Art of the Ancient World
Vocabulary
Paleolithic/Old Stone Age› The first stage in human culture
Neolithic/New Stone Age› The second stage in human culture
Cuneiform› A writing style made up of wedge shaped
markings that were pressed into damp clay Civilization
› Advanced state of human development; contain social, political, and cultural complexity
Vocabulary
Pantheon› A large group of gods; all the gods of a certain
culture/civilization Hierarchy
› A system of persons or things ranked one above another
Hieroglyphic› Writing style made up of pictures and symbols
Polytheistic› Having multiple gods
Paleolithic, Old Stone Age
Goes back to over 1,000,000,000 BCE
Humans…› Were nomadic (moved from
place to place)› Hunted and Gathered› Discovered fire, clothing,
and simple social organization
Neolithic, New Stone Age
Between 8,000 and 3,000 BCE Also known as Agricultural Period Humans…
› Began to settle down› Raised crops› Saw improvements in stone tools, pottery
and textiles› Learned to live together in small villages
Neolithic, New Stone Age
Mesopotamia
Wide area of land in the “Fertile Crescent”› Between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers› Located in modern day Iraq
Considered to be the birthplace of civilization
Sumerians› First civilization to emerge in the ancient
world
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Hammurabi› First great ruler to emerge in Mesopotamia
Babylon› The capitol city Hammurabi chose for himself and
his people› Hence, his people were known as Babylonians
The Code of Hammurabi› A wide-ranged legal system› Made up of 282 articles› Meant to answer all of the legal questions of the
time› “Eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”
Literacy
Sumerians wrote using Cuneiform› Writing style made up of wedge shaped
markings Benefits of a Written Language
› Document the past› Increased communication› Keeping Records (taxes, irrigation patterns,
storage details, etc.)› Strengthens government
Literacy indicated class and therefore power
Cuneiform
Religion
Sumerians were Polytheistic Life was the focus of their religion
› Gods were often given attributes of humans and animals
› Individual gods served specific purposes› Gods were placed in a hierarchy
Some cities placed different gods at the top of their hierarchy
› Kings answered to the gods alone Social classes were tied into religion as well
Ancient Egypt
Egyptian civilization developed around the same time as the Sumerians
Settlements located along the Nile River in modern day Egypt
Egyptians depended on the annual flooding of the Nile to plant crops
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Literacy› Used Hieroglyphics (picture writing)› Each picture represents a syllable, not actual
words or objects
Ancient Egypt
Religion› Egyptians were Polytheistic› Identified the pharaoh (king) with the sun
god› Pharaoh was also physical manifestation of
the sky god› Death opened the path to the afterlife› The body had to be preserved in some way
for the soul to live on Mummification, embalming, etc.
Ancient Egypt
Egyptian art and architecture focused on Death or the Afterlife.
Art and Architecture functioned as an eternal dwelling place for the dead
Egyptian mortuaries (funeral homes) were highly decorated› Mortuaries also contain funeral imagery
and narratives for those who dwelled there
Ancient Egypt
Pharaohs were considered the link to the afterlife› Common citizens worked to secure the
pharaoh’s existence in the afterworld Offerings, sacrifices, etc.
Painting
Cave Paintings› The Cave of Lascaux
Discovered in 1940 by a group of children Cave was sealed off in 1963 to protect it
from atmospheric damage An exact replica exists in a quarry 600 ft.
away› Contains paintings of various bulls, horses,
and deer
Cave of Lascaux
Painting
The Tombs of Thebes› Burial sites located in the ancient city of
Thebes› Provides most of what we know about
Egyptian painting› Comprised of funerary art (art made for
rituals of death)
Painting
The Tombs of Thebes cont.› First discovered representations of the
gods› Portrayed everyday life as well› Utilized four hues(colors) that never
changed in value› Showed people in profile (viewed from the
side) No attempt at lifelikeness was made
Tombs of Thebes
Sculpture
Sumerian› Focused on kings
Usually performing devotional (religious) acts
› Sumerian court (royalty) generated sculptures out of gold
› Emphasized the importance of religion in Sumerian culture
Sculpture
Egyptian› Major art form of the Egyptians› Avoided lifelike sculptures for two reasons
1.) A close likeness could capture the soul 2.) Lifelikeness was too technically
challenging› Egyptians were very detailed with
sculptures of the human body› Surfaces were painted for decoration
Egyptian Sculpture
Sculpture
› The Great Sphinx Carved out of the
natural rock Portrays the head
of the pharaoh on the body of a lion
Reinforces the relationship between the pharaoh and the gods
Egyptian cont.
The Great Sphinx
Sculpture
Egyptian cont.› The Funerary Mask of Tutankhamun (King
Tut) Made of solid gold Inlaid with semiprecious stone and colored
glass Meant to record his likeness and cover his
mummified head Reveals the royal nemes (headdress) and
two symbolic creatures that protect Egypt
Funerary Mask of King Tut
Architecture Egyptian
Pyramids› Oldest existing
buildings in the world
› Filled with secret passageways and rooms
› Meant to protect the bodies of the pharaohs
Architecture
Egyptian Pyramids cont.› Usually constructed with a
nearby temple› The pyramids at Giza have
a carefully planned layout Each pyramid’s faces point
directly north, south, east, and west
The size and position of the pyramids may be symbolizing the stars in Orion’s belt
Music
Sumerian› Mostly used as a source of entertainment› Mostly used stringed instruments› Some vocal music with instrumental
accompaniment existed Egyptian
› Instruments consisted of Harps, lyres, pipes, flutes, cymbals, and bells
› Harps were the basic instrument
Music
Egyptian cont.› Tamboura
Similar to modern violins or guitars
Cat gut was used to make strings for instruments
Dance
Egyptian› Stride Dances
Formal style of dancing Typically consists of forward motions based
on rhythmic themes Were part of larger ceremonial dances for
funerals and fertility
Literature
Sumerian› The Epic of Gilgamesh
Oldest known story in the world Contains a story of a great flood much like
the story of Noah in the Bible A story about the physical and spiritual trials
of Gilgamesh
Literature Egyptian
› The Book of the Dead Collection of mortuary texts Contained spells, magic formulas to protect
and serve the dead in the afterlife