Sumerian art was ornate and complex. The mediums that were used were sculpture and painting. The figures and paintings showed their reverence towards the gods and a religious culture. Most sculptures were made of clay and “the bodies were cylindrical and not differentiated by gender, uplifted heads and hands clasped – pose of supplication – wanting or waiting on something” (“Sumerian”). Practically all sculptures were used for religious rituals or religious adornment.…
Painted on the northern wall of a chapel in a tomb belonging to the New Kingdom Pharaoh Menna, who ruled from 1400 until 1352 B.C.E., lies a very striking piece of Egyptian artwork, known as “Egyptian Hunting in the Marshes.” This relief depicts the owner of the tomb and his family fishing and fowling in the papyrus marshes. While the creative artist of this scene will never be known to history, Menna is seen holding decoy birds in one hand, and raising a spear above his head with the other. On the other side of the painting, Menna is holding a spear in an attempt to catch two large fish, thought to be tilapia . On both sides of the painting, Menna stands on the deck of a papyrus skiff, or boat, on which the members of his family, most likely…
The "Assyrian Empire Inscription of Tiglathpileser I" was told by Tiglathpileser, the king and ruler of the Assyrians, himself as evident by it being dictated in the first person context. There is no date that indicates when the text was written, but Tiglathpileser lived from 1115-1077 BCE and it would have been written after Tiglathpileser conquered the land of Qummuh and traversed Kashiari. It is an autobiographical piece, being as it was dictated by Tiglathpileser and he was also the subject matter, to serve as a historical record of his triumphs, of which it can be perceived as a way to demonstrate his pride in his accomplishments as a conqueror and as a pious individual. It can be speculated that the text could be intended for Tiglathpileser's successors, so that those who…
The Middle Assyrian Laws concerning adultery were designed to give the people of Assyria a method to handle the adultery justly. The entire point of both the Middle Assyrian Laws and the Law of Moses is justice, or a way to service or repay a wrongdoing in order that right relationship might be achieved. With the texts of the Middle Assyrian Law that is still intact, it is clear to see that even though their society would not have been considered the people of God, there is a common theme in regards to one’s right to own property and one’s right to life. Middle Assyrian Laws Summary…
Throughout ancient Egyptian history, art and culture remained constant to support the idea of “order over chaos.” However, in the mid-14th century BCE a revolution occurred in Egyptian society, culture, and religion, consequently causing a brief transformation in Egyptian art. These changes can be detected in the Relief of Princess with an Earring. This sculpture was made in the 18th Dynasty (1353-1336 BCE), during the reign of Akhenaten. Although only a portion of the limestone relief is displayed in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology, the sculpture still demonstrates the attributes that are found in art from Amarna Period.…
The creative detail and the messages behind the sculpture effectively provide a visual argument of hope for the people that see it every…
The New Assyrian and Persian empires were two of the earliest major empires in the world. First came the Assyrians which ruled from 900-600BC, and the Persians began their rule around 550BC. Even with these two empires becoming major establishments in what is known today as the middle east, they are quite different from each other when it comes to many ideologies. Such differences could include: warfare, religion, social hierarchy, and many other things that shape the way we reflect on two of our earliest, and most powerful empires known to man. When it came to the Assyrian empire, one thing that immediately stands out is their brute force and utter determination to dominate the land and people around them.…
At first glance, the Hercules and the Hydra sculpture is easy to pass by. Located in the outside sculpture garden it stands on a slightly elevated bronze platform, which stands on a bigger, more elevated concrete pedestal that also rests on a larger concrete pedestal that has four embedded lights, each on one corner. The viewing area is large and allows for the audience to view the sculpture up close and far, while still being able circumambulate around the statue at a variety of distances. Because of the vastness of the space around the sculpture, at first glance from the walkway, the sculpture does not seem to be a big piece. However, the closer the proximity towards the sculpture, the bigger the piece seems to get, appearing as if Hercules…
In this essay I will compare and contrast using contextual factors two murals. The first is Emperor Justinian, Bishop Maximus and Attendants, a mosaic on the wall of the Sanctuary in Italy from the Byzantine era. The second being Raphael 's School of Athens, found on the wall of the Apostolic Palace, Rome painted during the Renaissance. Emperor Justinian, Bishop Maximianus and Attendants, was created for religious purposes, as was a lot of the art produced during the early Byzantine Empire. In 324 CE Constantine ‘ the Great’ was a Christian emperor who set up Constantinople, originally Byzantine, a city in the east as another city to rule Christianity from, alongside the capital Rome.…
Finial, a gilt bronze ornament created in the 18th century and currently displayed in the Arts of Asia department, has a two visual elements, shape and space. This art piece has organic shape where there is the wavy form of water and bodies of two fish. These two organic shapes contribute to the piece as they exist in the same environment. In Buddhism art, fish in water represent happiness because they are free to swim in the water. This 3D piece has a geometric circle shape that connects every piece of the ornament together, including the water and fish.…
The Pyramids are filled with mysteries, such as the real reason they were built, who built them, and many more. Some say the Pyramids were built for Pharaohs and others say that they were built as an alien spaceship. Many say, that the pyramids were built by groups of men, up to 10,000 at a time. Others say that they were built with the large groups, however the men were all under the control of a God.…
The Assyrian and the Persian empire were two empires that were very successful in their own right. Both empires differed in how they were governed and how they treated the citizens of their empires. However, regardless of the major differences, there were still a few similarities between the two of them. This paper will compare and contrast the administrative structure of both empires, along with the leader’s attitudes toward their citizens. The Assyrian Empire as a whole was a rather successful empire.…
Mesopotamia is known as the “cradle of civilization” because it was the birthplace of many diverse civilizations that arose later on. I agree that civilization originated there because the rise of complex urban centers became a foundation for political and economic stability. The abundance of food grown in the fertile crescent made it possible for large numbers of people to live together. Because of the population growth and a stable food source, more people began to specialize and trade their products. Subsequently, long-distance trade stirred the accumulation of wealth, as well as, created social distinctions between the rich and the poor.…
Head of an Akkadian Ruler Vs. Funerary Mask of ‘Agamemnon’ Comparing two sculptures can be overwhelming. The two pieces of artworks I have chosen are both heads of former rulers, each of them coming from a different empire. Nobody knows who made each of these artworks. The first sculpture for comparison is the head of an Akkadian ruler also known as the “Head of Sargon the Great”().…
According to Nelson, author of The Icon: Egypt’s Great Sphinx, “Who built the Great Sphinx of Giza? No one can say for sure (5).” Therefore, nobody knows who officially constructed the national symbol of Egypt that is the Great Sphinx of Giza; it’s a huge monumental figure that has a head of a human and a body of a lion (Winston 2). However, there are a few conspiracies about the human-headed lion such as who really actually built it, and why was it made? This mystery of who built the magnificent sculpture is still a secret to this day.…