Title: History of Western Civilization
1History of Western Civilization
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3Prehistoric Art
- Lascaux Cave Paintings- 15,000-11,000 B.C.
- Chauvet Cave Drawings- 28,000 B.C
- Venus of Willendorf - 25,000 B.C.
- Stonehenge - 3,000-2,000 B.C.
4The Fertile Crescent- MesopotamiaThe Earliest
Civilizations
5Sumeria - early as 4500 B.C
- Ziggurat- a stepped mountain made of
brick-covered earth - Ziggurat at Ur- 2100 B.C. (reproduction shown
below) - Tower of Babel- c. 3500 B.C.
6Sumeria
- Bull-headed lyre soundbox.
- Ur, Iraq c. 2685 B.C.
- Sumerian Votive figures
7The Akkadian Period (ca. 23502150 B.C.)
- Sargon of Akkad-
- c. 2300 B.C.
- King Naram-Sim- c. 2230 B.C.
- Celebrates military victory
8The Akkadian Period (ca. 23502150 B.C.)
- Cuneiform Writing with wedge-shaped characters.
- The earliest known written language
9Babylonian Period
- Code of Hammurabi- 1772 BC
- a list of common sense laws etched in stone
- Ex. Law 196. "If a man destroy the eye of
another man, they shall destroy his eye. If one
break a man's bone, they shall break his bone. If
one destroy the eye of a freeman or break the
bone of a freeman he shall pay one mana of
silver. If one destroy the eye of a man's slave
or break a bone of a man's slave he shall pay one
half his price.
10The Age of Empires
11Assyrian Empire- 2500 BC to 605 BC
- Human-headed winged bull
- and winged lion.
- ca. 883859 B.C
12Neo-Babylonian Empire 626 BC - 539 BC
- King Nebuchadnezzar-
- 605 BC 562 BC
13Persian Empire 626 BC - 539 BC
- Audience Hall
- of Darius and Xerxes
- 500 B.C.
14The Art of Ancient Egypt
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16Table of Contents
- The Growth of Egyptian Civilization
- Three major Periods of Egyptian History
- The Pyramids
- Temple of Amun
- Sculpture and Painting
- The Great Sphinx
- Hieroglyphics
- False Door Stela
17The Growth of Egyptian Civilization
- 7,000 years ago people first settled in the Nile
River Valley. - They are the direct ancestors of most Egyptian
people. - Because of the Nile River soil deposits they
became a society of producers instead of hunters
and gatherers. - They started to build more permanent homes of
mud, wood and reeds.
18The Formation of Kingdoms
- The settled existence brought increased
population in villages and towns. - Towns took over villages and formed kingdoms.
- End of the prehistoric period there were only two
kingdoms in Egypt - Lower Egypt delta region on the Mediterranean
Sea - Upper Egypt Valley in the desert
19The Formation of Kingdoms
- The Egyptian civilization emerged more than 3,000
years before the birth of Christ. - Pharaoh or ruler, governed with complete
authority. - Commerce grew, art flourished and majestic
monuments were constructed.
20Three major Periods of Egyptian History
- Each kingdom is divided into dynasties.
- Dynasty -was a period during which a single
family provided a succession of rulers. - One reign ended with the death of a Pharaoh and
another began with the crowning of a successor
from the same royal family. - Important to keep the family blood pure.
21The Old Kingdom
- Started around 3100 B.C.
- Ruled by a powerful pharaoh named Menes.
- Capitol established at Memphis and founded the
first 31 Egyptian dynasties - Lasted 500 years when a strong centralized
government was established. - Civil war caused the power of the pharaoh to
collapse.
22The Middle Kingdom
- Lasted about 250 years
- Order and prosperity
- Followed by foreign invasion and turmoil
- Hyksos invasion and take over
- Restored independence
- Pharaoh still present but power was diminished.
23The New Kingdom
- Began in 1570 B.C.
- Aka Empire
- Amenhotep III reached the peak of power and
influence. - Thebes became on of the most magnificent royal
cities in the world. - Went from a multiple god society to that of one
Aton - Egypt began to be whittled away by enemies.
24The decline of Ancient Egypt
- The new religion died with its founding pharaoh
Akheneton. - The old religion was restored although Egypts
power was dwindling. - Finally in 30 B.C. Egypt was made a province of
Rome
25The Pyramids
26Influence of Religion
- Resurrection of the soul of ka
- The ka (spirit or soul) was born with the body
and remained there until death. - Upon the death the ka would leave temporarily but
late return to the body and travel to the next
life. - The body would be embalmed, wrapped and stored in
the pyramids until the ka returned. - Assurance against final death
27Influence of Religion
- Ra- the sun god, represented by the falcon,
- Osiris- the god of the Nile and ruler of the
underworld - Isis- The great mother god
28The Pyramids as Tombs
- Most impressive were built for Pharaohs
- The people saw them as gods and expected to be
united with other gods - His body was sealed in a sarcophagus or stone
coffin. - Placed with treasures
- in the center of the pyramid.
- To an Egyptian the
- destruction of the body was
- the most horrible for of
- vengeance
29Mummification
- In the Prehistoric Egypt, bodies were buried in
deserts because they would naturally be preserved
by dehydration. - this old man from 5000 years ago was not
mummified, and yet he is perfectly preserved
because he was buried in dry sand - The main process of mummification was preserving
the body by dehydrating it using natron, a
natural material found in Wadi Natrun which is
like a combination of baking soda and salt - This process took 40 days
30Mummification
- The body is drained of any liquids and left with
the skin, hair and muscles preserved.12 - This process was available for anyone who could
afford it. It was believed that even those who
could not afford this process could still enjoy
the afterlife with the right reciting of spells.
The most classic and common method of
mummification dates back to the 18th Dynasty. The
first step was to remove the internal organs and
liquid so that the body would not decay. The
embalmers took out the brain by inserting a sharp
object in the nostril, breaking through it into
the brain and then liquefying it. They threw out
the brain because they thought that the heart did
all the thinking. The next step was to remove the
internal organs, the lungs, liver, stomach, and
intestines, and place them in canopic jars with
lids shaped like the heads of the protective
deities, the four sons of Horus. The heart stayed
in the body, because in the hall of judgment it
would be weighed against the feather of Maat.
After the body was washed with wine, it was
stuffed with bags of natron. The dehydration
process took 40 days. - The second part of the process took 30 days. This
was the time where the deceased turned into a
semi divine being, and all that was left in the
body from the first part was removed, followed by
applying first wine and then oils. The oils were
for ritual purposes, as well as preventing the
limbs and bones from breaking while being
wrapped. The body was sometimes colored with a
golden resin. This protected the body from
bacteria and insects. This was also based on the
belief that divine beings had flesh of gold. The
body was wrapped in bandages with amulets while a
priest recited prayers and burned incense. The
dressing provided physical protection and the
wealthier even had a burial mask of their head.
The 70 days are connected to Osiris and the
length the star Sothis was absent from the sky. - http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_buri
al_customs
31Evolution of the Pyramid Shape
- Mastaba a low flat tomb made of sun-dried
bricks. - Step pyramid- Several mastaba stacked on top of
- each other.
- Step Pyramid of
- King Zoser 2680 b.c.
- Pyramids, built without steps from limestone
blocks weighing over a ton each.
32The Pyramid of Khufu, Giza c. 2545-2520
- The largest Pyramid in the World. Covers almost
13 acres - 5 of the worlds largest cathedrals could be
placed inside its base with room to spare. - 2.3 million blocks of stone
- 480 feet high
- Equal to a 48 story building
- Almost perfectly square
- http//www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/khufu.h
tml
33Temple of Amon
- Temple of the all powerful chief god of Thebes.
- Entranceway flanked by obelisks, four sided
pointed stone shafts. - Statues of the pharaohs and huge banners opened
onto an uncovered courtyard. - Great halls lie behind the courtyard
- Sanctuary was a small, dark, mysterious chamber
where only the pharaoh and certain priests were
allowed to enter - Built in new kingdom as proof of the genius of
the architects - http//www.eyelid.co.uk/karnakb.htm
34Temple of Amon
- The Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak was begun
during the reign of King Seti I (c.1290-1279
B.C.E.) and was completed by his son, Ramesses II
(c.1279-1213 B.C.E.). The central row of 12
columns on the east-west axis are 69 feet/21
meters in height, about 33 feet/10 meters in
circumference, and have open papyrus capitals.
35Sculpture and Painting
- Egypts most impressive achievements in the field
of art were the publicly visible pyramids and
temples. - Within the pyramids were sculptures and
paintings. Most have survived over the centuries.
36Sculpture and the ka
- Pyramids were robbed despite all the precautions
taken. - Pharaohs bodies were sometimes mutilated.
- Carved likenesses were placed within the tomb to
insure that the ka would still have a body to
reunite with.
37The Great Sphinx
- 4th Dynasty pharaoh
- Khafres head placed
- on the body of a
- reclining lion.
- Massive size was
- intended to demonstrate the power of the
pharaoh. - Carved from rock at the site.
- Why do you think the pharaohs head was placed on
the body of a lion. - http//www.ancient-egypt-online.com/the-great-sphi
nx.html
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39Portrait of Khafre
- Seated portrait carved in hard diorite stone
- Body rigid and attentive but the head is more
lifelike. - Throne is inscribed with symbols proclaiming him
the king of Upper Lower Egypt - Right hand forms a fist which must have held a
symbol of his high office. - A falcon (Horus
- god of the sky) is
- placed behind
- Khafres head to
- prove his divinity. Descendent of
- Re, the sun god.
40Middle Kingdom
- Most of the sculpture of this period was
destroyed by invading Hyksos and by the New
Kingdom rules who followed. - But what remains shows the pharaohs as softer
more gentler rulers. - Features became softer and more realistic.
- This style carried into the New Kingdom.
41Akhenaton and Nefertiti 18th dynasty
- Sculptures depicted more
- realistic features
- Elongated head, pointed chin,
- Heavy lips, Long slender neck
- Shown in everyday scenes like
- playing with his daughters.
42Akhenaton and Nefertiti 18th dynasty
43Rules of Egyptian Art
- Every part of the body be shown from the most
familiar side - For this reason, the head, arms, legs and feet
were shown in profile - Eyes and shoulders were shown from the front
- Substitutes for actual bodies (ka)
- Strict set of rules developed to show all parts
of the body
44Middle Kingdom Painting
- During the Middle Kingdom painting became it own
separate art form. - Too expensive to carve stone.
- Tombs were covered with plaster
- Lines were drawn and characters were placed
within the lines to tell a story. - Bright colors were used to keep the walls
vibrant. - This method resulted in a style similar to that
of contemporary comic strips.
45- Nakht and his Wife
- The priest and his wife are much larger figures
to show that Nakht and his wife are more important
46Hieroglyphics
- Hieroglyphics an early form of picture writing.
- Symbols that communicated information and were
included in wall paintings and other art forms to
help tell the story. - Created attractive patterns.
- Write you name or message in hieroglyphics using
the provided sheet. - http//www.eyelid.co.uk/hiromenu.htm
47Rosetta Stone
- The Rosetta Stone is a Ptolemaic
- age granodiorite stele inscribed
- with a decree issued at Memphis
- in 196 BC on behalf of King
- Ptolemy V. The decree appears in
- three scripts the upper text is
- Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs,
- the middle portion Demotic script, and the
lowest - Ancient Greek. Because it presents essentially
the same - text in all three scripts (with some minor
differences - among them), it provided the key to the modern
- understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs.
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49False Door Stela
- Painted on the walls of the tombs was a false
door which the ka would pass through in search of
offerings. - Servants were painted
- along the side offering
- food and drink for
- the ka.
- Outside influences
- started to encroach
- on Egypts art and near
- the end it lost its
- uniqueness.
50Resources
- Getlin, M. (2010). Living with art. Opening up to
the world, pages 524 thru 531. McGraw Hill.
Chicago. - Miller, G. (2000). Art in focus. The Art of
Ancient Egypt, pages 146 thru 164. Glencoe.
Chicago.