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Prehistoric

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Before history began.

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Paleolithic

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Ancient/old Stone Age; 35,000 - 9,000 B.C. First art emerged.

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Mesolithic

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Middle Stone age; 9,000 - 8,000 B.C

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Neolithic

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New Stone Age; 8,000 B.C. in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and 5,000 B.C. in Europe.

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Homo Sapiens Sapiens

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Homo Sapiens Sapiens: spread out of Africa 100,000 ago. Sapiens = thinking, intelligent, intellectual. After the ice age, humans didn't gather as much meat which made them start eating vegetables, seeds and sea food. It also allowed them to read nature and that is when their brain expanded and the artistic characteristics. Homo sapiens sapiens invented history and art.

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Neanderthals

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400,000 ago inhabited Europe. Homo sapiens sapiens replaced the Neanderthals in Europe circa 38-33,000 BCE;

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Subtractive sculpture

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Means that they subtracted some material to create the artwork.

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Relief sculpture

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Relief because it "pops out" but is not free standing. The sculpture is attached to the background.

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Additive sculpture

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It is an additive sculpture, they add som type of soft material (such as clay) to create the image.

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Profile view

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View of an object sideways, easier to recognize than frontal view.

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Frontal view

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Harder to be drawn and recognize.

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Memory image

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The most general contour of the image is represented; the is no mouth, eyes, etc. It is abstract, fairly contemporary.

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Composite creature

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Composed of different things to create a solid shape.

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Twisted perspective

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Twisted perspective shows a composite view of the object, maybe showing the front and side, etc.

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Initiation

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Paleolithic period/nomadic (migratory people)

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People in this period followed the animals and herds. They did not develop intelligence, per se. No agricultural knowledge. Dependent on nature instead of using it.

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Shaman

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It represented something from out of this world. A shaman is kind of a religious priest that was doing some kind of ritual between this world with something from out of this world. They could transform themselves.

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Optical and conceptual approaches

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Megalith

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Big monument made of stone.

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Post-and-lintel construction

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Two posts on the side and one on the top.

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Register/Narrative

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Continuous narrative /scene through register leading up to a story. First time we see nature, tree and mountain.

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Ziggurat

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Served as a temple and a major center of government.

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Bent-Axis approach

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A plan that incorporates two or more angular changes in direction, characteristic of Sumerian architecture.

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Hierarchy of scale

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Bigger size meant importance.

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Relief sculpture

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Relief because it "pops out" but is not free standing. The sculpture is attached to the background.

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Propaganda

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Art started reflecting the power of the king. This is the beginning of a carefully crafted visual program of personal political propaganda.

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Polytheism

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Belief in many gods.

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Cuneiform writing

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Type of writing that was created in the beginning.

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Mesopotamia

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The region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; birthplace of the Sumerian and Babylonian Civilizations.land between the rivers.

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Sumerian culture

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It was conquered by Sargon, king of the Akkadians. He unified the cities into a single state, leading to centralization of power. His grandson Naram-Sin expanded the empire to the West.

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City-states vs empire

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Art of the later Mesopotamian periods expresses a new concept of royal power—loyalty to the king over loyalty to the city-state as was common in Sumeria. Empire.

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Naturalism vs. abstraction

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Idealization

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Making the king sacred, superior an ideal of the king.

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Composite view (humans)

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Showing a twisted perspective of the human. No one can do that besides the "king" and this composite view shows profile and frontal views.

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Akkadians (concept of civic duty; king ass god)

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Concept of civic duty (loyalty to the king), used art and religion--king as god.

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Naram-sin

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Naram-Sin expanded the empire to the West. The king becomes the single and supreme leader.

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Lost wax casting method

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The wax image (red) has been modeled over an inner clay core (blue). Metal pins hold the core and outer clay casing apart. Molten bronze is poured into the mold and melts the wax which flows out.

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Assyrian Empire

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1350-612 BCE; city Assur; king Assurnasirpal III; art shows the power of the empire—expansion and military victory; Under their king Assurnasirpal III they reached a massive extension of the empire mastered the Near East and - from the Tigris to the Nile rivers, from the Persian Gulf to Asia Minor; the peak lasted for about 300 years; known for their horrifying brutalities; art always propagates the power of the Empire;

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Lamassu

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Winged, human-headed bull. Combination of animal and a human head. Probably the head of the king. Composed picture

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Stele

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Big slap of stone and they show historical events, battles and often have descriptions in it.

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Mastaba

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Bench tombs, because of their shape.

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Sedab for statue

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Ashlar masonry

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2 million limestone blocks weighing 1 to 5 tons eachHow possible without the wheel and with only copper tools?The biggest one - Khufu's - is 450 feet high and contains 2, 3 million blocks of limestone 2,5 tons each.

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Nile - role, characteristics, significance for Egyptian culture

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Marked the separation between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The region depends on the river, because it is dry and often does not receive rainfall for years.

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Upper and lower Egypt

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Used to fight against each other, but came together with king narmer to create one big empire. Commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt that happened by 3100 BCE

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Hieroglyphs/Rosetta Stone

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A tablet with hieroglyphs that contains part of history from the Egypt in this era.

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King Djoser

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An Egyptian pharaoh around 2630 B.C. he had the Step Pyramid built for him by Imhotep. This was one of the first pyramids built

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Horus

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Egyptian falcon-headed solar god.

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Osiris

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Egyptian god of the underworld and judge of the dead.

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Embalming

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Therefore they had rites to preserve the body - they developed the technique of embalming (mummification) which, they believed, was invented by god Anubis.

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Necropolis

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City of the dead.

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Stepped pyramid

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Stepped Pyramids were the next level to mastabas. Stacked one on the top of the other.

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Sphinx

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(from Greek for 'strange") It has a lion's body and a human head (either the face of Kafre or Khufu).

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Diorite

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A rock: igneous, has a moderate amount of dark silicates and has a coarse-grained texture.

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Aten

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Sun God

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Ka / Ka statue

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A statue in which it was believed the ka or life essence of a dead person could reside, often placed in or near tombs.

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Column

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First columns in history. 2630 BCE

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Engaged column

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Attached to the wall, mostly decorative.

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Colonnade

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A structure composed of a series of arches supported by columns.

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Monotheism

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Belief in one god.

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Amarna

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Sunken relief

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Minoan

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Mycenaean

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Labrys

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True wet (buon) fresco

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Fresco secco

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Akrotiri, Thera

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Cyclopean masonry

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Citadel

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Human with feline head, Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany, ca. 30,000 BCE

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This is the first object that it is known for sure to be an artwork. It is made of ivory so it is not as durable. It is a piece of sculpture. It is a human with an lion head, it could be used as a religion symbol. It could also represent a person wearing a lion mask for some type of ritual. First time we see sculpture of animals in the early ages. This is a subtracted figure, it was carved out of something bigger.

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Decorated Ocher. South Africa, 77,000 years ago

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Mateiral was made or orcher and that leaves a color, maybe used as an instrument to write with? First object that we discovered from this period. Symbolic thinking = something simple that convey some type of message, sometimes not clear at first.

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Nude Woman (Venus of Willendorf), from Willendorf, Austria, ca. 28,000-25,000 BCE

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The most important work from pre-historic world. It is the view of a pregnant woman, she can't see her feet and that is why the feet is minimalist. The sculpture emphasizes the large breast, the big belly and the meaning could be an interpretation of a pregnant women. We don't see the face so there is no personalization. It could also be a ancestor. Since it was small, it was portable and it could be used as a communication between small groups. "We have fertile women and we are willing to share so we can create inter-clan connections."

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Woman (Venus) of Brassempuoy, France, paleolithic, 20-18,000 BCE

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Low-fired clay Woman (Venus) of Hohlen Fels with loopWoman (Venus) of Brassempuoy, ivory, memory image.

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Woman holding a bison horn, Laussel, France, ca. 25,000 BCE, painted limestone relief 1'6"

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Red-ochre painted limestone relief 1'6" high. Subtractive relief sculpture: it is still attached to the background and it is a relief because it "pops out" but not free standing.

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Two Bison, reliefs in cave at Ariege, France, ca. 15,000 BCE, clay, each approx. 2' long

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At furthest point of 3,000 ft long cave, difficult & uncomfortable trek into it; may have been never seen again by maker(s). The Two Bison represent some type of ritual to communicate with the spiritual world. They could be represented as the gods or "supernatural" It is an additive sculpture, they added soft material (such as clay) to create the image.

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Bison, detail of painted ceiling in cave, Altamira, Spain, ca. 12,000 BCE, each 5' long

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Sacred ritualistic places as part of some type of ritual, most probably initiation ceremonies-- good acoustics; location, carnivores appear deep into the cave; all kinds of footsteps? Because it was deep in the cave, the buffalo meant as the most dangerous animal so this was the easiest way to reach those supernatural rituals.

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Spotted horse and negative hand imprints, cave at Peche-Merle, France, ca. 22,000 BC, 11' long

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Panting techniques: blowing the paint with a bone, using reeds to spit it, brushes, fingers, stones3-dimensionality. hand used as stencil—makes lines more clearly than brushpositive and negative images

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Hall of the Bulls, Lascaux, France, ca. 15,000 BCE, largest bull 11'6" long

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The best known cave Hall of the Bulls—misleading name. Misleading impression of a herd. twisted perspective; overlapoutline; colored. They vary in size and there is no ground line and they move in different direction - so the impression that this is a rapid moving herd is modern. Often they overlap animals are painted one on the top of the other either to suggest depth or to show the different stages of painting. Colored and outlined images.

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Aurochs, horses, and rhinoceroses, Chauvet cave, Ardeche, France, ca. 30,000 BCE,

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Illusion of volume. Shading on the most important parts of the animal.

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Rhinoceros, wounded man, and disemboweled bison, Lascaux, ca. 15,000 BCE, ca 3'8" long

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Unique—man for the first time in painting, possibly a narrative.

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Catal Huyuk, Turkey, ca. 6000 BCE

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Schematic drawing of city; archaeological site. Settlers became more successful, began to grow food and raise livestock, what nomads never had to deal with—surplus goods and food. It led to more complicated society where resources could be shared: people needed societal organization to store goods and share them; labor became specialized: some could farm, some could build city walls.

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Stonehenge, Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England, ca. 2550-1600 BCE

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Built in at least 4 building phases over the period of 1000 years between 2750 - 1500 BCE. The most famous megalithic monument in Europe. It is comprised of two circles (henge) of stones -the outer one 100 feet in diameter is made of sarsen (form of sandstone); the inner one - of bluestone (various volcanic rocks) The builders probably used human compass-a cord held by two people - one stationed in the center, the other keeping the cord taught and moving along the circle's circumference.

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White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk, Iraq, ca. 3200 BCE; Ziggurat plan

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Temple with hard entrance, bent-axis. Making it difficult to get in to the temple.

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Presentation of offerings to Inanna (Warka Vase), from Uruk, Iraq, ca. 3200 BCE

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Statuettes of worshippers, from Eshnumma, Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE

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Standard of Ur (war side), from the Royal Cemetery, Ur, ca. 2600 BCE

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Head of an Akkadian Ruler (Sargon; Naram-Sin ?), from Nineveh, Iraq, ca. 2250, copper

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Part of statuevisual program of personal political propaganda; frontal view—stillness, eternal; idealization; naturalism vs. abstraction power over metal;

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Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, from Susa, Iran, 2254-2218 BCE

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Pink sandstone, approx. 6'7" highnarrative; registers?; first landscape; scale hierarchy; helmet of a godcomposite viewbig slab of stone covered usually with relief sculpture, which is often accompanied by inscriptions

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Ziggurat, Ur, Iraq, ca. 2100 BCE

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Ziggurate served as a temple and a major center of government.

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Reconstruction drawing of the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin, Iraq, ca. 720 BCE

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Assyrian Empire: first professional army, first administrative empire. walled city; over 1 square mile in area, 7-stage ziggurat, 25-acre palace on a 50 feet high platform, 200 rooms; mud bricks.

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Lamassu (winged, human-headed bull), citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin, Iraq, ca. 720 BCE

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Composite liminal space. Combination of animal and a human head. Probably the head of the king. Composed picture.

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Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, from Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kahlu, Iraq, ca. 875 BCE

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Gypsum, approx. 3' highconceptual approach. Enemies are running back to their castle and die trying. People on the right are the bad guys.

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Ashurbanipal hunting lions, from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh, Iraq, 645 BCE

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Shows that the enemy can kill strong enemies.

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Ishtar Gate (restored), Babylon, Iraq, ca. 575 BCE

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Glazed brick. Mud bricks with glaze to produce the impact. It has designs of "god" animals to protect the city.

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Palette of King Narmer, from Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, ca. 3000 BCE

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commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt that happened by 3100 BCEcomposite view, registers, scale hierarchy.

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Imhotep, mortuary precinct of King Djoser (c. 2600 BCE)

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with stepped pyramid, stonekings—divine and immortal; embalming based on the myth of Osiris; Ka; mummy.

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Great Pyramids: Menkaure, Khafre, Khufu, Gizeh, Egypt, built between 2550 and 2490 BCE

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Great Sphinx, Gizeh, Egypt, ca. 2500 BCE

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Sandstone, approx. 65' high, 240' long; composite pharaoh (Khafre?) and lion.

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Khafre, from Gizeh, Egypt, ca. 2500 BCE, diorite

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Horus, falcon god, Ka.

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Menkaure and Khamerernebty, from Gizeh, Egypt, ca. 2490

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Tomb of Ti, Saqqara, ca. 2510-2460

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Scribe, ca. 2400

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Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, Dier el-Bahri, Egypt, ca. 1470 BCE

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Hatshepsut with offering jars, mortuary temple, Dier el-Bahri, Egypt, ca. 1470 BCE

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Akhenaton, from the temple of Aton, Karnak, Egypt, ca. 1350 BCE

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Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters from Amarna, Egypt, ca. 1353—1335, limestone

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Thutmose, Nefertiti, from Tell el-Amarna, ca. 1350 BCE, painted limestone

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Figurine of a Woman from Syros, Greece, ca. 2500 BCE

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Palace at Knossos, Crete, Greece, ca. 1700-1400

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Bull-leaping, from the palace at Knossos, ca. 1450-1400 BCE, fresco

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Landscape with swallows, from Akrotiri, Thera, ca. 1650

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Snake Goddess?, from the palace at Knossos, ca. 1600 BCE

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citadel at Tiryns, Greece, ca. 1400-1200 BCE

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Lion Gate, Mycenae, Greece, ca. 1300-1250 BCE

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Treasury of Atreus, Mycenae, ca. 1300-1250

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