Slide 1:THE STONE AGE PALEOLITHIC Image gallery Venus from Willendorf Willendorf, Austria ca. 28,000 - 25,000 B.C This is one of the oldest and most famous of the prehistoric female figures. This image is no more than four inches tall, yet it has become an icon in the history of art. It is suggested that this image served the purpose of fertility due to its anatomical exaggeration, but it is still only a speculation. Small figures such as this were carved from naturally shaped rocks. The central point in the design, the navel, is a natural hole in the rock PALEOLITHIC MESOLITHIC NEOLITHIC


Slide 2:THE STONE AGE PALEOLITHIC Image gallery Human with feline head Hohlenstein-Stadel , Germany ca. 30,000 - 28,000 B.C The first sculptures of Western Europe are even older than the painted plaques of Namibia. This image is an example of one of the earliest sculptures discovered to date. This sculpture was carved out of mammoth ivory and stands nearly a foot tall (truly huge for its era) The real reason for the existence of this sculpture is still uncertain. Historians can only speculate as to its purpose and function. Historians are certain, however, that a sculpture such as this would have been of great importance due to the fact that it would have been very hard to obtain such a large piece of mammoth ivory. It would most likely have taken several days of skilled work to create such a sculpture. PALEOLITHIC MESOLITHIC NEOLITHIC


Slide 3:THE STONE AGE PALEOLITHIC Image gallery Woman holding a bison horn Laussel, Dordogne France ca. 25,000 - 20,000 B.C This sculpture represents one of the earliest relief sculptures known This image was found as a part of a 140 cubic foot stone block that stood in the open air in front of a Paleolithic rock shelter. Today it stands on display in a museum divorced from its original context. The artist would have chiseled out the female form from the rock, and would later add the ochre color to the body of the figure. The figure’s raised right arm holds a bison horn and the left arm rests upon the exaggerated mid section. It is speculated that this sculpture, like the woman from Willendorf, is some sort of fertility figure. PALEOLITHIC MESOLITHIC NEOLITHIC


Slide 4:THE STONE AGE PALEOLITHIC Image gallery Two bison relief in a cave Ariège, France ca. 15,000 - 10,000 B.C These relief sculptures were found in the cave at Le Tuc d’Audoubert and represent relief sculpture carved from clay rather than stone. These bison are sculpted in strict profile, as to give more visual information to the viewer. Each of these bison are over two feet long and are among the largest Paleolithic sculptures known. It is assumed that the artist brought the clay into this cave and modeled it by hand into the shape of the bison. Once the clay had dried, it is thought that the artist engraved the facial features and manes with a stone burin. PALEOLITHIC MESOLITHIC NEOLITHIC The cracks in the clay are a result from the drying process and most likely occurred within a couple of days of the sculpture’s completion.


Slide 5:THE STONE AGE PALEOLITHIC Image gallery Bison with turned head Dordogne, France ca. 12,000 B.C When artists chose to use antlers and horns as their medium for sculpture, they were forced to work on a very small scale. This particular sculpture is only about four inches in size. This is considered one of the finest works from the Paleolithic Era. This image was carved from a reindeer antler with a very sharp tool. Notice the extreme detail for the era as you look at the eyes, nostrils, mane, and ears of the bison. The artist gives us much more information than any of the other works discussed to this point. PALEOLITHIC MESOLITHIC NEOLITHIC Especially noteworthy is the twisted and turned head of the bison. It could be that the artist did this to save space on such a small sculptural area. Whatever the reason for this twisted perspective, the artist manages to give us a strict profile view of the animal that contains clarity as to the characteristics of the bison.


Slide 6:THE STONE AGE PALEOLITHIC Image gallery Bison (detail of painted ceiling) Altamira Santander, Spain ca. 12,000-11,000 B.C Images were incised or painted onto rock and often used the natural projections of the rock to fit the drawing The bison is lifelike due to shading and roundness. Painted from ochre and ash from the surroundings- used as much as 3 colors These paintings were discovered by the daughter of the owner of the estate that contained the cave. She was with her father in the cave when they reached the chamber containing these images about eighty five feet from the cave’s entrance. The authenticity of these images was officially dismissed at the Lisbon Congress on Prehistoric Archeology in 1880. By the end of the century the skeptics were convinced that these images were, in fact, authentic due to the other caves that had been discovered with mineral deposits that would have taken thousands of years to accumulate. These images of the animals, just as those of the plaques from Namibia, are painted in profile. The unique thing about the images in this cave is the perspective that the artist gives. Notice the aerial view. PALEOLITHIC MESOLITHIC NEOLITHIC


Slide 7:THE STONE AGE PALEOLITHIC Image gallery Spotted horses and negative handprints Pech-Merle France ca. 22,000 B.C It is speculated by art historians that these “spotted horses” may not have had spots at all. They claim that those “spots” may actually represent rocks that were thrown at the animals in the hunt. (Notice that the spots appear within as well as around the animals.) Is it possible that these images were created to ensure the success capturing and killing these animals using rocks as weapons? The representation of human hands on the walls of the cave are very common. Often those hand prints are “negative” images that are created by blowing pigment over the hand while it rests on the surface of the cave. Some scholars believe the handprints to have been the signatures of cult or communal members. PALEOLITHIC MESOLITHIC NEOLITHIC The natural shape of the rock often dictated the images that would be created on the walls of the caves. Notice the shape of the rock where the horses head is located and how seamlessly they fit together.


Slide 8:THE STONE AGE PALEOLITHIC Image gallery Hall of the Bulls (left wall) Lascaux,, France ca. 15,000-13,000 B.C The images found on the walls of the Lascaux caves are some of the best known Paleolithic images. Images are often drawn far inside the caves, away from entrances. (Sometimes hundreds of feet from the entrances) Scholars believe that these images were produced as part of a magic ritual. The images were superimposed- (no separation between image and reality) Once the animal has been killed, the spirit has been killed and a new animal is drawn on top The purpose of the drawings was to lure animals for the hunt (they were scarce) PALEOLITHIC MESOLITHIC NEOLITHIC The caves of Lascaux demonstrate the two techniques used in Paleolithic painting. Some of the walls (like the image above) consisted of outlines only, whereas some of the other images contained a degree of modeling through the use of colored silhouettes. These differences in style and technique suggest that the images were painted in different times.


Slide 9:White Temple and ziggurat Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E. mud brick


Slide 10:White Temple and ziggurat Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E. mud brick


Slide 11:Female head (possibly Inanna) from Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E. Marble approximately 8 in. high RECOVERED


Slide 12:Warka Vase from Uruk (modern Warka) Iraq ca. 3,200-3,000 B.C.E. alabaster approximately 3 ft. high RECOVERED


Slide 13:Statuettes of worhippers from Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar) Iraq ca. 2,700 B.C.E. gypsum, shell, black limestone tallest 30 in. high


Slide 14:Standard of Ur , Royal Cemetery Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar) Iraq ca. 2,600 B.C.E. wood, shell, lapis lazuli, red limestone, approximately 8 x 19 in.


Slide 15:Cylinder seal from the tomb of Pu-abi , Royal Cemetery Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar) Iraqca. 2,600 B.C.E. approximately 2 in. high


Slide 16:Head of an Akkadian ruler from Ninevah (modern Kuyunjik) Iraq ca. 2,250-2,200 B.C.E. copper 14 3/8 in. high MISSING


Slide 17:Victory stele of Naram-Sin from Susa, Iran ca. 2,254-2,218 B.C.E. sandstone 79 in. high


Slide 18:Ziggurat at Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar) Iraq ca. 2,100 B.C.E., mud brick


Slide 19:Ziggurat (restored) at Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar) Iraq ca. 2,100 B.C.E. mud brick


Slide 20:Seated statue of Gudea holding temple plan from Girsu (modern Telloh) Iraq ca. 2,100 B.C.E. diorite 29 in. high


Slide 21:Stele with code of Hammurabi from Susa, Iran ca. 1780 B.C.E. basalt 88 in. high


Slide 22:Stele with code of Hammurabi from Susa, Iran ca. 1780 B.C.E. basalt 88 in. high


Slide 23:Reconstruction drawing of the citadel of Sargon II, Dar Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad) Iraq ca. 720-705 B.C.E.


Slide 24:Lamassu (winged human headed bull) from the citadel of Sargon II, Dar Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad) Iraq ca. 720-705 B.C.E. limestone 13 ft. 10 in. high


Slide 27:Assyrian archers pursuing enemies from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu (modern Nimrud) ca. 875-860 B.C.E. gypsum 2 ft. 10 3/8 in. high


Slide 28:Ashurbanipal hunting lions from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Ninevah (modern Kuyunjik) Iraq ca. 645-640 B.C.E. gypsum approximately 5 ft. high


Slide 29:Ashurbanipal hunting lions from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Ninevah (modern Kuyunjik) Iraq ca. 645-640 B.C.E. gypsum approximately 5 ft. high


Slide 30:Ashurbanipal hunting lions from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Ninevah (modern Kuyunjik) Iraq ca. 645-640 B.C.E. gypsum approximately 5 ft. high


Slide 31:Ishtar Gate (restored) from Babylon, Iraq ca. 575 B.C.E. glazed brick


Slide 33:Ishtar Gate (restored)details of lion (Ishtar) from Babylon, Iraq ca. 575 B.C.E. glazed brick


Slide 35:Palace of Darius I and Xerxes I Persepolis, Iran ca. 521-465 B.C.E.


Slide 36:Palace of Darius I and Xerxes I Persepolis, Iran ca. 521-465 B.C.E.


Slide 37:People, boats, and animals. (detail of a watercolor copy of a wall painting From Tomb 100 at Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic 3500-3200 BC


Slide 38:The Palette of King Narmer Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic 3000-2920 BC The Palette of King Narmer is one of the earliest historical artworks preserved. This image records the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt into the “Kingdom of Two Lands” at the very end of the Pre-dynastic period. ANCIENT EGYPT


Slide 39:Tomb was like afterlife insurance Pharaoh was supreme ruler and a god- basis of all civilization and of artwork Knowledge of civilization rest solely in tombs Imhotep: Doctor, Architect, High Priest, Scribe and Vizier to King Djoser AINCIENT EGYPT IMHOTEP. Stepped pyramid and mortuary precinct of Djoser. Saqqara. Dyn 3. c. 2630-2611 BCE


Slide 40:Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV Burial Chamber is in the center of the pyramid rather than underneath Originally covered in smooth stone that would be reflective in the sun. (Almost blinding to the eyes.) Funerary district is much more organized than Djoser- surrounded by mastabas and smaller pyramids Fourth Dynasty pharaohs considered themselves to be the sons of Re and his incarnation on earth. Egyptians always buried their dead on the west side of the Nile, where the sun sets. The largest of the pyramids is about 450 feet tall and has an area of almost 13 acres. It contains almost 2.3 million blocks of stone, each weighing about 1.5 tons.


Slide 41:Great Spinx, Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV ca. 2520-2494 BC 65 feet tall The Spinx commemorated the pharaoh and served as an immovable, eternal silent guardian of his tomb. This guardian stood watch at the entrances to the palaces of their kings. It gives visitors coming from the east the illusion that it rests on a great pedestal. The face of the Spinx is thought to be an image of the pharaoh .


Slide 42:Kafre, Gizeh, Egypt, Dynasty IV ca 2520-2495 BC The intertwined lotus and papyrus plants between the legs of Kafre’s throne are thought to be symbolic of the united Egypt. The Falcon god Horus extends his protective wings to shelter Kafre’s head. Kafre wears the royal fake beard fastened to his chin and wears the royal linen nemes (the royal headdress) His proportions are idealized and are appropriate for representing majesty. .


Slide 43:Menkaure and Khamerernebty, Gizeh, Egypt Dynasty IV, ca 2490-2472 BC Standing (common pose), both have left foot forward, yet they are not moving forward Figures are sculpted in the same height, provide a comparison of male and female beauty These figures were meant to house the ka This was the stereotypical pose that symbolized marriage Notice how the figures are idealized and emotionless The artists depiction of these two people is indicative of the formula for depicting royalty in Egyptian Art


Slide 44:Seated Scribe, Saqqara, Egypt, Dynasty IV Ca 2450-2350 BC The scribe pose- cross-legged on the ground- The Scribe is a high court official- most scribes were sons of pharaohs. Alert expression in face, individualized torso- flabby and middle-aged Notice the realism depicted in this sculpture, when compared to that of the Pharaohs. His depiction in this manner is a result of his lower hierarchy in Egyptian society than that of a Pharaoh. Young scribes were sent to a place known as the House of Life where they would learn to read and write. Much of there time was spent copying letters, accounts, and stories of the gods It has been said that it could take up to 10 years for a scribe to learn the language of hieroglyphics that contained nearly 700 characters. ANCIENT EGYPT


Slide 45:Senmut, Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, Dynasty 18 Built 1480 BC (New Kingdom) against rocky cliffs, dedicated to Amun- linked by ramps and colonnades to a small chamber deep in the rock- This is a great example of architecture within natural setting- ramps echo shape of cliffs and the horizontal rhythm of light and dark in the columns mimics that of the cliffs above. ANCIENT EGYPT Queen Hatshepsut became the Pharoh when her husband Thutmose II had died. The heir to the throne was to be given to his twelve year old son, but he was too young to rule. Hatsheptut then assumed the role of King, and became the first great female monarch whose name was recorded. Many of the portraits of Hatshepsut were destroyed at the order of Thutmose III (the son too young to rule), as he was resentful of her declaration of herself as pharaoh.


Slide 46:Hatshepsut with offering jars, Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, ca 1473- 1458 BC This statue has been carefully reassembled after its destruction. Most of the statues of Hatshepsut had to be reassembled due to their destruction , as ordered by Thutmose III. The female Pharaoh is seen here in a ritual that honors the sun god. Her depiction as pharaoh is clear, as she is seen wearing the royal male nemes headdress and the pharaoh’s ceremonial beard. The figure is represented as anatomically male, but other statues have been found that represent her with woman’s breasts.


Slide 47:Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, Dynasty 19 Ca 1290-1224 BC Ramses was Egypt’s last great warrior pharaoh and ruled for two thirds of a century. This monument was moved in 1968 to protect it from submersion. Ramses was very proud of his accomplishments and proclaimed his greatness by placing four colossal images of himself on the temple façade. New Kingdom: Egypt at its height


Slide 48:Akhenaton, From the temple of Amen-Re, Karnak, Egypt, Dyanasty 18 1353-1335 BC ANCIENT EGYPT Akhenaton is infamous for his religious revolution in Egypt during the 18th Dynasty. The revolution in religion gave way to an artistic revolution in which the figures became elongated and androgynous in their appearance. The pharaoh Amenhotep IV abandoned the worship of most of the Egyptian Gods in favor of the God Aton ( the god of the Sun). In honor of the new monotheistic religion, Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaton. He then moved the capital city of Egypt down the Nile River to the city of Thebes, now called Tell el-Amarna, where he built his own city and shrines.


Slide 49:Akhenaton and Nefertiti, From the temple of Amen-Re, Karnak, Egypt, Dyanasty XVIII 1353-1335 BC ANCIENT EGYPT Akhenaton’s god was unlike any other Egyptian God in that it was not depicted by animal or human form. Instead, Aton was depicted only as a sun disk emitting live-giving rays. Stylistic Changes during the Amarna Period included: Effeminate body with curving contours Long full- lipped face, heavy- lidded eyes, and a dreamy expression. The body of Akhenaton is oddly misshapen with weak arms, a narrow waist, protruding belly, wide hips, and fatty thighs.


Figurine of woman. from Syros (Cyclades). c.2500-2300 BCE :50 Figurine of woman. from Syros (Cyclades). c.2500-2300 BCE 1 ½ foot tall, half inch thick Large, simple triangular in its form Feet too fragile to support the entire figure The statue was laid on its back fertility figure or even a goddess Breast & the belly is over emphasized to suggest pregnancy paint has been found on the statues Even though we can only see the nose, the entire face would have been painted to give its individualistic character


Male lyre player. from Keros (Cyclades). c. 2700-2500 BCE :51 Male lyre player. from Keros (Cyclades). c. 2700-2500 BCE


Bull-leaping (Toreador Fresco). from palace at Knossos . c. 1450-1400 BCE :52 Bull-leaping (Toreador Fresco). from palace at Knossos . c. 1450-1400 BCE Bull-leaping (Toreador Fresco). from palace at Knossos . c. 1450-1400 BCE


Slide 53:53 Harvester vase. from Hagia Triada. c. 1500 BCE


Slide 54:54 Harvester vase. detail c. 1500 BCE


Slide 55:55 Harvester vase. detail. c. 1500 BCE


Slide 56:56 Snake goddess. from palace at Knossos. c. 1600 BCE


Young god(?), from Crete. c. 1500-1475 BCE :57 Young god(?), from Crete. c. 1500-1475 BCE


Lion Gate. Mycenae. c. 1300-1250 BCE :58 Lion Gate. Mycenae. c. 1300-1250 BCE


Slide 59:59 Lion Gate. Mycenae. c. 1300-1250 BCE


Treasury of Atreus. Mycenae. c. 1300-1250 BCE :60 Treasury of Atreus. Mycenae. c. 1300-1250 BCE


Slide 61:61 Cutaway view of Treasury of Atreus. Mycenae. c. 1300-1250 BCE


Vault of tholos of Treasury of Atreus. Mycenae. c. 1300-1250 BCE :62 Vault of tholos of Treasury of Atreus. Mycenae. c. 1300-1250 BCE


Slide 63:63 Funerary mask. from Mycenae. c. 1600-1500 BCE


Slide 64:64 Inlaid dagger blades with lion hunt. from Mycenae. c. 1600-1500 BCE


Female head, from Mycenae, Greece. c. 1300-1250 BCE :65 Female head, from Mycenae, Greece. c. 1300-1250 BCE


Slide 66:66 Warrior Vase, from Mycenae, Greece. c. 1200 BCE