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Unit OneThe Beginnings of Civilization

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Primitive Art/Paleontology

Timeline of Human Events

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Hominid Species Timeline

The chronological chart below shows the main Hominid species (apes in blue, human species in red) and their approximate relationships in time, based on currently available evidence. Click timeline for more information.

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Venus of Willendorf c. 24,000-

22,000 BCE Oolitic limestone

43/8 inches (11.1 cm) high (Naturhistorisch

es Museum, Vienna)

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Laugerie Basse Venus, 'Impudique' (Immodest Venus)

Discovered in 1864 by the Marquis Paul de Vibraye. It was the first Venus figure found in France. The Marquis was playfully reversing the appellation of "Venus pudica" ("modest Venus") that is used to describe a statue type of the Classical Venus which shows, in many statues the goddess attempting to conceal her breasts and pubic area from view. The inference the Marquis makes is that this prehistoric Venus makes no attempt to hide her sexuality. This ivory venus is 8 cm high, and has lost the head. The stomach is flat, and could be of a young girl.

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Femme a la Corne. This low relief venus is from Laussel, Dordogne. 44 cm (17.5 inches) high. Musee d'Aquitane, Bordeaux. The body swells out towards the viewer from this convex block of limestone. It formed one of a set, a frieze which included other female figures and a male figure.

It probably dates to 27 000 - 22 000 b.p. Although now detached, it should be classed as parietal (non portable, in place) rock art since it was originally carved on a block of 4 cubic metres (140 cubic feet). The horn and the series of lines on it have often been linked with the moon or menstruation.

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23,000-21,000 BC Limestone H 10.2 cm Kostenky settlement This figurine represents the Palaeolithic 'Venus', with overlarge breasts and belly. The faceless head bends towards the chest while the arms are pressed to the body with hands on the belly. Covering the surface of the head are rows of incisions indicating a hair style or cap. Relief work in the form of a tight plait convey a breast ornament tied up at the back. There are bracelets on the arms.

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Four small venuses about 15 cm high from the open air Avdeevo site in Russia, dating to 20 000 years B.P.

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The western edges of the Massif Central and the northern slopes of the Pyrenees are noted for an exceptional concentration of Palaeolithic caves. In fact, there are no fewer than one hundred and thirty sanctuaries, the most renowned of which is Lascaux.

Located on the left bank of the river Vézère, Lascaux is set a little apart from the traditional prehistoric sites further downstream, between Moustier and Bugue.

The excellent state of conservation of our prehistoric heritage is due to the numerous rock-shelters and natural caves in limestone, which dot the landscape.

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The research carried out during the past decades has placed the iconography of Lascaux at the beginning of the Magdalenian Age, that is, 17,000 years before today. However, certain indications, both thematic and graphic, suggest that certain figures could belong to a more recent period. This is borne out by dating with Carbon 14 (around 15,000 years old)

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Cave Paintings at Lascaux, France

Map of the cave

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Great Hall of the Bulls

The wall decorations in the Great Hall of the Bulls are the most impressive of all Palaeolithic art. they extend on both sides of the vaulted walls of a sloping floored rotunda. The vast fresco, covering some twenty metres, is composed of three groups of animals : horses, bulls and stags. In fact these themes recur repeatedly in the different areas of this underground sanctuary...

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...This composition is introduced by a strange figure, the ...

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... which seems to be chasing a herd of horses linked with a large, partially drawn bull towards the back of the Hall...

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...In the opposite direction, a similar illustration made up of three more large aurochs balances this

composition...

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...The meeting point of these two groupings is a group of small stags painted in ochre...

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...The few signs are limited to isolated or grouped dots, often black, and to variously coloured dashes...

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...The colour black dominates the figurative works: only the group of stags, three bovines and four horses, of which three are incomplete, are coloured red.

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The Painted Gallery

The Painted Gallery is justifiably considered to be the pinnacle of Palaeolithic cave art. The figures cover the entire upper reaches of the walls as well as, in the first third of the Gallery, the surface of the vault...

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...The iconography of this prehistoric "Sistine Chapel" is based on classical prehistoric animal themes : aurochs, horses, ibexes, a reminder of the stag at the entrance to this gallery and at the back, the bison.

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...This is a continuous series of important works among which we note the Chinese Horses...

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... a triad surrounded by large red cows...

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...Further along, two panels face each other.The one on the left is dominated by the Great Black Bull which partially hides two red cows. At the back a horse seems to be dashing towards the inmost depths of the gallery...

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The Lateral Passage

This corridor, which is still relatively low, was subsequently lowered during the early development of the site to enable visitors to circulate more easily. Only a few painted or engraved traces of the iconography of this gallery survive today. Of these, the engravings are more numerous...

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The Chamber of Engravings, a rotunda which is smaller than the Great Hall of the Bulls, stands out because of the extremely high number of painted and, especially, engraved figures, more than 600 in all...

The Chamber of Engravings

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...They cover the walls and ceiling and are in three, tiered, sections each with its own specific theme: aurochs in the lower frieze, then deer, then, covering the entire dome, the horses...

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...Here there is maximum overlapping of subjects. Superimposition, scraping, and obliteration, the many traces of activities make it particularly difficult to

interpret the figures.

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Adjacent to the Chamber of Engravings, the Main Gallery is larger. It is made up of a series of adjoining chambers which gradually become smaller. The walls on either side of the axis are perfectly symmetrical. Five panels, each with its own characteristics, and unequally distributed on either side distinguish this space...

Main Gallery

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...The Panel of the Imprint is composed of horses, bison and quadrangular signs...

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...The Black Cow Panel, more fragmented than the Panel of the Imprint which is composed of horses, bison and quadrangular signs, is placed after the linear composition of seven ibexes...

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...This hieratic figure, whose lines have been redrawn a great many times is looking towards the back of the cave and seems to be dominating a group of horses most of which are facing in the opposite direction...

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...We note, at the base of the centre of this panel, three polychromatic quadrangular signs, or "blazons" each divided into geometric units...

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...The panel of the Back-to Back Bison completes the panels on the left wall. It is certainly the most typical example of the rendering of three dimensions in this sanctuary. Reserves around the limbs in the background, distortion of shapes, choice of surface, symmetrical composition, are all used to create a three dimensional effect...

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...The opposite wall features only one group of figures, made up of stags' heads and shoulders reflecting the preceding iconography. They have been described by some as five stags crossing a river, whence the name, the "Swimming Stags" for this panel.Nevertheless, this type of composition is not unique to the stags, several other groups with different themes, ibex or bulls, are similarly constructed without a similar interpretation being proposed.

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The Chamber of Felines

At the far end of the Main Gallery a long, straight corridor which is at times very narrow, opens up. This is the Chamber of Felines, the furthest recess of this site. Here, in comparison to the big compositions in the preceding galleries, the graphic treatment on walls which were more difficult to access, is more modestly proportioned...

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...The animals here are somewhat different from what has already been described, we see horses and bison side by side, but we also note on the one hand the presence of six felines, and, on the other hand, the absence of aurochs...

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...Due to the extreme fragility of the rock face the figures are poorly preserved. As in the Chamber of Engravings and the Main Gallery, engraving has been used effectively for most of the works, however, some are also painted. As in the rest of the sanctuary, horses are the dominant feature...

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... The decorative work ends in a double line consisting of three sets of two red dots. On seeing this motif we cannot help but remember the one in black in the Scene of the Dead Man. This graphic analogy suggests a topographical boundary marking the extremities of the sanctuary.

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At the back of the Chamber of Engravings the ground falls away, giving access to the Shaft of the Dead Man on the lower level. A descent of a few metres is enough to reach the foot of one of the most outstanding works of cave art : The Scene of the Dead Man. This panel's originality lies in its narrative possibilities, expressed just as much by the liveliness of the different players as by the distribution of the figures and principal themes expressed: man bison, rhinoceros...

The Shaft of the Dead Man

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...This triptych centred on anthropomorphic representation portrays the confrontation between the man and the bison with a fleeing rhinoceros on the left...

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...We should note the stick crowned with the profile of a bird whose head resembles the human silhouette: a strange comparison.

There are several other secondary elements in this composition, in particular, the hook sign, which perhaps represents a spear-thrower, as well as a long spear, drawn obliquely and situated level with what has been identified as the entrails of the disembowelled bison...

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...This animal's aggressiveness is portrayed by the lowered head, as if it were ready to gore its adversary, and the stiff tail.

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Stonehenge

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Timetable Time 2

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Summary of Egyptian Gods

 

                               

  

Gods of Sun, Sky, Earth, and Procreation

Gods of Life, Death, and Resurrection (Other Egyptian Gods)

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Ankh seated with hands claspedThird Dynasty, reign of DjoserGray porphyroid graniteHeight: 62.5 cm (24 5/8 in)Width: 20.5 cm (8 1/8 in)Depth: 32.5 cm (12 7/8 in)

Musee du Louvre, Paris

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Relief of Hesi-reThird Dynasty, reign of DjoserAcacia woodHeight: 86 cm (33 7/8 in)Width: 41 cm (16 1/8 in)Egyptian Museum, Cairo

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Stela of King QahedjetThird DynastyFine-grained limestoneHeight: 50.5 cm (19 7/8 in)Width: 31 cm (12 1/4 in)Depth: 2.8 cm (1 1/8 in)Musee du Louvre, Paris

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Relief block with the figure of Aa-akhtiLate Third DynastyFine-grained limestone with traces of paintHeight: 184 cm (72 1/2 in)Width: 83 cm (32 3/4 in)Depth: 18 cm (7 1/8 in)Musee du Louvre, Paris

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The Step Pyramid of King Djoser of the Old Kingdom

Saqqara

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As you enter the pyramid complex you approach the south side of the pyramid across a great courtyard. This courtyard used to serve as a running field for the King's Sed Festival during which the king would demonstrate to the people his continuing physical prowess and ability.

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As you round the right side of the pyramid you face its east side. In later pyramids this side would contain the Mortuary temple. In this prototype pyramid complex there is no Mortuary temple.

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The north side contains the opening of the pyramid. Throughout the pyramid age, most pyramids would continue this pattern of an opening on the north side. 

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At the far north of the enclosure wall are several structures. Pictured here is the remains of an altar.

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Here is the pyramid as it appears from the west side.

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Standing manEarly Fourth DynastyPainted quartziteHeight 89.5 cm (35 1/4 in)The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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Head of King DjedefreFourth Dynasty, reign of DjedefreRed quartzite with remains of paintHeight: 26.5 cm (10 3/8 in)Width: 28,8 cm (11 3/8 in)Depth: 38.5 cm (15 1/4 in)Musee du Louvre, Paris

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The Pyramids at Giza

Necropolis from a Golden Age

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KhufuThe Great Pyramid of Khufu

The Great Pyramid of the 4th Dynasty King, Khufu, was the first pyramid constructed on the plateau and many consider that it represents the pinnacle of the pyramid age. This pyramid contains ascending chambers and passageways not found in any other pyramids. This is how it appears from the south face.

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The Pyramid of Khafre

Khafre was a son of Khufu and his is the second largest known pyramid in Egypt, only approximately 10 meters shorter that the Great Pyramid. This is how the pyramid appears from its eastern face with several tombs in the foreground. Remnants of its original casing are still apparent at the top of the structure.

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The Great Sphinx

The most popular and current theory of the builder of the Sphinx holds that it was commissioned by the 4th Dynasty King, Khafre (2558-2532 BCE). Khafre was one of the sons of Khufu (AKA Cheops). The Sphinx lines up with the Pyramid of Khafre at the foot of its causeway. As one rounds the northeast corner to the front of the Sphinx, the alignment of the two structures becomes more apparent.

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From the north side the profile of the Sphinx reveals the proportion of the body to the head. It would appear as though the head is small in proportion to the body. Because of the changing desert terrain, the body of the Sphinx has been buried several times over the past several thousand years. Most recently in 1905, the sand has been cleared away to expose the magnitude and beauty of the entirety of the Sphinx. The paws themselves are 50 feet long (15m) while the entire length is 150 feet (45m). The head is 30 (10m) feet long and 14 feet (4m) wide. Because certain layers of the stone are softer than others, there is a high degree of erosion that has claimed the original detail of the carved figure.

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The Pyramid of Menkaure

Menkaure was the son of Khafre. Although much smaller than the other two pyramids on the plateau, the lower courses were originally encased in granite. It has three subsidiary pyramids and some of its Mortuary temple remains intact.

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King Menkaure and a QueenFourth Dynasty, reign of MenkaureGraywacke with faint remains of paintHeight: 139 cm (54 3/4 in)Width: 57 cm (22 1/2 in)Depth: 54 cm (21 1/4 in)Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

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Relief of ItushFifth Dynasty, reign of Djedkare-IsesiLimestoneHeight: 42.6 cm (16 7/8 in)Width: 74.4 cm (29 3/8 in)Depth: 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in)Brooklyn Museum of Art

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Ni-ka-re, his wife, and their daughterFifth Dynasty, reign of Nuiserre or laterPainted limestoneHeight: 57 cm (22 1/2 in)Width: 22.5 cm (8 7/8 in)Depth: 32.5 cm (12 3/4 in)The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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ScribeFifth DynastyPainted limestoneHeight: 49 cm (19 3/8 in)Egyptian Museum, Cairo

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Tomb Relief -- Farming Scene

Middle Era2181BC to 1782BC

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East Wall of Khumhotep Funerary ChapelDynasty 12

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Queen HatshepsutDynasty 18, c.1473-1458 B.C.Painted indurated limestoneHeight: 76 3/4 in. (194.9 cm)Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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Hatshepsut's Temple

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Nefertiti, Akhenten's wife.

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Tutankhamun's Solid Gold Funerary Mask1334BC to 1325BC

Dynasty 18

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Tutankhamun's Stone Sarcophagus

                        

Solid Gold Inner Coffin

                         

Second Coffin -Wood with gold covering

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Roberts:Temple at Abu Simbel

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Ramesses II as a ChildDynasty 19

                              

            Tomb of Ousirhat

Dynasty 19

                           

Large Statue of Ramesses II

as a Boy protected by Horus

Dynasty 19

                                  

                      Nobleman Worshiping

Dynasty 19

                              

     Osiris and Isis

Dynasty 19

                              

     Deniu Enkhons

Offeringto the god Re-

Harakhtyaround Dynasty 18

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Mesopotamian Art and Architecture

Mesopotamian Gods, Goddesses, Demons, and Monsters

Cuniform Writing

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Mesopotamian Art and Architecture

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Mesopotamian Art and Architecture

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Mesopotamian Art and Architecture

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Early Dynastic Sumer(2900-2370 B.C.)

Limestone and shale mosaic frieze framed in copper from the Ninhursag temple facade al-`Ubaid. To right of farm shed temple staff milks a cow, and to the left it strains and stores the milk or makes butter. Ca. 2500 B.C.

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The Ziggurat of Ur

Around 2100 B.C. king Ur-Nammu built a ziggurat in honour of the god Sin(moon god) in the city of Ur. It was called 'Etemennigur', which means 'House whose foundation creates terror'.

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A lyre detail from the royal cemetery at Ur, ca. 2600 B.C. showing a bull's head of gold and lapis lazuli. Partially restored (London: British Museum).

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A support in the form of a ram made of gold, lapis lazuli, etc. on a wooden core. From the royal tomb at Ur. Ca. 2600 B.C. It symbolizes fertility. 50 cm. (London: British Museum).

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The so-called "Standard of Ur," which was an inlaid work found crushed in a royal tomb at Ur. Ca. 2600 B.C. The original shape and purpose of this object is unknown, but depicted a victory celebration at court. Drinking wine with musical accompaniment; bringing food and booty to court (London: British Museum).

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A detail from the "Standard of Ur" showing a fisherman

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Inlaid decoration of restored Sumerian lyre from Ur, 2600 B.C. British Museum. The two deer mirrored on either side of a sacred tree is a common theme.

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During the Akkad period, cuneiform matured and ended its use of pictographs, and also it developed a grammar and individual perspective. Here is such a tablet with a message signed, "Your loving wife who has had a child."

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Classical Akkad (2370-c. 2004)

Life-size bronze or copper head of an Akkadian king, perhaps Sargon of Akkad (2370-2316), found as loot at Ishtar Temple in Nineveh. 30 cm. (Baghdad: Iraq Museum). Sargon I (Sharrukin), king of Semitic Agade, created a fully developed absolute monarchy with hegemony over surrounding peoples.

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Impression from the cylinder seal of Secretary Kalki. The king's brother is followed by two officials and led by two figures, including a soldier, which suggests a foreign expedition c. 2300 B.C. British Museum, UK.

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Fragment of an Akkadian relief showing prisoners of war. No provenance. Iraq Museum, Baghdad.

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The Guti and rise of Girsu dynasty in Sumer (end of 3rd millenium)

Diorite statue found hear Telloh, probably of King Gudea of Lagash. 105 cm. tall. Le Louvre, Paris. The Sargonid era experienced deepening contradictions associated with the ethnogenesis of a pastoral people known as the Guti, but then, starting with King Gudea of Lagash, there was a Neo-Sumerian revival that culminated in the Third Dynasty of Ur.

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Third Dynasty of Ur (c. 2112-2004 B.C.)

Detail of a reconstructed relief on the Stela of Ur-Nammu, Ur. King instructed by seated gods to build a temple or ziggurat. 304 cm. tall. The Sumerian revival owed much to this king. University Museum, Univ. of Pennsylvania, US.

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Old Babylonian period

(c. 2004 - 1595 B.C.)

Old Babylonia

Stele of Hammurabi bearing the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon. The code inscribed on it recognized social classes and sought to regulate private life. At the top, Hammurabi approaches the seated sun god, Shamash, who was also the god of justice

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One of two large guardian lions that flanked the entrace to the main temple at Tell Harmal. Now at the Iraq Museum, Baghdad.

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Clay plaque of a musician. About 12 cm. tall. From the Diyala excavations of the Oriental Institute, Chicago. The Amorites were West Semitic Pastoralists who interacted with Mesopotamian agriculturalists until absorbed into the culture of Mesopotamia about mid millenium.

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Kassite Dynasty of Bablylon (c. 1720-1157 B.C.)

Boundry stones (kudurru) such as this are the most characteristic survival of Kassite era Babylonia. This one records a 12th century land grant by a father to his son. In the top register are the divinities of Sin (moon), Ishtar (planet Venus), Shamash (sun), and horned crowns representing Anu and Enlil and the goat-fish of Ea. In the third register are the dragon and spade of Marduk.

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Mesopotamian Art and Architecture

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Assyria (14th c. to 612 B.C.)

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Assyria (14th c. to 612 B.C.)

Altar of Tukulti-Ninurta I (1244-1208 B.C.), in Ashur. The god, Nusku, is represented here on the altar as a symbol rather than in anthropomorphic form, which is considered an important feature of emerging Assyrian culture

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Human-headed winged bull and winged lion (lamassu), 883–859 B.C.; Neo-Assyrian period, reign of Ashurnasirpal II Excavated at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), northern MesopotamiaAlabaster (gypsum); H. 10 ft. 3 1/2 in. (313.7 cm)Gift of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., 1932 (32.143.1-.2)

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Relief of winged god receiving jpgt-bearers. From Palace of Sargon II (d. 705) at Khorsabad. 3 m. tall. Reliefs are a major Assryian art form. This example shows an aesthic movement toward hierarchical formality. Sargon built a new capital, Khorsabad, just north of Ninevah, but it was abandoned after his death.

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One of a pair of monolithic hybrid collosi lamassu guardian figures typically found at Assyrian gateways and palaces, at citadel gate, Khorsabad. Iraq Museum, Baghdad. Hypernaturalistic fifth leg gives the figures two aspects.

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Sandstone stele commemorating Assurbanipal's rebuilding of Esaglila temple, Babylon. Ca. 672. The king carries the materials for ritual moulding of first brick. 37 cm. tall. British Museum, UK. Babylon was the Assyrian base of power and foreign expeditions.

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Map showing the expansion of the Assyrian Empire in 7-6th century. After Seton Lloyd, The Archaeology of Mesopotamia (Thames and Hudson, 1984).

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Neo-Babylonian Empire

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Neo-Babylonian Empire

The world seen from Babylon. Babylon is the central rectangle through which runs the Euphrates River, which originates in the mountains at the top and flows into the marshes below. This land is surrounded by the circle of salty sea, beyond which is the land in which the sun never sets. 12.2 cm tall. British Museum.

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Glazed brick frieze from the reconstructed Ishtar Gate, Babylon. Lion detail. Ca. 575 B.C. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.

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The Tower of Babel

Description : A Model of the Tower with the Esagila temple and Euphrates river.Created by : {unknown}Found at : {unknown}

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The Hanging Gardens

An interpretation of Hanging Gardens overlooking a classical looking Tower of Babel.

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Persian Empire

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Aegean Art

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Cycladic Pottery

Pottery collared jar with sea-urchin-shaped body and incised berringbone decoration. 3200-2800 BC. Found on Antiparos

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Pottery 'sauceboat' of the Keros-Syros culture. 2700-2200 BC. From Chalandriani, Syros.

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Pottery 'hedgehog' from Chalandriani, Syros. 2700-2200 BC.

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The Lady of Phylakopi, Melos.

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Early Cycladic tomb types 

Top: Cist grave of the Gotta-Pelos culture.

Middle: Two-storeyed grave of the Keros-Syros culture.

Bottom: Corbelled grave of the Keros-Syros culture, of the type found

on Syros.

Cycladic Sculpture

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Bone figurine of Cycladic type. 3rd millennium BC.

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Early cycladic figure types 

 

Top: types of the Gotta-Pelos culture.

Middle: types of the Keros-Syros culture.

Bottom: types of the Phylakopi I culture.

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Harpist and double-flute player found together in a single grave on Keros. 2700-2500 BC.

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Female figurine of the Folded-arms type. White marble, 2700-2500 BC.

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Cycladic Painting

Flying Fish fresco. Phylakopi. Melos, 16th cent. BC.

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Minoan Art

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Spherical vase from Dimini, Late Neolithic. The combination of spirals, curved lines, and polygons decorating the vase are characteristic of Late Neolithic pottery.

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Jug from Ayios Onoufrios. Early Minoan I or beginning of Early Minoan II, c. 2500. Clay. 

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A beaker jug in Kamares style; Middle Minoan IIA, 1800 BC.

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Snake Goddess. Crete. 1600-1580 BC. Faience. 

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A Sphinx from Mallia. Molded clay. 2000-1550 BC. 

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Late Minoan I or II bull's head rhyton from the Little Palace at Knossos. c. 1500-1450 BC. Steatite and Limestone with Rock Crystal. 

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THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS AT CRETE

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THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS AT CRETE

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Crete. Knossos. Palace of Minos, Antechamber of Throne Room. 16th cent. BC. 

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"La Parisienne" on a fragment of wall-painting from the palace at Knossos. Late Minoan IIIA, c.1400 or later. 

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The famous bull-leaping fresco ("Toreador fresco") at Knossos. Restored panel, one of a series. Probably Late Minoan II, c. 1450.

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Mycenaen Art

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The Citadel, Mycenae,

1250 BC

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Reconstruction of the megaron

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Lion Gate,

1300-1250 BC  front view

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Lion Gate

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back view

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Tiryns

1400-1200 BC  Mycenaen citadel at Tiryns

view from the air

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MYCENAEAN TOMBS

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Treasury of Atreus  Facade of the doorway

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Mask of AgamemnonMycenae. Gold. 1550-1500 BC

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The first cup shows escaping bull trampling his captors

The second one shows a bull being caught peasfully by means of a decoy cow.

Two gold cupsfound in a tomb at Vapheio, 15th cent.

BC.

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Hexagonal gold-plated wooden box

from Shaft Grave V, Mycenae:scenes of lions attacking their prey

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Gold-hilted daggers of bronze inlaid with gold, silver and niello. Mycenae, 16th cent. BC.

detail

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