Arch217 Lecture 02: Early Civilizations

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Mesopotamia.

In Mesopotamia (“between the rivers”) many villages developed based on agriculture, trade,mining, fishing, etc.Improved technology: wheel, standardized weights, writing, irrigation, etc. In the Near East,the Bronze Age begins around 3400 BCE; in Mesopotamia proper, around 2900 BCE.But the Tigris and Euphrates remained unpredictable; yearly floods varied greatly, and therivers often changed course.

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Writing, Law, and the Code of Hammurabi.

Writing and civilization: thedevelopment of a legal system inMesopotamia; Code ofHammurabi is one of the earliestknown law codes.

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Map on clay tablet. Nippur, Iraq. It showsthe importance of the political unit of the city and the image of the city. Some archaeologistsbelieve that the map is to scale, which would make it perhaps the oldest scale map in the world.

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The city-state of Ur, Iraq. The Sumerian kingdoms reunite Mesopotamia after a period of domination by tribes from thenortheast.

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The city-state of Ur, Iraq. The Sumerian kingdoms reunite Mesopotamia after a period of domination by tribes from the northeast.

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Temple complex. Ur, Iraq. Gods seen as ultimate source of authority; kings function as stewards and intermediaries.

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Temple complex. Ur, Iraq. Gods seen as ultimate source of authority; kings function as stewards and intermediaries.

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Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu. Ur, Iraq.

Ziggurat and temple are main types of religious architecture in Ur. Nanna, the god of the moon,is the patron deity of Ur. Ziggurat as a substitute mountain connecting earth and heaven, also asa conjugal site for joining of Nanna with the mother goddess.

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Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu. Ur, Iraq.

Interior of mud-brick, facing of fired brick originally with plaster and/or paint. Differentlevels probably represented water, earth, and air.

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The Nile Valley. Kemet (“the black”): ancient Egyptian name for their land

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The Nile Valley. Deshret (“the red”): ancient name for the desert; also the name for the crown of lower Egypt.

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Palette of Narmer (Menes), unifier of upper and lower EgyptNarmer unites Egypt ca. 3100 BCE. This palette shows motifs symbolizing the unification ofupper and lower Egypt.

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Mastaba: tomb in the form of a flat mound.

Contains a chapel atground level and burial chamber beneath.The function of the mastaba was to reproduce the earthlyenvironment and to provide sustenance

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The Old Kingdom.

Monumental stone architecture first appears in the Old Kingdom at the mortuary complexof King Zoser (Djoser).This complex embodies the basic vision of Egyptian civilization at the time: the unity ofUpper and Lower Egypt; the king as intermediary to the gods; and the belief in equilibrium.

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King Zoser’s (Djoser’s) Complex, Saqqara.

Architect: Imhotep

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King Zoser’s (Djoser’s) Complex, Saqqara.Architect: Imhotep

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King Zoser’s (Djoser’s) Complex, Saqqara.Architect: Imhotep

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Heb-Sed Court. Mortuary Complex of Zoser and reconstruction of a tentshrine

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Mortuary Complex of Zoser. Saqqara. Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu.Ur, Iraq.

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Pyramids at Giza

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Pyramids at Giza

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Pyramids at Giza.

The orientation of the pyramids placed them in relationship to the Egyptian sacred cosmology. TheEgyptians were skilled mathematicians and astronomers (cf. Neolithic builders).Each pyramid was part of a series of buildings: valley temple, causeway, mortuary temple, pyramid.

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Valley Temple of Chefren.

Brought down the Nile on ritual barges, the pharaoh’s body was taken to the valley temple, thenmoved to the mortuary temple for final preparations before burial.

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Pyramid of Cheops. Giza.

Internal spaces: original underground chamber; chamber for Cheops’s statue (3); burial chamber (5).Image at right is the Grand Gallery (4) leading to the burial chamber.

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Pyramid of Cheops. Giza.

Internal spaces: original underground chamber; chamber for Cheops’s statue (3); burial chamber (5). Image at right is the Grand Gallery (4) leading to the burial chamber.

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Temple of Amun. Karnak.

The god Amun-Re becomes the primary deity, incorporating the essences of other gods. Religionexpands from its emphasis on elite burials to rituals encompassing the entire city, notably the Opetfestival during the yearly flooding of the Nile.Temples take on a distinct form with several basic elements: pylon, forecourt, hypostyle hall,inner sanctuary.

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Temple of Amun. Karnak.

The god Amun-Re becomes the primary deity, incorporating the essences of other gods. Religionexpands from its emphasis on elite burials to rituals encompassing the entire city, notably the Opetfestival during the yearly flooding of the Nile.Temples take on a distinct form with several basic elements: pylon, forecourt, hypostyle hall,inner sanctuary.

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Temple of Amun. Karnak. Note pylon, court, hypostyle hall, obelisks (no. 9 is Hatshepsut’s), barque sanctuary (no. 10)

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Temple of Amun. Karnak.

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Temple of Amun. Karnak.

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Hypostyle hall. Temple of Amun. Karnak.

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Hypostyle hall. Temple of Amun. Karnak.

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Obelisk of Hatshepsut. Temple of Amun. Karnak.

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Obelisk of Hatshepsut. Temple of Amun. Karnak.

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Relief of procession of the divine barque.  Temple of Amun. Karnak.

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The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut is a female ruler, a rarity in ancient Egypt. The art and architecture she sponsors attemptto reinforce her position as ruler.

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The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut is a female ruler, a rarity in ancient Egypt. The art and architecture she sponsors attemptto reinforce her position as ruler.

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Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir-el-Bahri. Hatshepsut places herself in relation to Mentuhotep II and especially to the god Amun.

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Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir-el-Bahri. Primary function of the Temple of Hatshepsut is to be a monumental station for the barque of Amun;the sanctuary of the barque is at the end of the main axis. There are also five other independentsanctuaries, including a mortuary sanctuary.

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Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir-el-Bahri.

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Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir-el-Bahri.

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Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir-el-Bahri.

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Middle colonnade and lower terrace. Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir-el-Bahri. Middle colonnades show the trading mission sent by Hatshepsut to the land of Punt to obtain exotic goods.

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Middle colonnade and lower terrace. Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir-el-Bahri. Middle colonnades show the trading mission sent by Hatshepsut to the land of Punt toobtain exotic goods.

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Relief from the upper terrace Temple of Hatshepsut. Deir-el-Bahri. The images from this level show scenes from the Opet festival in which an image of Amun is carriedfrom Karnak to Luxor.

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Seals. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan from The Indus Valley Civilization.

The very fine carving of these seals and the delicacy of the jewelry suggest the high artisticachievements of the Indus Valley people. The characters seen in some of these seals are thought tobe a form of writing, but they have not been deciphered.

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Male torso and female figure, Indus Valley -- shows a softer organic presentation of the body. No traces of war found.

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Invention of the cart. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley. Appears to have been highly integrated; standardized weights, units,and bricks suggest that cities across the civilization were closely connected. As in other large-scaleurban cultures, trade was a major economic activity.

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Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan. Indus Valley. Although much of the city has not been excavated, it appears that planning was based on thecardinal directions.

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“Citadel” area, Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley.

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Great Hall. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley. This structure, commonly called the “Granary,” was probably some type of public building. It isamong the largest buildings known in the city.

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Great Bath. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley.

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Great Bath. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley.

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Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley.

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Residential area. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley.

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Residential area. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley.

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House. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley. The reconstruction and plan seen here depict different examples of the basic courtyard house.

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Drains and toilet. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley. Highly sophisticated hygiene and drainage systems characterized the city. No other settlement of theera boasted such fully developed water systems.

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Drains and toilet. Mohenjo Daro, Pakistan -- Indus Valley. Highly sophisticated hygiene and drainage systems characterized the city. No other settlement of theera boasted such fully developed water systems.