Art History Slide Essay Ch 2

Nanna Ziggurat, Ur. Sumerian. Dedicated to the moon god Nanna, also called Sin. Made of mud-brick. Three sets of stairs converging at an entrance gate. Each platform's walls slope, to prevent rainwater from forming puddles. The ziggurat was built by King Ur-Nammu. The structure was built during the Early Bronze Age.

Stele of Hammurabi. Babylonian. Depicts a legendary event and it serves as a historical document. The stele publishes the laws guaranteeing uniform punishment to all under Hammurabi's rule. Hammurabi, King of Babylon reunited Mesopotamia and instituted the Code of Hammurabi, a comprehensive set of laws addressing nearly all aspects of both civil and criminal offenses. Hammurabi is portrayed receiving the laws directly from Shamash the sun god.

Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions. Assyrian. This image marks a shift between solemnity and a more dramatic emotional display of an event. Ceremonial hunt in which the king, surrounded by protectors, rode back and forth killing animals that were releasted one by one into an enclosed area. Most of the creatures or people in this piece are viewed in profile except Assurnasirpal II, which would make him the centerpiece. Shows the lions in great detail but also allows the viewer to assume that he is a great leader and hunter if he is able to conquer such ferocious creatures.