Ancient Near East Art Analysis

This chapter is about Art of the Ancient Near East. This is a period that began around 2254BCE when Akkadian ruled Naramsin. This period in time begins with cities such as Sumer, Akkad, Lagash, Babylon and Mari, Assyria, Neo-Babylonia, Anatolia, and ends with the Persia. The east in terms of art history is one of the most influential regions, because it had many civilizations, and each civilization had its own art. In Mesopotamia’s agriculture villages emerged around Asia minor and the ancient near east that were referred to as the Fertile Crescent. From this villages evolved into cities all over the north and south, along with social hierarchies, rulers and workers with specialized skills. The crescent rose along the Mediterranean coast through Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and
Syria, arched into central Turkey and along the fertile plains of the Tigtis and Euphrates rivers through Iraq and Iran.
The people of the ancient near East were polytheistic, meaning they worshiped several different Gods and Goddesses. The importance of deities came the creation of temples. These cities had temple complexes containing several different purposes such as: religious, administrative, and service buildings. The Art produced influenced by these broad political events. Trading and accounting had a large impact during this time as well. In terms of art, authority figures and concepts were carved into stone palates, the Stella of Naramisin being one of the first. Hammourabi’s achievements were a written legal code that listed the laws of his realm and the penalties for breaking them. He even ordered work to be executed in Egypt and transported to his capital. Suner: The Sumerians have been credited with many, first, inventing the wagon wheel and the plow casting objects in copper and bronze. Sumerians also created cuneiform writings, the greatest contribution to civilization. There for impressive creation however, was the Ziggurats. They also were the creators of the “cylinder seal or stamps as we know them today.
After Sumarians came Babylonian influence. They were under the control of Hammurabi, who came to power and dominated Mesopotamia. “The stele of hammurabi” found in Susa upon which Hammurabi's immortal code of law is inscribed bears a relief at the top showing the king himself before the sun god who commands him to set down the law for his people. This is one of the most famous Babylonian pieces noted for this time. Once Babylonian empire fell it was taken over by Assyria. Assyrian art form was carved stone relief that decorated imperial figures mostly concerning hunting and memoirs of successful battle scenes of sieges, battles, and individual combat.. There were also many carvings of animal forms, particularly horses and lions. A famous carving was that of Assyrian relief are the lion-hunt alabaster carvings. Guardian animals, usually lions and wings of animals with bearded human heads, were sculpted for royal gateways, which became common in Asia. After the fall of Assyria, Neo-Babylonia was reestablished in the south. This period was famous for its "hanging gardens" and its large ziggurat. The city gate was faced with blue-glazed bricks and molded into reliefs of animals. The city was captured in the 6th century BCE and became part of the great Persian Empire. The Persian kings built a fortified royal palace as well.