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One to two weeks is the recommended time allotment for art of the ancient Near East. All the sections in this chapter are of relatively equal importance, although it is not uncommon to dwell a bit longer on the art of the Assyrians—because of the high quality of their artistic output—as well as on the art of the Persians, which foreshadows material that will be covered in the chapters on ancient Greece.

Explaining the symbolic meaning of scenes from ancient Near Eastern art is an important skill that students may find themselves tested on during the exam. For example, students should be able to interpret which figures are of greater importance in the relief Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute, and discuss the relevance of patronage in similar images.

This chapter introduces art that, for the first time, matches what we know about specific religions and religious practices. Much of this knowledge comes from the representations of the artworks themselves. Unlike the nebulous theories explaining prehistoric art, we know much more about the intended meanings of art from the ancient Near East.

Once students have completed the reading, conduct a class discussion (possibly a Socratic seminar) in which students discuss the importance of religion's influence on art in the ancient Near East. Possible questions might include:

• Was all art religious in intent in this region at this time?
  
  
• How did religion and secular authorities interconnect in this period?
  
  
• The Votive Statues from Eshnunna (p. 70) are entirely religious in origin. They were created to stand in the place of a worshiper, giving round-the-clock dedication to the deity.
  • What is the significance of their various sizes?
  • Does this reflect the secular importance of the patron for whom the figure was crafted?
  
  
• Gudea was a real man, but he gained the authority to rule from the gods that his people worshipped (p. 75).
  • Was he a god-king, like the Assyrian rulers, or viewed as a mere mortal by his subjects?
  • What artistic evidence can be found to support each side of the discussion?
  
  
• The Stela of Hammurabbi (p. 76) bears an inscription of Hammurabbi's laws, and the sculpture at the top shows the king paying tribute to the sun god, Shamash.
  • Does the authority behind these laws come from Hammurabbi or from Shamash?
  • How does the artist's depiction influence our judgement? (Hint: The imposing size of the seated Shamash dwarfs the standing Hammurabbi.)
  
  
• In lion hunting scenes from the palace of Assurnasirpal II (p. 78), there are images that seemingly have no religious content at all.
  • Were all citizens permitted to hunt lions, or was that the divine right of the king only? (The text does not offer an opinion either way, but you may wish to include images from Nineveh for comparison purposes.)
  
  

In summation, students will most likely find that the entirety of art from this period was religious in content or commissioned to serve a religious function (decorating a temple, for example). Rulers received their authority directly from their gods, a theme that students will meet again in their study of Egyptian art in Chapter 3.