1. ancient world

2. Prehistoric History of Art 40,000-1000 BCE Over 100,000 years ago, Neanderthals buried their dead with artifacts. This is the earliest evidence that they had some religious belief system. However, our branch of Homo sapien ancestors started creating art approximately 40,000 years ago.

3. Civilization goes back approx. to 8000-5000 BCE (New Stone Age) Factors contributing to civilization: Urbanization Government Social class based upon money and profession Specialization of the work force Written communication Religious beliefs

4. Cave Art Lascaux, France Altamira, Spain

24. The Venus of Willendorf

25. 9000 Fertile Crescent – Jericho oldest city 7000BC and had 2k inhabitants (tels) 8,000 BC domesticated animals and cultivated their food. They also started to live in villages. Storage of production or animal and the resulting wealth created wars.

26. Mesopotamia Unlike the Egyptians, ancient Mesopotamia very varied. Sumerians 3500-2350 BC lived in Fertile Crescent and created cuneiform writing system. Gilgamesh Epic ca. 2000 BC that is the basis for some OT stories: creation, fall, flood, etc. It asks the question: is life worth it considering death awaits us all. Akkadian (named for the capital city of Akkad) and Babylonian Culture— 2350-2150 BC Sardon and his successors ruled Mesopotamia. Hammurabi ca. 1800 and the Babylonians. Assyrians—1000-612 BC last great Mesopotamian culture…. Palaces at Nimrud and Nineveh were built. The Medes and the Persians took over with Cyrus the Great (590-529) They in turn were defeated by Alexander the Great ca. 330 BC.

27. EGYPTIAN ART “Egypt is the gift of the Nile.” - Herodotus

28. Old Kingdom 2700-1990 BCE Confident period until 2200 conflicts Middle Kingdom 1990-1575 Ever-growing uncertainty about future New Kingdom 1575-1100 Akhenaton (1379-62) Late Period 1100-500 Persians in charge EGYPTIAN DYNASTIES

29. Egyptian Society and Art Parallels between culture and artistic expression: 1.Pyramidal 2.Static 3.Traditional 4.Other worldly 5.Autocratic 6.Unity and continuity (Compare these characteristics with the Greeks) N.B. Exception: Akhenaton and the El Amarna experiment

33. Ca. 2515 BCE

34. Ca. 2550 BCE

35. Seated Scribe ca. 2500 BCE

36. Pepy II and His Mother ca. 2300 BCE

37. Akhenaten and His Family ca. 1348-36 BCE

40. Akhenaten and duck sacrifice

48. Abu Simbel 1279-1212