrical Seal (ca. 2,600 BCE)i. These were used as signs of status and acted similarly to a signatureii. The one specifically shown in book/class has cylindrical shape with engravings that leave the impression1. Decorated with lapis, lazuli and about 2 inches highVI. Introduction to Akkadian Empire a. Main rulers included Sargon I and Naram Sin b. Had first developed kingship i. Government was based on a king, not city-state like the Sumerian Empirec. Polytheisticd. War-like people and civilizatione. Epic of Gilgamesh i. A clay tablet that tells a story of a man named Gilgameshii. Gilgamesh wants secret of immortality and seeks to find man and woman who survived the world floodiii. He also find a plant that give him life but he loses itiv. In the end he dies, like all