Transcript Mesopotamian Art 2

Mesopotamian Art 2
Assyria, Neo-Babylonia, and Persia
What do these pictures have
in common?
Assyrian Empire
Had become very powerful around 1400 B.C. They
began conquering around 1000 B.C. Height of empire
was 800-700 B.C. Succumbed to internal weakness
and enemies by 600 B.C.
Northern kingdom. Capital city was in Nineveh.
Extremely warlike and brutal. They would burn down
the cities, tear down the walls, and wholesale cart off
men, women, and children as slaves around their
empire.
The whole time, they had to fight to keep their empire
because all of their subjugated peoples hated them so
Assyrian Kings
Under Assurnasirpal III, Assyria became a formidable
military force. His records are filled with boastful
claims detailing his cruelty. He says that he dyed the
mountains red like wool cloth, with the blood of his
slaughtered enemies. From the heads fo his
decapitated enemies he erected a pillar, and he
covered the city walls with their skins. -History of
Western Art. Laurie Schneider Adams.
Some notable kings were Assurnasirpal, TiglathPileser, Shalmaneser, and Assurbanipal. (Good luck.
You won’t have to know this for the test, but they
sound cool.)
Citadel of Sargon II
Citadel of Sargon II
New capital at Dur Sharrukin.
Contained 200 rooms and 30 courtyards.
Palace complex raised 52 feet and can only be
accessed by
a ramp.
Service buildings on
right. Temple on left.
Walls of alabaster
were carved with bas
reliefs celebrating the
feats of the kings.
Lamassu: Sargon’s Citadel
A Lamassu is an ancient
guardian that would be
at the doors entering
into the palace for
protection.
Bull body and legs.
Human head. Features
highly stylized.
Wears the three-horned
crown of divinity.
Assyrian Warriors
King Stabbing Lion
Neo-Babylonia (Chaldea)
This empire had been gathering power in the
South.
In 612 B.C., the Babylonians united with the
Medes to conquer Assyria. They completely wiped
it out.
Pretty much only noteworthy king was
Nebuchadnezzar II. He not only conquered other
lands, but he also made Babylon a great city of
beauty and culture. Beautiful palace, city walls,
Ishtar gate, and one of the wonders of the world,
the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar
Yes, you’ve probably heard the name before.
He was the one that sacked Jerusalem in 586 B.C.
fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecies. He leveled the walls
and razed the temple.
He took the Hebrews back to Babylon. (Babylonian
captivity). He had many Hebrew princes in his court,
including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego.
Lion’s den? That’s him. Statue with different
metals? Him again. Throwing people in fiery
furnaces? Right again.
Walls of Babylon
Walls of Babylon were massive and worldfamous.
He specifically built them so that he could turn
around a whole chariot on the wall.
Ishtar Gate
Anyone entering the
city had to go through
the Ishtar Gate.
Ishtar was the
goddess of love and
beauty.
Had to walk past
soldiers on towers
with bows pointed at
you until you arrived
at the gate itself.
Ishtar Gate
The Ishtar gate was
tiled with a beautiful
blue.
Crenellated notches
on the top. Also
known as dentives.
Easily defendable.
Massive and
impressive.
This is a replica found in Berlin.
Mythical Animals
Two animals found on the
gate.
Dragons symbolized
Marduk, chief god.
Bulls with blue horns and
tails were associated with
other deities.
Lions perhaps represent
the king or Babylon itself.
Hanging Gardens
of Babylon
Considered one of the seven wonders of
the ancient world.
Supposedly built to comfort the queen who
was from the mountainous area of Medea.
It had plants hanging down from the
terraced walls, almost looking like they
were floating at times.
Persia
Cyrus the Great overthrew Babylon and
established Persia as the new most dominant
empire. He allowed the Israelites to return back to
Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. It was finally
overthrown in 334 B.C. by Alexander the Great.
A couple of years after Cyrus, Darius rose to
power. Darius sought to further expand his empire
by attacking Greece. When he failed, his son,
Xerxes, attempted to again take Greece.
According to the Bible, Xerxes wife was Esther.
Capital Cities
Darius liked to build monumental architecture to
himself.
Darius built a new capital city called Susa. There
he built a 32-acre administrative compound.
Later he began construction on a new city called
Parsa (renamed Persepolis by the Greeks). He
imported materials, workers, and artists from all
over the world to build the projects. He thus
combined art styles from all over the world into
one place.
Persepolis
Not much left of the once capital of the world. More bas relief
sculptures and massive arrays of columns combined with
buildings.
Plan of Persepolis
Columns of persepolis
Multicultural.
Bell-shaped base.
Fluted shafts.
Log capitals
representing palm
fronds, papyrus,
other plant forms,
scrolls and creatures
such as the bull.