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Ancient Eastern Art

By Lu_Lu
  • Period: 4500 BCE to 2334 BCE

    Ancient Sumer

    Known as the earliest civilization, the urban revolution transformed life into a structured society. Located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, as many other early civilizations would be.
  • Votive Figures, shell, black limestone, The Iraq Museum, Baghdad
    2900 BCE

    Votive Figures, shell, black limestone, The Iraq Museum, Baghdad

    Votive Figures were figures of varying sizes that were used to show devotion to particular Mesopotamian gods. They were well known for having huge beady eyes and usually formed in a worshiping pose.
  • Period: 2334 BCE to 2154 BCE

    Akkadian

    The first established empire. Positioned at a junction between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, they were the first civilization to focus on the conquest of others.
  • Victory Stele of Naram Sin, 2254 BCE, Pink Limestone, Musée du Louvre, Paris
    2254 BCE

    Victory Stele of Naram Sin, 2254 BCE, Pink Limestone, Musée du Louvre, Paris

    The Victory Stele of Naram Sin was a large Limestone was a large monument in celebration of the Akkadians' victory against the Lullubi Mountain people. It was a constant reminder to the Lullubi people of their new ruler.
  • Period: 2112 BCE to 2004 BCE

    Neo Summerian

    The revival of Sumerian culture and techniques, melding with the more modern. Elements of Sumerian culture echo in the art created in this era.
  • Ziggurat of Ur, 2100 BCE, Mud Brick and Baked brick, Tell el-Mukayyar, Iraq
    2100 BCE

    Ziggurat of Ur, 2100 BCE, Mud Brick and Baked brick, Tell el-Mukayyar, Iraq

    The Ziggurat is a famous symbol of religious devotion in ancient Sumer. Prominently featuring an exedigly raised base level to the temple, along with multiple levels leading up to the room at the very top.
  • Period: 1894 BCE to 539 BCE

    Babylonian

    A vastly wealthy civilization in ancient Mesopotamia. With an abundance of lapis lazuli at their disposal, they made it clear who had divine favor over anyone else.
  • Stele of King Hammurabi, 1792 BCE, Basalt, Musée du Louvre, Paris
    1792 BCE

    Stele of King Hammurabi, 1792 BCE, Basalt, Musée du Louvre, Paris

    The Stele of Hammurabi was memorable for being the first set of laws. The top displays the source of the laws from the king, then the gods.
  • Period: 900 BCE to 612 BCE

    Assyrian

    A vast empire of ancient Mesopotamia. They were very war-like and bent on conquest throughout the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
  • Lamassu, 721, gypseous alabaster, Musée du Louvre, Paris
    721 BCE

    Lamassu, 721, gypseous alabaster, Musée du Louvre, Paris

    The Lamassu was a divine guardian famously found in the capital of King Sargon. The sculpture portrayed a winged human-headed bull.
  • Ishtar Gate, 575 BCE Glazed Mudbrick and Lapis Lazuli, Pergamon Museum, Berlin
    575 BCE

    Ishtar Gate, 575 BCE Glazed Mudbrick and Lapis Lazuli, Pergamon Museum, Berlin

    The Ishtar Gate was a monumental, grand gate at the entrance of the inner city of Babylon. It displayed its wealth to the outside, with the Blue Lapis Lazuli being present through most of the gate.
  • Period: 550 BCE to 330 BCE

    Persian

    The Persian empire, which was considered the greatest of the Mesopotamian empires, stretched all the way to Greece. Their most noteworthy battle was the Battle of Thermopylae with the Greeks.
  • Cyrus Cylinder, 539 BCE, Fried Clay, The British Museum in London
    539 BCE

    Cyrus Cylinder, 539 BCE, Fried Clay, The British Museum in London

    The Cyrus Cylinder was a very small cylinder made of dried clay with a very important inscription on it. It was described as the first bill of human rights containing content related to religious tolerance and cultural equality.