In Chapter 1, the cultures and societies discussed include Mesopotamian civilization, Egyptian civilization, the Hittite empire, and the Persian Empire. Major influences from these civilizations and empires have contributed to Western Civilization. Mesopotamian civilization developed between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers and evolved to three definite societies: Sumer (2000s B.C), Babylonia (1000s B.C.), and Assyria (after 700s B.C.). The first known cities were founded by the Sumerians using architecture of mud and brick.…
Sumerian art was ornate and complex. The mediums that were used were sculpture and painting. The figures and paintings showed their reverence towards the gods and a religious culture. Most sculptures were made of clay and “the bodies were cylindrical and not differentiated by gender, uplifted heads and hands clasped – pose of supplication – wanting or waiting on something” (“Sumerian”). Practically all sculptures were used for religious rituals or religious adornment.…
The first recorded Chinese dynasty for which there is both documentary and archaeological evidence. Shang china was centred in the North china Plain and extended as far north as modern Shandong and Hebi provinces and westward through present-day Henan province. The architects of the Shang period built houses of timber over rammed-earth floors, with walls of wattle and daub and roofs of thatch. Pottery objects were abundant, and Shang potters made fired-clay sectional molds for casting bronzes. Some of the pottery gives evidence of possibly having been shaped on a potter’s wheel.…
Throughout Global history, there have been many river valleys which play a big role on early civilization and make the important contribution to the world. Three civilization of these is Mesopotamia, India, and China. Mesopotamia is the land that located between Tigris and Euphrates river. This can be considered as the reason why Mesopotamia called Mesopotamia. In Greek, it technically means between two rivers, and obviously this is exactly what was happening.…
Throughout ancient Egyptian history, art and culture remained constant to support the idea of “order over chaos.” However, in the mid-14th century BCE a revolution occurred in Egyptian society, culture, and religion, consequently causing a brief transformation in Egyptian art. These changes can be detected in the Relief of Princess with an Earring. This sculpture was made in the 18th Dynasty (1353-1336 BCE), during the reign of Akhenaten. Although only a portion of the limestone relief is displayed in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology, the sculpture still demonstrates the attributes that are found in art from Amarna Period.…
Monumental Architecture-These are very large man-made structures of stone or earth. These are usually used as public/private buildings or spaces, like pyramids, temples, large tombs. But are not singular burials. Cuneiform-One of the earliest forms of writing (created in Mesopotamia) that is distinguished by wedge shape marks on a clay tablet. This allowed people from the Neolithic era to communicate through writing which created much more opportunities for…
The rise of the early civilization in different regions is extremely diverse. Although some regions share similarities, they share many differentiations as well. From regions such as small farming settlements to full-blown states, there are many factors that can be compared as well as very different from one another. Specifically, Mesopotamia and Egypt share many components that are similar as well as different. Factors such as the environment, subsistence, trade/exchange, technology and social organization are major aspects that can be analyzed.…
The Egyptians were significantly productive; they were achieving difficult architectural accomplishments of massive scale. This era was the reign of Hatshepsut, perfectly memorialized in the famous sculpture The Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut, dated about c. 1473-1458 BC, the 18th Dynasty in Deir el-Bahri. This three-dimensional artwork was made entirely of red granite and has a height of 8’ 6’’ (2.59 m). In the following paper I will describe the artwork, analyze its concept, purpose, and the techniques used. To emphasize what I saw and how I felt about the artwork.…
The most significant factor that influenced the development of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia was the geography of the two regions, both regions had fertile land for agriculture which helped develop the cities, they were also located near rivers which encouraged trade for the cities allowing them to grow and prosper. The fertile land produced by the region's rivers helped develope cities through agriculture. The rivers running through the two regions also helped encourage trade allowing the cities to grow and prosper. Also, the geography of the two regions helped protect the citizens from outside invaders. The fertile land produced by the rivers of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia helped develope the cities through agriculture.…
The Arise of Civilizations in Mesopotamia and the Nile River Valley The Fertile Crescent lies from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea. The Fertile Crescent was a land named because of its good soil and its golden wheat fields. Within the Fertile Crescent was a region called Mesopotamia that the ancient Greeks had named later. This meant “between the rivers” where it was located it was between the Tigris river and the Euphrates river.…
If we look back on history, when talking about the most structural and diverse cities ever formed, we refer to the city of Uruk. Uruk is arguably one of the most important cities in ancient Mesopotamia. According to the Sumerian King List, King Enmerkar founded it at around 4500 B.C. It is located in the southern region of Sumer, a very dry yet surprisingly rich and bountiful location. The city is most famous for its powerful and memorable king Gilgamesh and his dream of becoming immortal but also to develop a number of new innovations for his civilization.…
The Ziggurat and the pyramids There are many similarities and differences between Ancient Egyptian Pyramids and Mesopotamian ziggurats. They both were held in high regards for their people cultures and religious beliefs. Ziggurats, a product of the Sumerian civilization, are stepped structures of large size that lead to a platform on top where spiritual/religious rituals took place. The pyramid that will be used in this paper is the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Ziggurat used will be the Great Ziggurat of Ur. One similarity is how big they are in their physical properties.…
Mesopotamia, but more specifically, Sumer, sparked the beginning of narrative art as a pictorial convention in the ancient world. A spark that has carried on into another society, Ancient Egypt, which has since then been a hot spot of art artifacts. There are many parallels and differences that can be drawn between the artifacts of each society, such as the Standard of Ur and the Palette of King Narmer. One of the most significant turning points in art history is the discovery of the Standard of Ur found in the Royal Cemetery at Ur. It is a wooden, rectangular box with narrow, trapezoid sides that is inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone.…
It is indisputable that, although considerable developments were made by Akhenaten during his time, his reign must be considered a predominant failure; his overall contribution was poor as much of what he achieved in regards to religion, architecture and art was destroyed and reversed following his death. As Freud (1955) states, Akhenaton 's memory was “scorned as that of a felon” and his contributions were diminished by his successors following his death. He additionally failed to adequately address foreign policy - focusing almost solely on his internal reforms. Ultimately, Akhenaten’s contribution to Egyptian religion was a failure; his transformation of religion, while initially successful, proved too radical for the Egyptian population…
Ever since man, we wondered about our origin, so our advances in technology allows Anthropologist to answer this lingering question. Early civilizations, discovered in the 1800’s, were found along the Nile River and other areas just northeast of Africa. The early civilizations were diverse in particular ways, but had similarities too. The political, social, and institutions of these areas will be analyzed further, because ideas eventually developed to form better civilizations in the future.…