What You Will Learn about Ancient Near East

In Module Three we will examine the Ancient Near Eastern cultures with a focus on the Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria, Persia.

Learning Activities

The learning activities for this module include:

Introduction to the Ancient Near East

• READ: Key Learning Terms (10:00 minutes)
• READ: Ancient Near East: An Outline (30 minutes)
• READ: Ancient Near East (5:00 minutes)
• READ: Art of the First Cities in the Third Millennium B.C. Heilbrunn Timeline (10 minutes)

Sumer

• READ: Sumerian art, an introduction (5:00 minutes)
• READ: The Sumerians and Mesopotamia (5:00 minutes)
• READ: The Invention of Writing (5:00 minutes)
• READ: Cuneiform (10:00 minutes)
• WATCH: Writing Cuneiform (2:22 minutes)
• READ: Cuneiform (5 minutes)
• READ: Uruk: The First City (10 minutes)
• READ: Early Dynastic Sculpture, 2900–2350 B.C.E. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (10 minutes)
• READ: White Temple and Ziggurat, Uruk (10 minutes)
• READ: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Ur: The Ziggurat (5 minutes)
• READ: Ziggurat of Ur (5 minutes)
• WATCH: Standing Male Worshipper from Tel Asmar (4:48)
• WATCH: The Standard of Ur (8:49)
• READ: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History Ur: The Royal Graves (10 minutes)
• READ: The Standard of Ur and other Objects from the Royal Graves at Ur (10 minutes)
• READ: Perforated Relief of Ur-Nanshe (5 minutes)

Akkad

• READ: Art of Akkad and Ur (5 minutes)
• READ: The Art of Akkad: An Introduction (5 minutes)
• WATCH: Victory Stele of Naram-Sin (3:24 minutes)

Babylon and Neo-Babylon

• WATCH: Visiting Babylon (7:43)
• READ: Babylonia: An Introduction (5 minutes)
• WATCH: The Babylonian Mind (3:18 minutes)
• READ: The “Queen of the Night” Relief (5 minutes)
• READ: Hammurabi: The king who made the four quarters of the earth obedient (5 minutes)
• WATCH: The Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi (3:33 minutes)
• READ: Neo-Babylonian (5 minutes)
• WATCH: Ishtar Gate and Processional Way (6:50 minutes)
• WATCH: The Towers of Babel (4:20 minutes)

Assyria

• READ: Assyria, 1365–609 B.C.: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (10 minutes)
• WATCH AND READ: Assyrian Art: An Introduction (8 minutes)
• READ:  Nineveh Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (10 minutes)
• WATCH: Lamassu (5:09 minutes)
• WATCH: Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions (5:54 minutes)

Persia

• READ: Persian Art: An Introduction (8 minutes)
• WATCH: The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia (15 minutes)
• READ: Persepolis: The Audience Hall of Darius and Xerxes (8 minutes)
• WATCH: Capital of a column from the audience hall of the palace of Darius I, Susa (3:37 minutes)

Total: 6 hours and 51:57 minutes

Optional Resources

Extra links from Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History! Follow these if you would like to learn more!