Bachelor
2023/2024
Mesopotamian Art and Material Culture
Type:
Compulsory course
Area of studies:
Asian and African Studies
Delivered by:
Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies
Where:
Faculty of Humanities
When:
5 year, 1-3 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Instructors:
Ekaterina Markina
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
6
Contact hours:
60
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The Ancient Near East saw many developments in artistic and architectural styles that are deeply rooted in the everyday practices of the time of their emergence. This course offers an introduction to the material and visual cultures of the ancient Near East. It covers several millennia of the history of the region from the Chalcolitic to the end of the Iron Age, its primary focus being Mesopotamia and the Iranian and Syro-Anatolian highlands. The corpus of works under study includes examples of monumental architecture (royal palaces and temples), rock reliefs, steles and statues, cylinder seals, carved ivories, terracottas and ceramics. The assortment of raw materials that was used to create these artifacts and monuments, as well as the production technologies involved, will be sudied as well.
Upon completion of the course the student is expected to be able to
- Detail major periods in art history of the ancient Near East;
- Discuss materials and forms associated with ancient Near Eastern artwork;
- Understand how naturalism and stylization were combined in Mesopotamian art;
- Describe how animal and human forms were depicted in ancient Near Eastern art;
- Talk about Sumerian and Assyrian art and architecture;
- Relate how art of the ancient Near East reflected the political and cultural atmosphere of the time.