1. ID: Germany ~ 30,000 BC

2. The artist here depicted a creature entirely imaginary

3. value indicated by relative size and evident attention given to the piece

4. unknown purpose - possibly religious shaman (ev. by value)

1. ID: Austria ~ 28,000 BC

2. this is possibly a fertility image, as ev. by the exageratted anatomy

3. blurred facial features possibly indicate that this was meant as a representation of women in general in Paleolithic culture.

4. may indicate preoccuptation with heredity and survival

1. ID: France ~ 25,000 BC

2. Indicates a possible preoccupation with fertility, hereditary, and survival as evidenced by the exaggerated anatomy of this woman.

3. blurred features may suggest representation of all women in culture rather than a specific individual.

4. the profile / frontal composite view here is clearly used in order to grant the most clarity to the image.

1. ID: France ~ 12,000 BC

2. uses the natural contours of the rock face in order to suggest shape

3. continues the themes of Paleolithic depictions of women: preoccupation with birth and survival, ev. by the exaggerated anatomy, etc.

4. profile / frontal composite view is typical of Paleolithic art because it allows the image the most conceptual clarity.

1. ID: France ~ 12,000 BC

2. extraordinary detail in the depiction not usually seen before this time

3. the artist turned the head of the bison nearly a full 180 degrees in order to achieve a profile / frontal composite view because doing so granted the most conceptual clarity in the image.

4. demonstrates the preoccupation Paleolithic artists had with conceptual clarity, a preoccupation that artists would hold for thousands of years, sacrificing realism for iconic terms.

1. ID: Spain ~ 12,000 BC

2. the bison seem to float almost as though clouds above the heads of the viewers; there is no unity of placement, nor size, nor position, nor time, nor narrative.

3. the bison are in the familiar profile / frontal composite view (ev. by the horns), again, because doing so allowed the most conceptual clarity to the image, and the artists of the Paleolithic era were focused on clarity in the concept to the exclusion / detriment of other aspects of art.

1. ID: France ~ 22,000 BC

2. demonstrates another style of Paleolithic style, in which only the outline is painted onto the surface of the cave wall.

3. the horses are in the profile / frontal composite view in order to gain clarity.

4. the handprints are in negative cast as well for unknown purposes

5. the entire work is enigmatic.

1. ID: France ~ 15,000 BC

2. all the animals are depicted in the profile / frontal composite view typical of Paleolithic art for the sake of clarity.

3. some animals are colored in; others are mere outlines and semblances of shape.

1. ID: France ~ 15,000 BC

2. may possibly be the first narrative ever to be made in the history of art.

3. engimatic; purpose and narrative is unknown as is composition. 

4. all are depicted in standard profile / composite view for the sake of clarity.

5. may have been different artists who added different elements (ev. by the differing levels of detail used in the depictions of the three "actors").

6. atypical depiction of man, himself, in this artwork. Finally art casts off the shackles of woman.

1. ID: Turkey ~ 5750 BC

2. the first narrative to be clearly known in the history of art 

3. atypical Neolithic artwork depicting several men hunting

4. reveals changes in culture brought about by Neolithic revolution - more wealth, greater artistic chances, agricultural, hunting, organization, increased focus on human person, etc. 

1. ID: Turkey ~ 6150 BC

2. possibly the first landscape to be produced; may possibly be, however, a narrative if the event here depicted is a real event 

3. reveals Neolithic changes 

1. ID: England ~ 2000 BC

2. reveals the determination of Megalithic cultures

3. purpose is unknown; generally regarded as extremely accurate solar calendar. 

4. may have religious purpose as well 

1. ID: Iran ~ 1780 BC

2. artist experimented with foreshortening, a pictorial device to create illusionistic depth by placing objects at an angle to the picture plane (ev. by the man's beard) 

3. first written law code 

1. Turkey ~ 1400 BC

2. part of a tradition that would extend into Iraq and pre-Historic Greece

3. meant to ward off evil spirits and potential enemies 

4. constructed of stone - advanced technology relative to times

1. Iran ~ 1350 BC

2. the Queen meant this as a votive offering to the gods; to that end, the piece was constructed of extremely heavy bronze and copper because she meant it to be immovable and indestructible.

3. the above purpose is reinforced by the fact that she inscribed a curse upon the base against any who would move the statue.

4. the sculptor managed to convey soft feminine touches despite the harsh formal rigidity neccessitated by Sumerian preferences and the material; these are the folded hands and the slightly swelled belly.

1. Iraq ~ 700 BC

2. continue in the tradition of the Lion Gate of the Hittites

3. appear to be moving from the side (charging strength) but appear to be solid from the front (stability of Assyrians)

4. imaginary creature unlike earlier lion gates

5. demonstrate wealth, power, and artistic talents and concerns of the Assyrians

1. Iraq ~ 720 BC

2. Sargon II intended to build a massive fortress miles wide in a city he built

3. this showcased the militaristic nature of the Assyrian Empire, as well as its wealth, power, and architectural expertise.

4. demonstrates as well the pride of the Assyrian kings, who deemed themselves gods among men.

1. Iraq ~ 875 BC

2. here we see the still retained profile / frontal conceptual view used for the purposes of clarity, but that diminshes the overall optical realism of the depiction.

3. Unrealistic - the Assyrians are massive relative to their enemies, who sit in a castle in the middle of a lake, and they seem to float across the river - all this was done for clarity in the narrative.

4. low relief

1. Iraq ~ 850 BC

2. depicts the king hunting lions in an enclosed space

3. depicts the lions more naturalistically and more fiercely; however, this is only to emphasize the still greater power of the king who is killing them.

4. low relief

1. Iraq ~ 575 BC

2. blue glazed brick was extremely rare and costly in ancient Iraq

3. therefore, this work demonstrates the prowess, wealth, and power of the Neo-Babylonians who constructed it.

1. Iran ~ 500 BC

2. constructed by the powerful Persian Empire

3. meant to be a showcase of their wealth and power and artistic skill to foriegn diplomats and visitors

4. low relief

5. massive

1. Egypt ~ 3000 BC

2. one of the earliest examples of a historical artifactthat records the unification of upper and lower Egypt under Menes, also called King Narmer.

3. On the left side, the

Three Goddesses (Parthenon)

1. ID: Iraq ca. 3200 BC

2. exemplifies ziggurat architecture, which was a riased platforum utilizing a "bent-axis" approach

3. the ancients built this raised platform on which the temple sat because they conceived of the gods as residing in the sky; raising the platform several stories was an effort to be closer to them and hammer home the majesty of the gods.

4. one of the best preserved ziggurat structures

1. Iraq ca. 3200 BC

2. possibly a representation of the goddess Inanna, evidenced by the location it was found in.

3. would have been originally further decorated, as indicated by the grooves on the head, and was formerly attached to a wooden structure, as indicated by the slots

4. therefore, the piece was of great value, therefore needing a great motivation, which lends further evidence to the belief that it was a representation of the goddess Inanna.

1. ID: Iraq ca. 3200 BC

2. depicts men bearing votive offerings in three ascending horizontal registers to the goddess Inanna and her priest.

3. the goddess and the priest both exhibit the technique called hierarchical scale, in which importance is indicated by greater size.

4. the bottom register depicts cows, sheep, and wheat, the three trademarks of Sumerian economy

5. therefore, the vase reveals religious devotion and chief economic trade.

1. ID: Iraq ca. 2700 BC

2. the large eyes and clasped hands indicate a prayerful attitude and evidence a religious purpose. 

3. Furthermore, the large eyes may indicate a purpose in the afterlife because they may be wide to indicate the presence of the gods.

4. reveal the religious devotion of Sumerian economy

1. ID: Iraq ca. 2600 BC

2. depicts, in the typical profile / frontal conceptual view used for clarity, the king leading his disciplined armies to victory over his enemies.

3. the king exhibits hierarchical scale; he is much larger than his densely packed troops, who are depicted unrealistically but are exceptionally clear in their impression of large numbers of soldiers

4. motivated by a historical event

5. therefore, reveals ancient Mesopotomian artistic concerns