The Prehistoric and Ancient Mediterranean

Terms● Ocher- a pigment found in nature containing hydrated iron oxide● Pigment- the colored material used in paints. Often made from finely

ground minerals● Stencil- perforated templated allowing ink or paint to pass through to

print a design. ● Shaman- a priest or priestess regarded as having the ability to

communicate directly with the spiritual world● Fresco- painting made on freshly applied plaster● Subject- the person object or space depicted in a work of art● polytheism- the worship of more than one god or goddess● Lapis lazuli- bright blue semiprecious stone containing sodium, aluminum

silicate, and sulfur● Register- horizontal sections into which a space is divided in order to

depict the episodes of a story● Hierarchical scale- the use of size to denote the relative importance of

subjects in an artwork● Relief- a sculpture that projects from a flat surface● Stylized- art that represents objects in an exaggerated way to emphasize

certain aspects of the object● Ka- in egyptian belief, the spirit of a person that leaves the body upon

death and travels to the afterlife

● Sarcophagus- coffin, made of stone or clay● Cardinal points- North, South East West● Hieroglyph- written language involving sacred characters that may be

pictures as well as letters or signifiers or sounds● Deify- to worship or make into a god or goddess● Architectural order- a style of designing columns and related parts of a

greek or a Roman Building● Frieze- the strip that goes around the top of a building, often filled with

sculptural ornamentation● Capital- the Architectural feature that crowns a column● Shaft- the main vertical part of a column● Entablature- the part of a greek or roman building that rests on top of a

column● Pediment- the triangular space, situated above the row of columns on the

facade of a building in the clasical style● Contrapposto-a pose in sculpture in which displays a natural shifting of

body weight●

Mixing of CulturesA key misconception is to view each of these works in a societal bubble. But each society we talk about traded with each other.

Art History Terminology

Hellenizing- to project your thoughts styles and beliefs on other cultures. Such as Hellenistic Greek Art in Asia Minor.

Orientalizing- Going out and seeing other cultures ideas and art, and bringing those ideas home. Orientalizing Greek Art borrowed from Egyptian civilization as they traded with them

Prehistoric art Prehistoric- Referring to eras in time that do not have sufficient written record.

As long as 40,000 years ago, prehistoric people painted the interiors of caves, Sculptures survive from 35,000 years ago.

Artworks survive, but writing and ideas surrounding theology, process, governance do not exist. So analysis of these times are only done thru artifacts that are found.

Prehistoric art Prehistoric- Referring to eras in time that do not have sufficient written record.

As long as 40,000 years ago, prehistoric people painted the interiors of caves, Sculptures survive from 35,000 years ago.

Artworks survive, but writing and ideas surrounding theology, process, governance do not exist. So analysis of these times are only done thru artifacts that are found.

Map of neanderthal sites. Both Homo Sapiens and neanderthals existed in the same place at the same time, As neanderthals were dying off, homo sapiens were growing. Seal levels were lower due to more land ice.

Prehistoric art Altamira Cave, found in 1880 by a kid playing, the parents/owners pled with archaeologists and scholars for 20 years to examine the authenticity of the site. It became recogized in 1908. The earliest cave paintings date from 35,000 bce


Bison, Cave Painting, Made from Red Ochre pigment.

https://youtu.be/qyIfPbn0RDs



Prehistoric art Venus of Laussel, found in Marquay, Dordogne, France, c23000 bce. Low relief in limestone.

https://youtu.be/H3ja0I4DdGs

https://youtu.be/Kcuz1JiMk9k

Fertility figures. Can we spot the reason why it was wrong to call these figures “Venuses”





Prehistoric art Venus of Willendorf 22,000BCE








Prehistoric art Venus of hole fels 38,000bce








Prehistoric art Lion man of Hohlenstein Stadel, 38,000BCE

Lion headed human form carved out of mammoth bone.

https://youtu.be/hgbvT9_pjzo



Prehistoric art Attributed to the Steiner Master, Reclining female figure of the Late Spedos Variety, Cyclades, 2500-2400 BCE

Prehistoric art Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece. Ca1700-1400 BCE

Prehistoric art Bull Leapers, Palace of Knossos, Crete, Greece. Ca 1700-1400 BCE

MesopotamiaMap of Mesopotamia.. Mesopotamia (land between) Tigris and Euphrates River.

https://youtu.be/sohXPx_XZ6Y



MesopotamiaCuneiform

https://youtu.be/HbZ2asfyHcA

Historical-- a culture or artifacts that have ample writing to catalog the existence of the artifact.

Epic of Gilgamesh was written in ancient mesopotamia, Music, Literature, and written language existed.

https://youtu.be/QUcTsFe1PVs





MesopotamiaStandard of Ur, c2600-2400 BCE

MesopotamiaZigguraut of Ur 2100 BCE, near modern day Nasiriyah Iraq.

The lands of Mesopotamia did not have access to stone, was traded for (lapis lazuli in the east)(Diorite from Egypt) so they built with mud brick.

https://youtu.be/Ahx2wp7obv0

The building was an elevated place, placed on cardinal points, and only the leaders, military and spiritual would be able to go to the top, they “would talk to their gods from the top”



MesopotamiaHead of an akkadian ruler c2300,

For all of the authoritarianism we speak of, it created music, art and culture.

MesopotamiaStele of Hammurabi ca1790bce.

Stele is a frieze that is commemorative. This stele was the first instance of laws that governed citizens in history. Speaks to the inefficient nature of the first empires. Great administrators quickly conquered but passed their rule down to sons who might not have been as good, leaving the empire to be conquered by another great administrator.

MesopotamiaHead of an Akkadian ruler c 2300 bce Probably Naram Sin. Bronze

Why is his eye poked out.

MesopotamiaAkkadians

Human headed winged lions of Lamassu from gateway in Ashurnasirpal II’s palace in Nimrud 859BCE Alabaster (STONE)

MesopotamiaAkkadians

Human headed winged lions of Lamassu from gateway in Ashurnasirpal II’s palace in Nimrud 859BCE

MesopotamiaBabylonian/Neo Babylonian

Ishtar Gate from Babylon reign of Nebuchadnezzar II 602-562BCE

Ancient EgyptPyramids at Giza EGYPT Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure

Ancient EgyptPalete of King Namar, diorite, 3100BCE

Marks the Unification of Upper and Lower Kingdom Egypt

Ancient EgyptPyramids at Giza EGYPT Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure

Ancient EgyptMastaba illustration- a mastaba is an above ground tomb. THe egyptians had a very calm way of viewing the transition to the afterlife.

Ancient EgyptKafre with the falcon god Horus embracing the back of his head, c2500 BCE Diorite

Ancient EgyptRosetta Stone- Found in 1799 by a campeign led by Napoleon that found this diorite stele.

Significance- the stone contained 3 scripts of Egyptian Hieroglyphs (a religious language), Demotic Script (the everyday ancient egyptian script), and Ancient Greek. Europeans knew ancient greek but not the other two. Once this document was found, the Greek translated the other two, which led to an explosion of understanding of Ancient Egyptian Civilization.

Ancient EgyptFowling scene, from the tomb of nebamun THebes 1350 BCE

Fresco Secco- Pigment applied to dried plaster, not the greek buon method

Ancient GreeceMeasure of man was important.. Its portrayal of God's (ideal humans) fighting giants. The gods are always calm in the chaos of man. Its of note though that this work was painted in rich vibrant colors How does this affect the reading or feeling of this work, its visual function?

http://io9.gizmodo.com/5616498/ultraviolet-light-reveals-how-ancient-greek-statues-really-looked





Ancient GreeceParthenon, Acropolis, Athens. Doric order Temple

447BCE

Ancient GreeceRoman version of the Doryphoros of Polykleitos, 120BCE,

Statue of a kouros, 590bce

Greeks in 400 years took a process similar to egyptian civilization and made their own, with their religious and social menaings.

Roman ArtStarted with the Etruscans, a city state/region that predated the founding of the roman city state. They borrowed the concept of death that was present in Egyptian civilization..

Etruscan Necropolis. C530 BCE

Roman ArtRomulus and remus suckling from a wolf. Capultine Wolf Ca 500 BCE. Telling the story of the founding of Rome, two orphans Romulus and Remus suckle from a wolf, who then grow up. Romulus Killed Remus and Founded the city of Rome ca750 BCE. It ended up conquering all of the italian peninsula and wrecking much of the etruscan artifacts. Rome became a melting pot of Egyptian, Etruscan, and Greek ideas, spreading it across the european, african, and asian continent.

Roman ArtVeristic Portraiture- an opposite of ideal beauty from greek and egyptian culture, its leaders were portrayed in a hyper realism to show their wisdom.

Roman ArtThe civil war between Octavian and Marc antony ended with Octavian winning, becoming the first emperor, Augustus. Who portrayed himself in an idealized god, borrowing from greece and egypt.

The Prehistoric and Ancient Mediterranean

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