WORLD OF ART EIGHTH EDITION CHAPTER 16 The Ancient World World of Art, Eighth Edition Henry M Sayre Copyright © 2016, 2013, 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc or its affiliates All rights reserved Learning Objectives of Describe some ways in which prehistoric art reflects the social aspirations of early peoples Discuss the relationship between the gods and the people in Mesopotamian art Account for the stability of Egyptian art and culture Learning Objectives of Describe the growing technological sophistication of the river valley societies of India and China Explain the large size of so many artworks and cultural sites in the Americas Differentiate between Minoan and Mycenaean culture and describe how the Greek polis and its art differ from its Aegean predecessors Learning Objectives of Discuss how the art and architecture of Rome suggest the empire's power Compare and contrast Chinese militarism with Buddhist pacifism Introduction • In 1994, Jean-Marie Chauvet and friends were exploring caves in southern France when they came upon drawings of horses that featured shading, modeling, and perspective The drawings predate other known cave paintings by at least 10,000 years The cave is speculated to have been a ritual gathering place for early humans Wall painting with horses, Chauvet Cave, Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, Ardèche gorge, France ca 30,000 BCE Paint on limestone, height approx 6' Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles de Rhône-Alpes Service Régional de l'Archéologie/akg-images [Fig 16-1] The Earliest Art of • Small carved figures of people and animals were accomplished in an abstract style, such as the Woman from Willendorf These figurines may have served purposes such as guardian figures • Around 8000 BCE, humans began to domesticate animals and cultivate agricultural products; crafts flourished Woman (formerly a.k.a the Venus of Willendorf), Lower Austria ca 25,000–20,000 BCE Limestone, height 4-1/2" Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna akg-image/Erich Lessing [Fig 16-2] The Earliest Art of • Neolithic cultures along the Yellow River in China produced pottery with decoration Some motifs include "hands" and eyelike forms • On the Iranian plateau, stylized animal forms were found on ceramics An ibex with exaggerated horns is surrounded by decorative bands Basin, Majiayao culture, Majiayao phase, Gansu province, China ca 3000–2700 BCE Earthenware with painted decoration, diameter 11" Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Anonymous Loan, L 1996.55.6 Dorling Kindersley Media Library © Judith Miller/Doris Attributed to Apollodorus, Column of Trajan, Rome 113 CE Marble, height originally 128', length of frieze approx 625' © Vincenzo Pirozzi, Rome [Fig 16-31] Attributed to Apollodorus, Column of Trajan, Rome (detail) 113 CE Marble, height originally 128', length of frieze approx 625' © 2015 Photo Scala, Florence, courtesy of the Ministero Beni e Att Culturali [Fig 16-32] The Roman World of • During the Pax Romana under Augustus's reign, elaborate public works such as the Colosseum and Pantheon were constructed • The eventual division of the Roman Empire under Constantine was marked by the establishment of a new capital in Byzantium Developments in Asia of • Qin Shihuangdi declared himself "First Emperor" in 221 BCE • The Great Wall of China was built to discourage the Huns from invading Simultaneously, 4,350 miles of roads were built to connect the Central Plain to the edges of the empire • The Han dynasty followed shortly after the death of Qin Shihuangdi The Great Wall, near Beijing Begun late 3rd century BCE © Steve Bloom Images/Alamy [Fig 16-33] Model of a Multi-Storied Tower Eastern Han dynasty, 1st century CE Earthenware with unfired pigments, 4' 4" × 33-1/2" × 27" The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 33-521 Photo: John Lamberton [Fig 16-34] Developments in Asia of • Life in the Han dynasty survives through recorded poetry as well as ceramic models of domestic architecture from a tomb • Prosperity came from the expansion of the silk trade, the route of which reached Imperial Rome Lady of Dai with Attendants is painted with Han conception of the cosmos Lady of Dai with Attendants Han dynasty, after 168 BCE Painted silk banner from the tomb of Dai Hou Fu-ren, Mawangdui Tomb I, Changsha, Hunan, China Silk, height 6' 8-1/4" Hunan Museum, Changsha, China Developments in Asia of • Emperor Wu attempted to ally with the Huns in 138 BCE, but was held captive A bronze horse found in his tomb represents a type of horse he had admired during his time with the Huns • Elsewhere in Asia, the philosophy of Buddhism was taking hold Prince Siddhartha Gautama abandoned luxury to attain nirvana as the Buddha Flying Horse Poised on One Leg on a Swallow, from the tomb of Governor-General Zhang at Wuwei, Gansu Late Han dynasty, 2nd century CE Bronze, 13-1/2 × 17-3/4" Gansu Provincial Museum Art Archive/Genius of China Exhibition [Fig 16-36] Developments in Asia of • A stupa is a burial mound The Great Stupa at Sanchi was created to house relics of Buddha and related holy persons Pilgrims circled the stupa clockwise to put themselves in a harmonious state, symbolically walking the Buddhist Path of Life around the World Mountain The Great Stupa, Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh, India, view of the West Gateway Founded 3rd century BCE, enlarged ca 150–50 BCE Shrine height 50', diameter 105' © Atlantide Phototravel/Corbis Photo: Massimo Borchi [Fig 16-37] Thinking Back of Describe some ways in which prehistoric art reflects the social aspirations of early peoples Discuss the relationship between the gods and the people in Mesopotamian art Account for the stability of Egyptian art and culture Thinking Back of Describe the growing technological sophistication of the river valley societies of India and China Explain the large size of so many artworks and cultural sites in the Americas Differentiate between Minoan and Mycenaean culture and describe how the Greek polis and its art differ from its Aegean predecessors Thinking Back of Discuss how the art and architecture of Rome suggest the empire's power Compare and contrast Chinese militarism with Buddhist pacifism ... l'Archéologie/akg-images [Fig 16- 1] The Earliest Art of • Small carved figures of people and animals were accomplished in an abstract style, such as the Woman from Willendorf These figurines may have... ca 3000–2700 BCE Earthenware with painted decoration, diameter 11" Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Anonymous Loan, L 1996.55.6 Dorling Kindersley Media Library © Judith Miller/Doris Beaker... 13, 1934 Mesopotamian Cultures of • The Law Code of Hammurabi is an upright stone slab carved with 282 "articles" of decisions and decrees At the top, Hammurabi receives blessings from the sun