Art History Test 2

Front 1

Howard Carter

Back 1

english archeologist who discovered the funerary mask of tutankhamen

Front 2

What diminished importance of Nile?

Back 2

Aswan High Dam in 1970

Front 3

human development around nile

Back 3

8000 BC: humans became sedentary
5000 BC: humans adopt agricultural village life
5000-2950 BC: centralized form of leadership

Front 4

What happened to Egyptian Gods at death?

Back 4

joined sun god Ra

Front 5

Ra

Back 5

sun god and the father of the Kings of Egypt

Front 6

Osiris

Back 6

overseer of the realm of the dead and regularly appears in human form wrapped in linen as a mummy

Front 7

Horus

Back 7

the son of Osiris and is depicted either as a falcon or a falcon-headed man

Front 8

Anubis

Back 8

god of embalming and cemeteries

Front 9

Who was Namar?

Back 9

ruler of upper egypt

Front 10

Describe palette of Namar

Back 10

A sandal-bearer is shown on his own ground line, which means the king (barefoot) is standing on sacred ground and performing sacred acts. The royal palace is shown from above and frontally surrounds Narmer’s name to signify he is king. Narmer wears the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. Two rows of decapitated enemies are shown. Narmer is attacking an enemy of similar size, showing that he is a real threat. An aerial depiction of a fortified city alongside a gazelle trap may show Narmer’s control over both city and countryside. A bull symbolizes the strength of the king and is shown striking down another enemy.

Front 11

Mastaba

Back 11

flat-topped, one-story building with slanted walls erected above an underground burial chamber. They were originally made of mud brick, and later cut stone. Mastabas were grouped together in a necropolis, or city of the dead, in the direction of the setting sun.

Front 12

serdab

Back 12

small sealed room for the ka-statue

Front 13

Imhotep

Back 13

Djoser’s prime minister and the first architect in history to be identified.

Front 14

“earliest monumental architecture in Egypt”

Back 14

Step Pyramid, Djoser's tomb

Front 15

Djoser

Back 15

commissioned Imhotep to build Step Pyramid for his tomb

Front 16

Step Pyramid Complex of Djoser

Back 16

This step pyramid is formed by six mastaba-like elements of decreasing size stacked on top of one another, which signifies a stairway to the sun god Ra and protects a tomb. A descending corridor at the base of the step pyramid provides an entrance to burial vault. An adjoining funerary temple was used for continuing worship of king after death.

Front 17

In Khafre’s statue, what visual aspects of the image are used to express what ideas about the king?

Back 17

The traditional royal costume symbolizes Khafre’s royalty. His right hand holds a cylinder, which is probably a rolled piece of cloth. His tightly pressed arms and firm anchoring in stone block gives a sense of dignity, calm, and permanence. The rare stone gneiss glows a deep blue when illuminated by sunlight, which is the celestial color of Horus.

Front 18

In the statue of Menkaure and wife, what visual aspects express what ideas about their role as king & queen?

Back 18

Menkaure and his wife are joined in the stone physically and further united by the queen’s symbolic gesture of embrace. Menkaure is shown as an athletic, youthful figure and both he and his wife are shown in a striding pose. Her feminine body foils his masculine one. Overall, the figures seem dignified, calm, and permanent.

Front 19

What god did the king turn into after death?

Back 19

Osiris, king of the dead

Front 20

What king built the very first pyramid? What shape is it and what is important about it?

Back 20

The first pyramid was built by king Djoser and had six stepped layers and was 204 feet high. It was the largest building of its time.

Front 21

Who built the Maidum pyramid? What shape is it now?

Back 21

Pharoah Snefru built the Maidum pyramid. It has eight steps, with only the lower three filled to form the smooth edges of a classic pyramid.

Front 22

What did Pharoah Snefru build?

Back 22

Maidum pyramid, Bent Pyramid, Red Pyramid

Front 23

Who built the Bent Pyramid? Why is it called that, and how did it get that way?

Back 23

Pharoah Snefru built the Bent Pyramid. It was likely called that because of the awkward angles from lack of stability. It was designed to have very steep sides, but halfway through the angle was adjusted.

Front 24

What is the first ‘true’ pyramid called? Who built it, when and where?

Back 24

The first “true” pyramid was called the Red Pyramid and was built by Pharoah Snefru in Dahsur.

Front 25

What king built earth’s largest pyramid? Whose son was he? Where exactly is it? How is it oriented in direction?

Back 25

Pharaoh Khufu, son of Snefru, built the earth’s largest pyramid in Giza. The pyramid is oriented exactly north.

Front 26

How many stones are in The Great Pyramid, and how heavy? How many burial chambers? What was the 2nd one probably for?

Back 26

The Great Pyramid has 3 million stone blocks, weighing an average of 2.5 to 15 tons each. It has three burial chambers; the second was intended to house a sacred statue of the king.

Front 27

What other structures are in the complex around the Great Pyramid? What were the ‘mystery shafts’ probably for?

Back 27

A 26-foot high Grand Gallery precedes the king’s chamber. The complex also houses several small pyramids, five boat pits, a mortuary temple, a causeway, a valley temple, and many flat-roofed tombs for officials and some members of the royal family. The mystery shafts were probably to allow Khufu to travel to the stars in his afterlife.

Front 28

Who was Hatshepsut? When did she rule? Describe the history of Hatshepsut, and her family story. How did Hatshepsut’s family story lead to her becoming king?

Back 28

Hatshepsut was one of the very few women to rule Egypt. She ruled from 1473 (1479?)-1458 BCE. Hatshepsut is the daughter of Thutmose I and married her half brother Thutmose II who ruled for 14 years. Upon his death, she took role of regent for underage son (Thutmose III) of Thutmose II and a concubine. After a few years, the priests of Amun declared Hatshepsut “king”. She was co-ruler with Thutmose III for next 20 years.

Front 29

Describe Hatshepsut's era- the kingdom, and dynasty, and important aspects of it.

Back 29

During her reign, Hatshepsut was responsible for one of the most spectacular extensive personal building programs: her funerary temple. She was “one of the greatest builders in one of the greatest Egyptian dynasties” and “raised and renovated temples and shrines from the Sinai to Nubia.” She had four granite obelisks erected at the temple of Amun at Karnak and commissioned hundreds of statues of herself. She also left written records of her life and inner thoughts. At her mortuary temple, she left a story of her kingship as part of a divine plan intended and overseen by her father, Thutmose I.

Front 30

What was Hatshepsut's biggest challenge, in politics as well as depicting herself in royal art? Refer to image 3-21.

Back 30

Gender was her biggest challenge in politics and art. Although Hatshepsut was a woman, kings had always been depicted in a very traditional way. There was no reference for a female king representation. “The formula for portraying kings was not adapted to suit one individual; she was adapted to conform to convention.”

Front 31

How did Hatshepsut's portrait art change over her reign? Describe specifics.

Back 31

As a king’s wife, Hatshepsut would have been depicted as a royal woman. Early in kingship, she was depicted with a female form wearing the headdress and uraeus cobra of a king. Later, Hatshepsut was portrayed as a male king, wearing a kilt and linen headdress. Sometimes she was even given a false beard. This shows the importance of tradition in Egyptian royal art.

Front 32

Describe Hatshepsut's funerary temple 3-22, 23, main parts and decoration. Where exactly is it? What do the reliefs show there? What is unique about the temple? How does/did it relate to the environment (several ways)? What gods were worshipped here, and how and why did this temple relate to the Temple of Amun at Karnak, across the Nile?

Back 32

Hatshepsut’s funerary temple is located at Deir el-Bahri, which is about a mile away from her actual tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Contrary to Old Kingdom Pyramid complexes, her temple is much larger and more prominent than the tomb itself. The temple reflects the natural three-part layering in the landscape (flat desert, sloping hillside, stone cliffs) and was constructed on an axial plan. A causeway used to run from a valley temple on the Nile to her temple’s first court. Shrines to the gods Anubis, Hathor, Amun, and Ra-Horakhty (Ra + Horus) can be found.

Front 33

What are the specifics of how Hatshepsut appeared in art, as in the granite statue in Stokstad 3-21, and in reliefs? Describe specifics- attributes, physique, clothing.

Back 33

Hatshepsut was represented as a male king, wearing a kilt and linen headdress and sometimes even a false beard. She also wears a wig, which was a symbol of wealth in Egypt. Kings had always been depicted in this way with a hopeful expression and high stability and permanence.

Front 34

What were the circumstances of the first discovery of Hatshepsut’s mummy, before its identification? Explain the modern rediscovery of her mummy’s identity, and about the results of scientific tests. What specific evidence contributed to the rediscovery of her mummy?

Back 34

Hatshepsut was called KV6oa when she was found in 1903, without a coffin, figurines, headdress, jewelry, sandals, or other treasures. As an unknown corpse, she wasn’t deemed important enough to remove from the floor of a minor tomb in the Valley of the Kings. In 1989, she was though to be royal based on her pose, but moved to a wooden coffin and left in the tomb. In 2006 and 2007, her mummy was passed through a CT scanner. The discovery of a tooth in a box marked with Hatshepsut’s cartouche matched a missing tooth in the CT scans of her mummy. It is not absolute proof, however.

Front 35

Why did Hatshepsut have to deal with gender in her reign, and how did she do this in art (see NGM 3-4), including in the birth relief at Deir el Bahri?

Back 35

"The kingship was meant to be passed down from father to son, not daughter; religious belief dictated that the king's role could not be adequately carried out by a woman.” In writing, she did not hide her gender, but in art she first was portrayed as a female with the King’s headdress, and later as a male king.

Front 36

What were wrong assumptions about Hatshepsut in the past? What discoveries lead to what new ideas about her?

Back 36

Originally, historians thought Hatshepsut was an evil, power-hungry stepmother based on the defacement of all images and written record of her on public memorials. However, only images of her as king were defaced while images of her as queen were left undisturbed, which leads historians to believe that it was a political, rather than emotional, decision. Thutmose III was most likely trying to reinforce legitimacy of son Amenhotep II’s succession to throne among other claims of royalty. She is now admired for her political skill and intelligence.

Front 37

How did her son treat her monuments later? What was the old belief about why he did this? What is the most recent explanation about her son’s treatment of her monuments? What evidence leads to that? Explain.

Back 37

Hatshepsut’s son had all representations of her meticulously removed. Originally, historians thought Hatshepsut was an evil, power-hungry stepmother based on the defacement of all images and written record of her on public memorials. However, only images of her as king were defaced while images of her as queen were left undisturbed, which leads historians to believe that it was a political, rather than emotional, decision. Thutmose III was most likely trying to reinforce legitimacy of son Amenhotep II’s succession to throne among other claims of royalty.

Front 38

Zahi Hawass:

Back 38

head of the Egyptian Mummy Project and secretary general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Launched investigation into KV60a in 2005.

Front 39

• Queen Ahmose

Back 39

grandmother of Hatshepsut whose mummy DNA has been compared to KV6oa

Front 40

• Thutmose III

Back 40

Son of Thutmose II & one of his concubines. Thutmose II’s heir to the throne. Co-ruled with Hatshepsut (stepmother) for 20 years.

Front 41

• Senenmut

Back 41

Hatshepsut’s chief steward and architect

Front 42

• Deir el Bahri:

Back 42

site of Hatshepsut’s most spectacular architectural achievement: her mortuary temple, Djeser Djeseru.

Front 43

• great god Amun

Back 43

commands "Go, to fashion [Hatshepsut] better than all gods; shape for me, this my daughter, whom I have begotten."

Front 44

• Rekhyt

Back 44

common Nile marsh bird, translates to “the common people”

Front 45

• Donald Ryan

Back 45

found mummy of Hatshepsut in 1989

Front 46

When did Amenhotep IV rule? When and why did he change his name to Akhenaten? Who was his famous wife? Who was his famous son?

Back 46

Amenhotep IV ruled from 1353-1336 BCE. In 1348 BCE after founding a new religion that honors only one god Aten, he changed his name to Akhenaten, which means “One Who Is Effective on Behalf of Aten.” His mother was Queen Tiy and his son was King Tutankhamun.

Front 47

What was Akhenaten’s radical new approach to Egyptian religion? Describe.

Back 47

Akhenaten founded a monotheistic religion that honors only the sun god Aten, which is vastly different from the historically polytheistic Egyptian culture.

Front 48

Why did he move the capital of Egypt from the traditional city of Thebes up to the North? What was this called and what does that mean?

Back 48

Akhenaten built Akhetaten or “Horizon of the Aten” in the north because the old capital, Thebes, was firmly in the grip of the priests of Amun.

Front 49

What was the new Amarna art style? Describe Akhenaten’s portrait (3-25), and : how is it different from an Old Kingdom king like Menkaure (3-9)?

Back 49

The new Amarna art style stylizes and distorts representations of kings. Akhenaten’s portrait is neither particularly male or female, has an elongated head, hefty lower body and spindly upper body, exaggerates facial features, like slit eyes, full lips, and dimples. The face seems to have a bit of personality, unlike the traditional Old Kingdom representations that stuck strictly to expressionless faces and masculine features.

Front 50

How does the new style Amarna appear in reliefs? Describe in relation to the relief from Amarna (3-26). What seems to be the mood of that image and its characters? Look at it closely: In what ways is the scene and its parts naturalistic, and how not?

Back 50

In reliefs, figure also have elongated shaven heads and portrays a much more natural, as opposed to regal environment. The artist has captured the love in the home and the fidgety children. The characters seem more accessible because they are shown behaving much like a normal family. Although the posture and composition are much more naturalistic, the regalia and proportions are not.

Front 51

Who was Queen Tiy? Describe the change to her portrait, and why it occurred.

Back 51

Queen Tiy was the mother of Akhenaten. A funerary silver headdress covered with gold cobras and gold jewelry were removed from her portrait and replaced with a brown cap covered with blue glass beads when her son came to power and established his new religion.

Front 52

In what ways is the portrait of Nefertiti idealized? How is it natural, and how not? How does her name seem to equate with the portrait?

Back 52

Nefertiti has refined, regular features, long neck, and heavy-lidded eyes. Her features seem too ideal to be human, but are consistent with standards of beauty today. Her face, however is accentuated with dramatic color, much like it would have been at the time.

Front 53

What happened to Akhenaten’s new religious system soon after his death? Who was his son, and how did his name change reveal a religious change?

Back 53

Akhenaten’s new religious system was replaced with traditional beliefs soon after his death. His son changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun, which means “Living Image of Amun” and shows support of the traditional polytheistic gods, one of which was Amun.

Front 54

What symbolism is incorporated into what parts of the Inner Coffin of Tutankhamun? Describe it.

Back 54

The king holds a crook and flail, symbols associated with Osiris, god of the dead. The vulture and cobra goddess of Upper and Lower Geypt (Nekhbet and WAdjet) spread wings across his body.

Front 55

What and where is Ife, and why is it important? What people is it sacred to? Why is Ife important for early African art? What was an oni?

Back 55

Ife is the “navel of the world,” the site of creation, and the place where Ife’s first ruler, or oni, descended from heaven to populate the world. Located in southwestern Nigeria, it was sacred to the Yourba people. Ife is the site of a tradition of naturalistic sculpture.

Front 56

Describe the Crowned head of a King from Ife, including its style, and explain why it’s style ‘contradicted everything Europeans thought they knew about African art.” What were 2 incorrect theories that Europeans came up with to explain this?

Back 56

The Crowned head of a King is cast-bronze and has a remarkable sensitivity to the natural form. It has full lips and eyes consistent with modern Yoruba people. Thin scarification patterns striate the face vertically. The extreme naturalism “contradicted everything Europeans thought they knew about African art.” They thought that the sculptures were created by survivors of lost island of Atlantis or that influence of ancient Greece or Renaissance Europe must have reached Ife.

Front 57

What did the letter from the Portuguese king to the king of Benin reveal about their 2 cultures?

Back 57

The letter revealed that “Benin was vastly more powerful and wealthier than the small European country that had just stumbled upon it.

Front 58

What are 2 problems that hamper our understanding of ancient African art?

Back 58

Most African art is made of wood, which deteriorates quickly in Sub-Saharan Africa. We have to rely on contemporary traditions and oral histories to learn about the past.

Front 59

How have recent discoveries at Blombos Cave in South Africa changed our view of the earliest appearance of art? What new date comes from that?

Back 59

Ocher pigment has been found at Blombos Cave in South Africa, which is thought to be the earliest “stirrings of artistic activity” 77,000 years ago. Two blocks that were smoothed and etched “predate any other finding of ancient art by more than 30,000 years, and they suggest a far earlier development of modern human behavior than had previously recognized.”

Front 60

What is the issue with using the term ‘primitive’ to describe African or other cultures (408)? What are three criteria that have been used to label a people primitive? Do these hold up for Africa and its art? Explain.

Back 60

The denotation of “primitive” simply means “early” or “first of its kind,” but the connotation means crude, simple, backward, and stuck in an early stage of development. Use of so-called Stone Age technology, absence of written histories, and the failure to build great cities are three criteria that have been used to label a culture as primitive. However, Africans have smelted and forged iron since 500 BCE, made ad used high-quality steel for weapons and tools, recorded their histories in Arabic since 10th century CE, and built great cities like Benin and Luanda.

Front 61

Where did Nok culture flourish (modern country name), and about when? What is important about Nok culture in relation to African sculpture? Describe the Nok head, including material and distinctive parts.

Back 61

Nok culture flourished in western Sudan, in present-day Nigeria, as early as 500 BCE. Nok people “created the earliest known sculpture of sub-Saharan Africa, producing accomplished terra-cotta figures of human and animal subjects.” Nok heads had triangular or D-shaped eyes, had holes for pupils, nostrils and mouth, buns atop the head, and prestige ornaments. Feathers may have been put in holes in buns and they often wore beaded jewelry.

Front 62

hat and where was Benin (country), and how was it related to Ife (p. 410)? What is an oba? What is a chief art form and medium created in Benin? Describe the one in 13-6.

Back 62

Benin was a great city-state 150 miles southeast of Ife. Obas were kings. The chief art form was metal-cast heads, like Memorial Head of an Oba, which had a weaved headdress, widely spaced eyes, protruding jaw line, small ears, and a beaded or woven neck plate.

Front 63

When was the Kingdom of Benin begun? What European nation did it trade with from the 15th c, and how was it almost crushed in 1897?

Back 63

The Kingdom of Benin begun in 1170. They began trading with Portugal in the 15th century and had cordial relations until 1897 when British troops sacked and burned the royal palace in response to the massacre of their trade negotiators.

Front 64

Where exactly would heads like this be placed? What other objects would go with them? What was the use and purpose of the whole together?

Back 64

Heads like this were placed on shrines for royal ancestors and deceased obas. They were covered with brass heads, bells, figures, wooden rattles, and carved ivory tusks. The heads were originally placed on a semicircular platform or altar, surrounded by elephant tusks. Heads were the symbolic center of a person’s intelligence, wisdom, and ability to succeed in the word and communicate with supernatural ancestral world.

Front 65

Describe the Memorial Head of an Oba with reference to the African beliefs about the head. What is one name for a king? What is the significance of coral, and where is it seen in the art?

Back 65

Memorial Head of an Oba had a weaved headdress, widely spaced eyes, protruding jaw line, small ears, and a beaded or woven neck plate. It belongs to rare Early Period sculptures called “rolled-collar” heads. Coral encloses the head (symbolic center of a person’s intelligence), which is the ultimate symbol of the oba’s power and authority.

Front 66

Discuss the Hip Mask with a Queen Mother (13-8). Who commissioned this, and who was it for? What is it made of, and how was it used? What is important about queen Idia? What is the relation of her to this piece?

Back 66

The Hip Mask with a Queen Mother is an ornamental mask which represents an iyoba (queen mother – oba’s mother). It was meant to be a belt ornament worn at the oba’s hip. This one represents Idia, mother of Esigie, who was remembered for raising an army and using magical powers to help her son defeat his enemies. Esigie commissioned the work for himself.

Front 67

Describe all parts of the hip mask, including iron, the necklace and crown, and what they have to do with Portugese, Olokun, and their symbolisms.

Back 67

Pupils and scarification patterns on the forehead were inlaid with iron on the forehead. The necklace represents heads of Portuguese soldiers with beads and flowing hair. More Portuguese heads alternate with figures of mudfish (represent Olokun, Lord of Great Waters) on the crown. Mudfish live near riverbanks, mediating between water and land, just as the semi divine oba mediate between human world and supernatural world of Olokun.

Front 68

Where is Akrotiri (what modern island, & sea), what happened here in ancient times, what happened in
1967? Why is it important today?

Back 68

Akrotiri is a town on the Aegean island of Thera. 3,600 years ago, a volcano erupted and sealed the whole island like a time capsule. It was rediscovered in 1967 and is considered to be among the most significant archaeological events of the 20th century. Archaeologists can study art and architecture in context in the preserved remains of the city.

Front 69

What are the general dates for the Aegean Bronze Age? How does this compare with Egyptian history?

Back 69

The Aegean Bronze Age occurred from 3000 BCE to 1100 BCE. This is roughly the same time as Egyptian history.

Front 70

How did Aegean people relate to the sea that was different than Egyptians?

Back 70

“The sea provided an important link not only between mainland and the islands, but also to the world beyond. Egyptians used river transportation while the Aegean were seafarers and their ports welcomed ships from other cultures around the Mediterranean.

Front 71

What is the Ulu Burun, and what things does its cargo suggest about it? What object was found in the
Ulu Burun, that relates to Egypt? About what date does that suggest?

Back 71

The Ulu Burun was a shipwreck discovered off the southern coast of Modern Turkey. It carried and extremely varied cargo, from bronze to tusks, to a scarab associated with Nefertiti. The cargo suggests that this vessel cruised from port to port along the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean seas, loading and unloading goods as it went, and that the peoples of Egypt and the ancient Near East were important trading partners.

Front 72

What did archaeologist Arthur Evans find, and where? What name did he give to its civilization?

Back 72

Arthur Evans found the buried ruins of the architectural complex at Knossos, on Crete’s north coast that had been occupied in the Neolithic period, then built over with a succession of Bronze Age structures. He named it Minoan after the legend of Minos.

Front 73

Describe the Greek myth that told of the founding of a kingdom on Crete, using main names.

Back 73

Minos was a king who ruled from the capital, Knossos. A half-man, half-bull monster (Minotaur) and son of wife of King Minos and a bull belonging to the sea god Poseidon, lived at Knossos in a maze called the Labyrinth. To satisfy the Minotaur’s appetite for human flesh, King Minos ordered the mainland kingdom of Athens to send a early tribute of 14 young men and women, until the Athenian hero Theseus killed the beast.

Front 74

What is a problem with calling Knossos a ‘palace’? Describe the palace of Knossos, with main features.
See the section on the New Palace, and class notes.

Back 74

It is difficult to call Knossos a ‘palace’ because palaces are occupied by kings while the evidence shows that Minoan society was not ruled by kingds drawn from a royal family, but by confederation of aristocrats or aristocratic families who established a fluid and evolving power hierarchy. These complexes were probably sites of periodic religious ceremony or ritual, rather than residences.

Front 75

What 2 features of the Palace of Knossos led to it being called the Labyrinth by later people?

Back 75

The double-axe motifs used in architectural decoration and the complicated organization of the complex and its relationship to the Minotaur legend led the Palace of Knossos to being called the Labryinth by later people.

Front 76

What was the most durable painting technique used by Minoan painters called, and how was it done?

Back 76

Buon Fresco, or a still-wet plaster surface was the most durable painting technique used by Minoan painters. They had to work quickly before the plaster dried.

Front 77

What stylistic conventions does Minoan wall painting display? What is important about the Spring
fresco at Akrotiri? Describe it, including how it is, & is not, naturalistic. What technique does it use?

Back 77

Minoan wall paintings have elegant drawings and filled these linear contours with bright and unshaded fields of pure color. They preferred profile, or full-faced views and they turned natural forms into decorative patterns through stylization.

Front 78

Describe the Bull Leaping fresco. What may it represent in real life at the palace? Where was that
conducted?

Back 78

The panel is part of a group in a room in the east wing of the complex. It shows three scantily clad youths around a gigantic dappled bull, which is charging in the “flying-gallop” pose, which may represent an initiation or fertility ritual.

Front 79

Name 2 objects (ie one stone, one gold) that further show the Minoan interest in bulls.

Back 79

Rhytons, or vessels used for pouring liquids, were made in the form of a bull’s head. The Vapheio Cup was made either by Minoan artist or by locals trained in Minoan style. The relief designs were executed in repousse – the technique of pushing up the metal from the back of the sheet. Men are depicted trying to capture bulls in various ways. A scantily clad man has roped a bull’s hind leg.

Front 80

What material is the Woman or Goddess with Snakes made from? Describe it, with all parts. How does
this object differ from many Egyptian sculptures (several ways)?

Back 80

The Woman or Goddess with Snakes is a faience figurine (colorfully glazed fine ceramic). She is bare-breasted with arms extended and brandishing a snake in each hand. Her shapely figure is dressed in a fitted, open bodice with an apron over a typically Minoan flounced skirt. A wide belt cinches the waist. The red, blue, and green geometric patterning on her clothing reflects the Minoan weavers’ preference for bright colors, patterns, and fancy borders. Lifelike elements combine with formal stylization to create a figure that is both lively and dauntingly, almost hypnotically, powerful – a combination that has led scholars to disagree whether statues such as this one represent deities or their human attendants.

Front 81

What style is the Octopus Vase a part of, and why? How does its decoration relate to the vase’s outer
surface?

Back 81

Octopus Vase is a part of the “Marine style” because of the depictions of sea life on their surfaces. The images harmonize with the vessel’s bulging shape.

Front 82

• Anubis

Back 82

o Jackal-god of the cemetery and embalming
o Priests dressed as Anubis for embalming process

Front 83

The New Kingdom

Back 83

o A time of great wealth and prosperity in Egypt
o When the greatest temples were built
o Egypt was an imperial power, with expanded borders up into Syria and down into Nubia (gold mines)

Front 84

Traditional African Cultures

Back 84

• Rule by sacred kings (art serves their rule).
• Rituals mark life stages. Including initiation rituals.
 Hamar bull jumping ritual.
 Girls dance during the men’s initiation
• Masking, dancing, during rituals. Art used in rituals and festivals.
• Ancestors are honored and worshipped. Often in rituals, using art-masks. Egungun dancer represents an ancestor, Nigeria.
• Belief in fortune telling, “magic.” Art used again.
• Nature deities are worshiped. Priestess of the water goddess Mami Wata with of a figure of her.
• Personal adornment is part of life. Nomadic peoples make portable art. Including body arts; part of initiation, identity.
• Everyday objects may be decorated. Like a spoon, headrest, chair, coffins