Near Eastern Art

November 20, 2008 · Posted in Artistic Styles 

Most resources I found deal with ancient Near Eastern Art and don’t really bother with present-day, so this covers ancient more than modern. The Near East is a large area, typically defined encompassing the region between the eastern edge of the Mediterranean to present-day Afghanistan lengthwise, and from the Black and Caspian Seas in the north to the southwestern Arabian peninsula widthwise. Some of the world’s most ancient civilizations got their start here, including Sumer, Assyria, Bactria, and Anatolia. The region was rich, with fertile lands and a surplus of natural resources. Surviving art from this time and area comes in the form of pottery, sculptures, carvings, and metalwork. In fact, some of the earliest known examples of metalworking and pottery can be found here. Also noted are their steles, pillars generally wider than they are tall that acted as a sort of tombstone, memorial, or commemoration of an important event. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an extensive collection of ancient Near Eastern art, featuring fine Sumerian bronzes, ivory carvings, and jewelry from the area/period. 

 

http://www.metmuseum.org/

http://www.asia.si.edu

www.wikipedia.com/stele

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