Civilization

Definition:
A word of Latin language ‘Civis’ meaning citizen shows that the adaptation of developed
lifestyle by people living in groups is called civilization. An advanced state of human society, in
which a high level of culture, science industry and government has been reached.

Western Asiatic Civilization

Ancient Middle East, history of the region from prehistoric times to the rise of civilizations in
Mesopotamia, Egypt, and other areas. The oldest known urban and literate culture in the world
was developed by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia beginning in the late 4th millennium BC.
About 2300 BC a Semitic leader, Sargon I, conquered all of Babylonia and founded the
first dynasty of Akkad, which held power for about a century and a half. Sargon and his
successors were the first known rulers in southwestern Asia to gain control of the Fertile
Crescent as well as of adjacent territories.

Arts:
• Sumerian Art
• Babylonian Art
• New-Babylonian Art
• Assyrian Art
• Persian Art
Sumerian Art

History:
It is the art of area Mesopotamia, a land between two rivers called Euphrates and Tigris.
Sumerian art is the art that Sumerian people made. The Sumerians lived in what is now
southern Iraq beginning about 4000 BC. Sumer (also known as Sumeria) was responsible for
the earliest art of Antiquity. The Sumerians were the first civilizing people to settle in the lands
of southern Mesopotamia, draining the marshes for agriculture, starting trade, and establishing
new forms of ancient pottery

Art:
Sumerian art is dated between 539 to 3500 BC. Sumerian art is mainly about exploring and
supporting the relationships between people and the gods, and plants and animals. These
relationships are complicated, and so Sumerian art represents them in several different ways.
These people mostly focused on kings and queens, they worshiped lords for which they had
built temples. There were different factors that affect their art these were:
 • Social Factors
• Economic Factors
• Geological Factors
• Religious Factors
• Climatic Factors

Example:
• Statue of Sumerian Woman (Alabastor)
A statue of 3000 BC was very beautiful and astonishing. It was carved on Alabastor. It is a
statue of a woman. On the front both hands were held in the way of worship.

• Fragment of the Stele of Ur-Nammun

It was a relief sculpture. In it Lord Nammu was holding tools in the right hand and giving it
to the king. In it same figure has been repeated for religious purposes.
Ziggurats:
The ziggurat is the most distinctive architectural invention of the Ancient Near East. Like an
ancient Egyptian pyramid, an ancient Near Eastern ziggurat has four sides and rises up to the
realm of the gods.

• Ziggurat at Ur
One of the largest and best-preserved ziggurats of Mesopotamia is the great Ziggurat at Ur.
The Ziggurat at Ur and the temple on its top were built around 2100 B.C. by the king Ur-
Nammu of the Third Dynasty.

Babylon Art
History:
Located near the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), the ancient city of
Babylon began to grow in prominence after the fall of Sumer. One of their most powerful
leaders was Hammurabi (1792 - 1750 BC), a king who conquered most of Mesopotamia and
ruled Babylon at its height of power. He outlined a series of 282 laws that became known
as Hammurabi's Code

Art and Law:

Its art was dated between 1250 to 3000 BC. During this civilization laws were very important so
their art depicts laws and codes. The king Hammurabi had ordered very strict laws which were
called codes of Hammurabi according to which sinners were given punishments. In their art
they had shown laws by carving or by sculptures in relief.

Example:
• Stele of Hammurabi
In this picture Lord was giving a ring and baton. The depiction of body was just like
Sumerian’s in the form of cylinder. It was a relief sculpture. Instead of heavenly spirit it was
tried to show the lord an earth creature.

New-Babylon Art
History:
When King Hammurabi died, his successors had to face the pressure of the Kasita tribes, who
conquered the South around 1600 B.C., as well as the uprising of the South of Sumer and
finally, the attack of the Hittites, sent by Murshil I. After all these events, the first Babylonian
Empire began to fall, and the Amorite Dynasty was eradicated, causing the end of the first
Empire.

Art:
The characteristics of art in Babylonian culture are closely related to the construction materials
that were available to them. Stones were, of course, scarce but there was an abundance of mud
and clay. There is a well-known legend about a tall building known as “The Hanging Gardens of
Babylon” which seems to have been a building with a terrace which contained many plants. It is
amazing how these craftsmen managed to create such beautiful bricks in a process which they
perfected so that the bricks sparkled in the light of the sun. They mostly worked on tiles of
gates and streets. This art was done between 562 to 605 BC.

Example:
• Bull Design from Ishtar Gate
 In this Pictures of animals were made. Nature and strength of animals were enlightened in
this picture. The reason for making animals by engrossing tiles was to show the strength of
king.

• Lion from Procession Street

It is a picture of lion made on Ishtar gate. Depiction of roaring lion was the proof of high
level skills of maker.

Assyrian Art
History:
The history of the Assyrian people begins with the appearance of Akkadian speaking peoples
in Mesopotamia at some point between 3500 and 3000 BC, followed by the formation
of Assyria in the 25th century BC. During the early bronze age period Sargon of Akkad. Assyria,
kingdom of northern Mesopotamia that became the Centre of one of the great empires of
the ancient Middle East. It was located in what is now northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey.

Art:
In this art importance has been given to architecture. They have made tall buildings to protect
them from destined floods. They have made arches of different types ‘True arches’ in which
wedge shape bricks were arranged in circular shape whose number increased from inside to
outside, middle brick was called key stone. ‘True Vault’ in this bricks were arranged in slightly
circular shape which eventually forms roof. ‘Corbelled Arch’ this mihrab was made by arranging
bricks in ordered distance and these were used to close slightly circular places. ‘Corbelled
Vault’ by attaching corbelled arches a round roof was made which was called corbelled vault.
Art was dated between 612 to 1250 BC.

Example:
• Citadel of Sargon
20 to 99 miles away this palace was situated in Khurs-Abad. It has 200 rooms. Roofs of all
rooms had been built in the form of Barrel vault.

• Arched Gateway of the Palace

On both sides of this strong door pillars were made on which design with simple lines were
made.
 Persian Art
History:
The most successful cultures became empires with control over vast areas. One of the most
successful empires in the Near East, however, was the Persian Empire. The empire's lifespan
was from around 539 BCE to 651 CE. Persia was situated in modern-day Iran. The empire
spanned from Egypt to Turkey Persia, one of the oldest countries in the world, and one of the
earliest civilizations in the history of art, occupies the Persian plateau, bounded by the Elburz
and Baluchistan.

Art:
They had done decorated work on buildings. Pillar were very important in this art. Three
important parts of pillars were ‘Base’ it was mostly round and sometimes it was square it was
the lowest part of pillar. ‘Shaft’ the middle portion of pillar it was a cylindrical tall part. It was
mostly designed with lines or floral patterns. ‘Capital’ the upper most part of pillar was made
very strong it was influenced by ionic order. Work had been dated between 331 to 525 BC.

Example:
• A jar handle in the form of Winged IBEX
This beautiful handle design was obtained from Iran. It was made on silver with the carving
of gold.

• Armlet
 It is a jewellery of arm. It is of gold. Its delicacy and beauty depict the expertness of maker.

Budhist Art

Born in Nepal in the 6th century B.C., Buddha was a spiritual leader and teacher whose life
serves as the foundation of the Buddhist religion.

History:
He was born during the kingdom of Nepal, kapilwastu whose king named Shuddhod. Wife of
king, Maha Maya also called Maya, the mother of Gautama Buddha. According to
Buddhist legend, Maha Maya dreamed that a white elephant holding white lotus after
revolving around her entered her right side, which was interpreted to mean that she had
conceived a child who would become either a spiritual leader or a buddha. After 10 lunar
months, feeling that the time of birth was near, she was going to her mother’s house. While
she stood upright and held onto the branch of a sal tree (in the posture adopted by mothers of
all buddhas), the child came forth from under her right arm. Seven days after his birth (again, in
accordance with the destiny of the mothers of all buddhas) she died. The scenes of
the conception and delivery of Gautama Buddha are often depicted in art.
Life of Buddha:
Siddhartha Gautama, who would one day become known as Buddha ("enlightened one" or "the
awakened"), lived in Nepal during the 6th to 4th century B.C His early life was one of luxury and
comfort, and his father protected him from exposure to the ills of the world, including old age,
sickness, and death. The prince reached his late 20s with little experience of the world outside
the walls of his opulent palaces, but one day he ventured out beyond the palace walls and was
quickly confronted with the realities of human frailty: He saw a very old man, and Siddhartha's
charioteer explained that all people grow old. When he returned palace his father found him
sad. King arranged the marriage of her son with princess, Yashodhara who would eventually
bear him a son. Siddhartha was overcome by these sights, at age 29, he left his kingdom, wife
and son to lead an ascetic life. He had chosen a tree of peepal for meditation. During the next
six years, he practiced meditation with several teachers and then, with five companions,
undertook a life of extreme self-mortification.

Religion:
He taught that the path of good deeds had no end. Hindus found their religion in danger
because people prefer good deeds and started adapting buddhism instead if Hinduism. When
buddha died his followers spread his religion.

Sculptures:
During his lifetime buddha didn’t allow people to make his sculptures but after his death people
made sculptures with different symbols to show Buddha and afterwards, they made directly
the face of Buddha. There are two aspects of life of Buddha, one where he was a prince and the
second which depicts weakness and holiness.

Example:
• Fasting Buddha
After reaching enlightenment at Bodhgaya, Shakyamuni meditated and fasted for forty-
nine days. His status as a yogic ascetic who has ultimate control over his body. Other
characteristics that relate to his enlightenment. Eventually, he realized that mental
cultivation and insight, not bodily deprivation, would lead to enlightenment.

• Head of buddha
A round, youthful, charming and sweet looking face is a typical characteristic of the head of
Buddha. In this statue hair were sown in the form of bun.