Art of the Ancient Near East Answers

The interesting point about pottery vessels like these, is why people in Europe did not produce these much earlier. Even though they understood the process of firing the clay as early as 32,000 BCE, it was not until 7000 BCE that they began making vessels using the same technique. Some historians believed that ceramic vessels were not used because of the time, effort, and expense of using them. Ceramic vessels were also much heavier and more fragile than vessels made out of other materials such as wood or fibers.

Around 3100 BCE, Sumerians pressed Cuneiform symbols into clay tablets with a stylus to keep business records. It was the first form of writing. The earliest writing was more of a pictograph or a crude picture of the item. Later writing evolved into more symbols and lines. The word symbolized is "bull."

Hieroglyphics: A Writing system of ancient Egypt using both logographic, and alphabetic elements. Demotic: The ancient Egyptian script derived from the northern forms of hieratic, or cursive writing, and Egyptian language.

Answers may vary, but should be similar to the following: This sculpture is entitled, Pepy II and His Mother, Queen Ankhes-meryre. The sculpture shows Pepy, who inherited the throne at age six. Most likely, the queen acted as a regent (a representative) until Pepy was old enough to rule the kingdom himself. Pepy is smaller, because he is less important at the time this sculpture was made, but his features are adult-like and proportionate to his overall size.

Textile Production • Gather fibers • Clean fibers • Comb and sort fibers • Spin fibers into threads • Weave the fibers using crude looms to make textiles

A: Menkaure B: Khafre C: Khufu Khufu is the largest of the three pyramids.

These phases took place before 40,000 BCE. During the Lower Paleolithic period, humans made tools by flaking and chipping flint pebbles into blades and scrapers with sharp edges. The crude tools found during the Lower and Middle phases were not considered art and were intended for practical purposes like hunting.

An excavation found the funerary mask of Tutankhamun, inlaid with stones and gold. The mask was found in the emperor’s tomb. From this discovery, researchers, historians, and archeologist learned much about the Egyptian people and their culture.

The Persians are best known for their jewelry, coinage, and ornamental weaponry. The delicate designs and intricate details of their jewelry demonstrate high levels of technical and artistic sophistication. Coins were made with miniature low-relief portraits of rulers, so that coins, in addition to their function as economic standards, served as an advertisement for the ruler. Their ornamental weapons showed a high level of sophistication as well as the political need to emphasize power and strength.

The two rivers that run through the Fertile Crescent are the Euphrates and the Tigris. The rivers are the reason that the region is referred to as “fertile”. A fertile region is an area that produces healthy, sustaining vegetation. The negative aspect of the rivers was that flooding was common. Flooding could wipe out an entire years crop.

The Upper phase took place between 40,000 and 4,000 BCE. This phase is marked by the fascination of people with creating images. It is the first time in history that people and animals begin to be represented in art form, in a realistic fashion. The people used ochers to paint images in caves.

The sculpture is the Narmer Palette. It consists of two carved stone slabs covered with scenes of King Narmer, symbolic figures, and hieroglyphic imagery. The palette is historically significant because it commemorates the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under one ruler. It is also one of the earliest important works of Egyptian historical relief sculpture.

The earliest period of human history is called the Stone Age because people primarily made their tools and weapons from stone. The two main periods of the Stone Age are the Paleolithic period (Old Stone Age) and the Neolithic period (New Stone Age).