Ancient+Mediterranean,+3500+BCE+-+300+CE

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[[image:Multimedia.png]]Go here for a **summary of this time period with videos from Kahn Academy**
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**ENDURING UNDERSTANDING 2-1 from AP Art History Curriculum Framework **
====** Artistic traditions of the ancient Near East and dynastic Egypt focused on representing royal figures and divinities and on the function of funerary and palatial complexes within their cultural contexts. **====

== =Mesopotamia=

**These empires included the Sumerians, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians who all had an innovative and distinct artistic tradition.**
See **Grade 7.11 for a description of Hammurabi's Code**

See **Grade 7.10 for important achievements of Mesopotamian civilization**

Sumer
Sumer was a unique society as it was one of the only matriarchal civilizations that we study.

They were a relatively peaceful people who valued religion and were intent on constructing a strong community. However, their dedication to their gods was time consuming and took away from the times when they should be working in the fields or in production. To solve this problem of expressing devotion to gods, they turned to art.

[|This chapter discusses Surrogate Supplicants (AKA Votive Figures or Worship Statuettes)]. They are placed in the temple to show their piety even when they cannot physically be there to pray.

[|This video] describes these figurines in more depth.

Babylon
The Babylonians were closely related to the Sumerians where they even adopted the Sumerian pantheon and simply changed some of the names. However, they also altered many of the myths because Babylon was a patriarchal culture. Many of the new stories focused on justice and law. These themes reappear in the political art of Babylon.

Hammurabi was a Babylonian king who created a code of laws for every citizen to follow and abide by. To commemorate it, he commissioned a large sculpture to exhibit these laws and the divinity that backed them.
 * [|Click here for an overview] of the stele and then test your knowledge with [|this quiz].

Assyria
Assyria is known in the Near East as one of the more militaristic civilizations and its art reflects that sentiment. While there is some truly gruesome art of death and violence, there is also a sort of defensive art that alludes to religious beliefs as well. In Assyria, part human, part eagle, and part lion or bull creatures called Lamassu flanked the gates of major cities to scare away enemies and give a sense of protection to the inhabitants.

[|Take a look] at how the Assyrians used Lamassu and where these sculptures are now.

** Religion plays a signifcant role in the art and architecture of the ancient Near East, with cosmology guiding representation of deities and kings who themselves assume divine attributes. **
=Egypt= Egypt arose from the Nile River and the delta, relying on the flooding to sustain their agriculture and thus their extravagant society. Since it was so long-lasting, historians have divided the time periods based on cultural and political shifts.

This is an [|overview of the Ancient Egyptians] aimed specifically to younger students with a short quiz at the end.

When looking at Egyptian sculptures or paintings, students should learn the [|Egyptian Canon of Proportions]. They can try to position themselves like an Egyptian is depicted or they can use the grids to draw themselves in the same style.

[|Click here for a Sporcle quiz] to see if you can identify the ten major Egyptian objects that could feature on the AP Art History exam.

See **Grade 7.16 for important achievements of Egyptian civilization**

The Predynastic period of Egypt is the shortest but possibly the most significant period in Ancient Egypt. During this time, King Narmer unified the warring Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north. This unification lasts throughout the following three kingdoms.
 * Predynastic **

Here is a [|complete analysis of the Palette of Narmer], a commemorative object that celebrates the unification of Egypt by King Narmer.

Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom saw the first Pharaohs of Egypt and produced some of the most magnificent and iconic works of art of all time. While the Egyptian masterpieces are the most well studied, there are other sculptures and artifacts that lend insight into the way the Old Kingdom Dynasties operated.

One such statue was the Seated Scribe. While he seems rather insignificant, this sculpture reveals a lot about the upper class of the Egyptian social system under the first few Pharaohs. [|This blog post] gives an in depth visual analysis of the Scribe while this website allows you [|view the sculpture in the round using a 3D model].

**[[image:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/History_hourglass.svg]]Connections to the History Standards**

 * See Grade 7.14: Role of Pharaoh/Concept of Dynasties**

New Kingdom
Perhaps one of the most peculiar shifts in Egyptian culture occurred during the New Kingdom Dynasties.

While many dynasties carried on the traditions of the past, Pharaoh Akhenaten and his family ushered in the Amarna Period, a time where the typical Egyptian pantheon of gods was discarded for a monotheistic religion under Aten, the sexless sun disc.

The artistic movement was noticeably distinct from the rest of Egyptian art, as well.

[|This is a lesson plan about the Amarna Period]and Akhenaten while [|this link goes into detail about the changes of the arts] during Akhenaten's reign.



ENDURING UNDERSTANDING 2-4 from AP Art History Curriculum Framework
====** The art of Ancient Greece and Rome is grounded in civic ideals and polytheism. Etruscan and Roman artists and architects accumulated and creatively adapted Greek objects and forms to create buildings and artworks that appealed to their tastes for eclecticism and historicism. **====

=Greece=

** [[image:rotating gif.gif width="43" height="43" link="7.34"]]Link to Grade 7.34 for development of Greek institutions **
Ancient Greek Colonization and Trade and Their Influence on Greek Art

The Three Orders of Greek Architecture: Doric, Ionic and Corinthian


 * The Athenian Agora: Overview of Archaeological Excavations**
 * **Law and Politics in the Athenian Agora**
 * **The Agora was a gathering place for Greek democracy**


 * [[image:Multimedia.png link="@https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/classical/v/athenian-agora"]]The Athenian Agora and the Experiment in Democracy**

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Alexander the Great and the Spread of Greek Culture
The Hellenistic World: The World of Alexander the Great.
 * Greek Culture spread through statutes, architecture, literature and coins
 * For more on Alexander the Great, see Grade 7.31

Greek/Hellenic Legacy: Alexander the Great from The British Museum on YouTube

= = === This video discusses Raphael's painting "The School of Athens" === = = = = =Rome=
 * === All of the figures in the painting are revolutionary Greek men. In the center we see Plato and Aristotle deep in discussion. ===
 * === This painting is not historically precise in that all of these men lived at different periods and would never have been in one place together, but the idea of the gymnasium as a place for revolutionary thought can be seen. ===


 * [[image:rotating gif.gif width="66" height="66" link="7.43"]]See Grade 7.43 for notable contributions of Roman civilization**

Roman Republic
====**Head of Roman Patrician gives background information on this famous sculpture from 75-50 BCE**====