Week Two - Ancient Civilization

    In the ancient Middle East, the three civilizations that stood out the most were Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Nubia. Mesopotamia contained the fertile plain which was watered by the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Between 8000 BCE and 4000 BCE, the Middle Eastern region began to develop a system of agriculture. They were the highest producers of grain. Around 3500 BCE Mesopotamia and Egypt were strong competing economic forces. They had both developed systems of art and architecture. They represented both humans and animals in their work. They also were in the forefront of writing, mathematics, and astrology. The people of the Tigris River Valley also had a system of record keeping. They used clay tablets to write on, which can be seen today in some museums. These people also began organization system and had the first large-scale urban center. Houses in this region were usually made of mud and leaves. Assyrian structures were built with mud bricks and finishes were used to differentiate between the importance of buildings. Stone and wood were available building materials but weren’t used as much because they were more expensive. 

   Mesopotamian urban cities were used for ritual activities and were the center of agricultural production. Mesopotamia had constructed ceremonial gates with glazed blue bricks. Some highlights of architecture at this time where the White Temple and ziggurat at Ur. Although architecture was advancing, the concept of furniture was developed later. Mesopotamia received pressure from other civilizations at this time.

   Palaces at this time were very similar to palaces today. What made palaces so extraordinary was the amount of rooms and quality of artwork that decorated them. The sizes of these rooms depended on the length of timbers available. The longest timbers were used for the throne room. Some walls were coated with an extra layer of mud or plaster, or sometimes painted to show importance. The most important rooms had pictures carved into the walls and sculptures at the entrance. 

   The most famous artworks at this time were large gateway figures that were placed at the entries but were originally in the throne rooms. Most of these statues were the image of a human head placed on the body of an animal. These statues were also used to direct visitors throughout the palace. These statues were amazing to look at both far away and up close. The size of them and intricate details left people in awe. 

   The carved reliefs and sphinxes on walls told stories through the pictures they showed. Many of the pictures showed scenes of hunting, celebration, worship, and landscapes. The scenes often showed movement which made them more interactive to look at. Paint was also used as an outline and a strong decorative program in rooms.

   Assyrian furniture has not been preserved as well as Egyptian furniture has, but the knowledge we have of it can be found in the reliefs made at that time. They reveal how furniture was mainly wood or ivory with gold, silver, lead, copper, or iron. This furniture is known as the Assyrian Empire style. It consists of tables, beds, and chairs that are shaped like inverted pinecones. They were also sometimes decorated with bronze. 

   The Egyptian religion was based around death and the afterlife. Pyramids were built to hold tombs for the pharaohs. The pyramids had rooms with possessions for the Pharaoh to use in the afterlife. Some of these included furniture which is how we have the oldest surviving pieces of furniture today. The most famous pyramids were the pyramids of Giza. The pyramids were the tombs of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. The smaller pyramids around them were built for their wives. 

   During the New Kingdom era, pyramid building decreased as art and architecture developed. Ramesses II was a very active builder and helped the development of architecture greatly during his reign. He built the Ramesseum, which was a pylon temple with a hypostyle hall. His greatest structure was the Temple of Abu-Simbel. It was a structure carved from rock, which consisted of four statues of Ramesses himself. 

   Egyptian furniture was put into most tombs, which is why we know what it looks like today. We can see from reliefs that the furniture was based on a grid-like pattern. They are all very geometrically drawn. Furniture has a balance between geometric shapes and working with the human body. Egyptian furniture was comfortable for its time period, but quite simple compared to furniture today. It had little to no decoration.

   Pottery began in Africa around the seventh millennium. It was later introduced to Nubia. Nubia was located South of Egypt. Nubia was most known for its metals. It was ruled by Egypt for many years and the people served as mercenaries. The 25th Dynasty was when Nubia’s political and military control made it possible to overthrow the Egyptian New Kingdom. Nubia largely relied on the Egyptian artistic approach after coming to rule, but few excavations in Nubia today make it hard to tell. A lot of the artwork in Nubia, including pottery, contained geometrical designs. Nubia had influence on Egypt as well, and not only during the 25th Dynasty. The Ancient Civilizations all influenced each other, especially in the fields of art, furniture, and architecture.

One Step Further:

   One of my favorite architects is Frank Gehry. I love the abnormality of his work. His designs are unique and different. They bend and curve in ways you’d never imagine a building being able to bend. Frank Gehry was born February 28,1929. He was born in Canada, but his family later moved to Los Angeles. He studied architecture at the University of Southern California and city planning at Harvard University. He worked at several firms before establishing his own. He became more popular in the late 1990s. He was most known for the uniqueness of his designs. Frank Gehry received many awards including the Pritzker Architecture Prize.

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