Assyrian Art Essay

River Valley civilizations were the first to occur throughout time. Two of the most advanced were Egypt and Mesopotamia. Although both had a male dominant government that was supported by a patriarchal king or leader, Egypt had a strong, centralized government whereas Mesopotamia was decentralized and was based upon small city-states operating independently. To add, Egypt was also classified as self sufficient rather than Mesopotamia who relied on trade because of unstable agriculture. Due to Egypt surpassing Mesopotamia in areas such as governmental structure, self sufficiency, and cultural traditions, Egypt proves to be the more advanced society.

When reading the two chapters I found two rulers who tried to preserve their history through commissioned works of art the first being Naram-Sin, while the other being Gudea. Starting with Naram-Sin, The Stele of Naram-Sin, with stele being an upright stone slab, as described by the textbook on pages 27, and 36, as a depiction of the ruler Naram-Sin memorializing one of his military victory over the Lullubi people. What makes this stele a historical account instead of just a generic battle was inclusion of native trees following a mountain path showing that the stele is depicting a battle. In the stele, the slab uses hierarchal scaling, and religious symbolism to portray his political power as a leader.

Like other Mesopotamian kings, Naram-Sin commemorate his “ military victories” and is one of the first works of “art created to celebrate a specific achievements of an individual rule” (Cothren) Damaged on both the top and bottom, Naram-Sin's stele depicts the king's defeat of the Lullubi people of the” Zagros Mountains “(Cothren).

The revised back side "... is taken up by a finely carved...raised relief showing a king, undoubtedly Narmer, ready to strike down a foe whom he grabs by the hair. This pose would become typical in Ancient Egyptian art. He wears a short skirt, an animal's tail and the crown that at least in later

It is undeniable that the natural environment of ancient Mesopotamia had a profound effect on the earliest civilizations known to the world. Humankind’s ability to control irrigation waters directly correlates with the rise of mass agriculture. With this mastery of their river environment, early farmers were capable of supporting large urban populations. However, in Mesopotamia the Tigris and Euphrates rivers were both a source of life as well as destruction for early societies. In many ways, the geography of ancient Mesopotamia fostered a sense of catastrophic determinism within the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Babylonians. The scarcity of resources as well as the untamable nature of their deluge environment led these early people to

standing sculpture of King “Menkaure and Queen” is an illustration of Egyptian culture which represents their king and queen. Menkaure stands with his left leg extended forward as if at attention. This is the portrayal of a familiar Egyptian pose. While holding some unknown cylindrical objects with his clenched fists, the king’s arms are held stiff at his sides. As a symbol of his power, his stance looks assertive. This vigorous man is probably in his thirties, represented as quite mature. He has some well-developed arms, broad shoulders and with slender hips. The body has been carefully crafted to look lifelike. The only exceptions are the sharp edge of the shin bone in addition to the overemphasized knees, but it is common to all Egyptian

[pic]What aspect of Assyrian society is depicted on the bas-relief stone slabs unearthed at Nimrud?

The Eagle-headed Apkallu Guardian Figure is a low relief sculpture from 883-859 B.C. Assyria. Made from gypsum, this sculpture measures approximately 42 1/8 inches tall, 26 inches wide and 1 ½ inches thick. The sculpture is mounted on the wall of the dark, navy-blue painted Antiquities section of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, dimly lit by the luminance of showcase lights. The guardian figure watches over the room as visitors pass through the archway between two exhibits of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. In The Eagle-headed Apkallu Guardian Figure, the artist uses compositional choices, stylistic

When discussing Assyrians and my culture in general, people often times are not even aware that we are still around, some even go as far as actually believing that we are a dead culture. Those who know somewhat of who the Assyrian people are, do not truly understand the struggle the Assyrian culture and Assyrians have gone through and continue to go through to this day. That is why I picked the Assyrian flag as the symbol to represent not only my culture, but who I am as a person, too. The Assyrian flag is something very important to me because it is a symbol of strength and prosperity, a sign for me at least, to never back down and give up. I have kept going

The only access to the complex was located on its west side, and was made of a monumental staircase (the Great Staircase). Although sometimes called the Apadana Palace, the building, constructed by Darius I and Xerxes I, served as an audience hall, festivals site and for receptions by the kings. The largest building is the Apadana, begun by Darius and finished by Xerxes. Thirteen of its original seventy-two columns still stand on the platform to which two monumental stairways give access. They are decorated with rows of beautifully done reliefs showing scenes from the New Year’s festival and processions of representatives of twenty-three nations of the Achaemenid Empire. The relief include court notables, soldiers and guards, horses and chariots, delegates in their native attire, some completely Persian in style, carry gifts as token of their loyalty to the king. The overall arrangement of scenes seems repetitive, but there are differences in the designs of the clothing, hair styles, and beards that give each person their own distinctive character and make their origins unmistakable. Stylized trees or by using trees alone are used to form ornamental bands by separating various groups or activities giving the design

African Art does not have specific date to which it evolved because most early African Art was carved in wood, which perished quickly. This is why most art dates from the 19th and early 20th century. Many 20th century artists admired and collected pieces of African Art. They enjoyed the bold color, expression, and form that produced a new beginning in art history. African Art was mostly dedicated to life affirming activities such as healing, pleasure, protection, and transformation.

The British Museum in London holds many ancient pieces of art. There are so many galleries and exhibits inside the museum that several pieces do not get the attention they deserve. One such piece resides in the Assyrian exhibit inside the museum. It is a collection of three alabaster panels that act as registers of a narrative story. The expertly carved reliefs illustrate the great lion hunt performed by an Assyrian king in an arena. So much emotion is portrayed in the brutal imagery of the lion hunt. These great alabaster slabs once resided in an Assyrian palace in present day Nineveh. The reliefs were excavated in the 1840’s by Hormuzd Rassam, employed by Austen Henry Layard of the British Museum. Rassum found the palace by secretly digging at night because the site was originally claimed by French archeologist Victor Place. Since the excavation, the lion hunt reliefs have been displayed in the British Museum. The lion hunt reliefs features so many qualities ranging from historical to artistic. In this report the topic of why the reliefs were made, how they represented the king, the symbolism of the lion, and artistic prowess of the piece will be exposed.

     The Assyrian Crisis in Judah appears, from the surface, as a time of great luck for the people of Jerusalem. However, by examining the situation with a more powerful lens, one can see the powerful religious infuence such an event could have on a resident’s theology. If I were a Judean during this time, my faith would have faced the toughest test of my life. Going into such a conflict with a nation as strong as Assyria, I could not help but be afraid. My bones would tremble at the thought of destruction of the Holy City of Jerusalem, of the people of Judah, and of my own being. Although I would have believed in God, I would still be filled with fear. This fear

In the art world, the medieval periods were traditionally though to be the unproductive phase of Europe between the decline of Rome and the Renaissance. Our modern feelings toward medieval art are far more appreciative. The main intent of Medieval art was to express Christianity which was also a common bond between a wide spread and diverse Europe. For this reason most of the art found from medieval times originated in monasteries and churches. European art during the Middle Ages can be divided into four periods. These four periods include Celto-Germanic art which ranged from 400 to 800 A.D. and was important in metal work. Carolingian art ranged from 750 to 987 A.D. overlapping 50 years of the Celto-Germanic period. The

The term “ancient Near East” was coined out by the British Empire in the 19th-century, geographically covering the modern Middle East that was divided into eight major regions and states: Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, ancient Iran, Anatolia/asia Minor and Armenian Highlands, the Levant, Cyprus, and the Arabian Peninsula. Ancient Near East begins in the 4th millennium BC and ends either with the Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century BC or with the Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. This period of history is considered to be the cornerstone of civilization. With agriculture practices advancing, allowing the possibilities of urban development, creating social class, centralized government and empires. The phrase “Near East” represented Ottoman