Unit 4
Ancient Mediterranean
Introduction
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. Works of art illustrate the active exchange of ideas and reception of artistic styles among the Mediterranean cultures and the subsequent influence on the classical world.
Guiding Questions
- How does geography shape a culture’s worldview, concerns, and values? How is that reflected in their art and architecture?
- How do works of art and architecture reflect their historical and cultural context?
- How can we understand a structure by interpreting its plan?
Required Works of Art
13. Palette of King Narmer
14. Statues of votive figures, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna
15. Seated Scribe
16. Standard of Ur from the Royal Tombs at Ur
17. Great Pyramids of Giza
17-a. Pyramid of Khuf
17-b. Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Sphinx
17-c. Pyramid of Menkaura
18. King Menkaura and Queen
19. The Code Stele of Hammurabi
20. Temple of Amun-Re and Hypostyle Hall
21. Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
22. Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters
23. Tutankhamun's tomb, innermost coffin
24. Last judgment of Hu-Nefer, (Book of the Dead)
25. Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (modern Iraq)
26. Athenian Agora
27. Anavysos Kouros
28. Peplos Kore from the Acropolis
29. Sarcophagus of the Spouses
30. Audience Hall (apadana) of Darius and Xeres
31. Temple of Minerva (Veii near Rome, Italy), sculpture of Apollo
32. Tomb of the Triclinium
33. Niobides Krater
34. Doryphoros (Spear Bearer)
35. Acropolis
35-a. Parthenon
i. Helios, horses, Dionysus (Heracles?), East Pediment
ii. Frieze, Plaque of the Ergastines)
35-b. Victory adjusting her sandel, Temple of Athena Nike
36. Grave Stele of Hegeso
37. Winged Victory of Samothrace
38. Great Altar of Zeus and Athena at Pergamon
39. House of the Vettii
40. Alexander Mosaic from the House of the Faun, Pompeii
41. Seated Boxer
42. Head of a Roman Patrician
43. Augustus of Prima Porta
44. Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheater)
45. Forum of Trajan
45-a. Forum
45-b. Column
45-c. Markets
46. Pantheon
47. Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus
Unit 4 Resources
OneNote Class Notebook
Click here to access our OneNote Class Notebook
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Username = 6 Digit Student ID + orangeusd.org (123456@orangeusd.org)
Password = Your Birthday (May 10, 1999; 05101999)
Annotated Mona Lisa PDF book
Abbreviated version of art history. Great for an overview.
Click here to download. If you like this text, let me know. I have some extra copies I can hand out if you prefer a book.
Mesopotamia: The Architects p. 6
Egypt: The Art of Immortality p. 8
Greece: They Invented a lot more than just the Olympics p. 12
Rome: The Organizers p. 16