Show:
Title of Artwork
Type of Artwork
Artist/Culture and Date
Cultural Significance
Artistic Significance
100
With wide eyes confronting the gaze of a deity what sculpture was dedicated to the goddess Geshtinanna, the divine poet and interpreter of dreams.
What is the "Votive Statue of Gudea"
100
The "Bull Lyre", found in a royal tomb in Ur, was a sound box. What type of artwork is it and what materials were used to decorate it?
What is a lyre made out of wood and decorated with gold, bitumen, lapis lazuli and shell
100
The "Nanna Ziggurat" was an early type of pyramid created in dedication of the moon god Nanna. What culture built this temple located in what is now modern Iraq?
Who are the Sumerians (in Ur)
100
The sound box "Bull Lyre" is decorated with a sculpted head of a bearded bull created out of semiprecious stone lapis lazuli. What does the use of this material, imported from Afghanistan, say about trade during this period?
What is widespread trade throughout this region
100
In the "Standing Buddha", the robe is carved in tight, rib-like folds alternating with delicate creases to create a pattern of deep and shallow lines. What empire influenced this stylistic technique?
What is the ancient Roman Empire BONUS: Resembles the treatment of togas
200
The distorted physique of this sculpture goes against the idealistic depiction of pharaohs in Ancient Egypt. What is the name of this statue?
What is the "Colossal Figure of Akhenaten"
200
What type of art are the "Lion Capitals" of the Ashokan pillars and what are they made out of?
What is a sculpture in the round made out of polished sandstone
200
The "Palette of Narmer" depicts King Narmer on the left wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt and on the right wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. Possibly referring to the first time Egypt was united under a single kingdom, in what period was this palette created?
What is the Early Dynastic Period
200
The "Nanna Ziggurat" contains three staircases that converge at an imposing entrance gate atop the first platform in what is supposed to be what type of building?
What is a temple BONUS: Known as "the offering table of heaven" and "the waiting room of the gods"
200
Positioned to reflect the natural three-part layering of the landscape, the "Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut" was constructed on three levels connected by ramps and fronted by colonnades. What was unusual about the size of the temple in comparison to the tomb?
What is the reversing of the scale relationship from the Old Kingdom pyramids BONUS: The temple is larger and more prominent than the tomb
300
Located in Sanchi, this solid-dome shaped structure that derives from a burial mound contains relics associated with the Buddha. What is piece of architecture called?
What is the "Great Stupa"
300
In Elephanta a building dedicated to the god Shiva is impressive in its size and grandeur, designed along two main axes. The cross and back lighting resulting from the light at the entrance creates a sense of mystery in this building. What type of architecture is it?
What is a rock-cut cave temple
300
In what period was the "Lion Capital" created?
What is the Maurya Period
300
The "Great Stupa" is topped by a square stone railing symbolizing the domain of the gods atop the cosmic mountain. Enclosed is a mast known as the axis mundi. What does it symbolize?
What is connecting the cosmic waters below the earth with the celestial realm above it. BONUS: Anchors everything in its proper place
300
In the statue of "Khafre" the ruler is enthroned and protected by Horus who perches behind the king's head in the form of a falcon. Wearing a false beard symbolic of his kingship a sense of dignity, calm and permanence is created. How is this power represented stylistically?
What is the statue's compactness which projects a sense of unwavering power
400
This Mesopotamian stele depicts a ruler carrying an arsenal of weaponry and wearing a horned helmet claiming his divinity as an earthly ruler
What is the "Stele of Naram-Sin"
400
The "Standing Buddha", found in Gandhara during the Kushan Period, depicts him wearing a simple monk's robe, ushnisha which is a symbol of his enlightenment and the urna, a tuft of white hair between his eyes. What type of art is this?
What is a sculpture in the round
400
Created during the New Kingdom, around what date is the "Colossal Figure of Akhenaten attributed to?
What is ca. 1353 BCE
400
The "Cave-Temple of Shiva" is devoted to the Hindu god Shiva (auspicious one) who was seen as the embodiment of the universe. Thinking in terms of Buddhism and Hinduism, what type of individual was he seen as?
What is the Great Yogi who dwells for vast periods of time in meditation in the Himalaya
400
The figures depicted on the "Palette of Narmer" are shown with their heads, hips, legs and feet in profile to capture distinctive features while the eyes and shoulders are shown frontally. Shown in poses that are impossible in real life, if not perceptual, what stylistic approach is represented?
What is a conceptual approach to the representation of the human figure
500
At the height of the New Kingdom, this building was designed for funeral rites and commemorative ceremonies.
What is the "Funerary Temple of Hatshepsut"
500
The over-life-size statue of "Khafre" was made out of an unusual material imported from Nubia. What effect did this stone have?
What is an optical effect in the sunlight BONUS: Glows a deep blue, the celestial colour of Horus
500
The "Votive Statue of Gudea" comes from the capital city of Girsu where the Guit, a mountain people from the northeast recently defeated the Akkadian Empire. Around what year was this sculpture made?
What is c. 2090 BCE.
500
Scholars have argued that the "Palette of Narmer" was reflective of an Upper Egyptian ruler by the name of King Menes who did what?
What is conquered Lower Egypt and initiated the beginning of a single kingdom
500
In the "Stele of Naram-Sin" Akkadian ruler Naram-Sin is depicted as the largest person in this scene showcasing a military triumph. What artistic technique does this conform to?
What is hieratic scale BONUS: Relative size indicates relative importance