Fall 2015

ARTS XXX: Ancient Near Eastern Art

Dr. Fischer, Assistant Professor of Art History

Department of Art, College of Fine Arts and Communication, Lamar University
Classroom: Dishman 101
Class Time: XXX
Office: Dishman 202A
Office Hours: XXX
Email: julia.fischer@lamar.edu
Office Phone: 409-880-7784 (the best way to contact me is via email)
INTRODUCTION
The art of the ancient Near East has been in the headlines, as ISIS destroys entire sites,
monuments, and artifacts. Why should we care? Because it was in ancient Mesopotamia, the
heartland of modern military conflicts, that some of the first answers emerged to the following
questions: What does god look like? How should a king appear to his subjects? What is the
relation between humans and animals? How are stories told through images?
These questions and many others will be explored in this course. We will survey the world of
ancient Mesopotamia and Anatolia: its settlements, temples, palaces, monumental arts,
metalwork, and ceramics, among many other works. We will do so in close connection to the
political, social, and religious contexts in which the material culture emerged. We will also
consider the modern context of the ancient Near East, and the ways in which its cultural
heritage is now at the crux of military and political confrontations. How can this ancient culture
be protected?
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
Course prerequisites for ARTS XXX include ARTS 1303, ARTS 1304, and ARTS 2305, all three
with a letter grade of C or better. Art majors are required to follow the prescribed sequence of
courses. The letter grade C will be the minimum prerequisite grade for continuing studio
courses in sequence.
ARTS XXX will encompass a study of the visual arts, primarily sculpture, painting, and
architecture, both secular and religious, of the ancient Near East. A historical and cultural
background will be provided to lay a contextual groundwork for the more specific information of
the works of art and architecture. The material will begin with the examination of ancient
Mesopotamia starting with Sumerian art, proceed with the works of the ancient Akkadians,
Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians, among many others. The class will be held in a lecture
format, with discussions of articles on a weekly basis. In addition, three particular days will be
completely devoted to the discussion of selected current topics.

Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015

As contextualization of visual culture is a primary methodological approach of this class, we will

discuss the works of art within their cultural contexts examining closely the political, social,
religious, and economic spheres that helped define the direction of the visual arts in Asia.
You will be expected to show an introductory understanding of the art of the ancient Near East.
Specifically, you will be expected to:
Recognize and identify major monuments of the three artistic traditions discussed in
this class.
Recognize the basic characteristic forms, style, and iconography of the art from the
periods we cover.
Utilize works of art to better understand the social, cultural, and economic realities of
the historical eras.
Use critical thinking skills in order to interpret, analyze, and assess works of art based
upon formal concerns, iconography, and historical context.
Improve visual literacy and to employ art historical terms.
Be able to demonstrate the ways in which these monuments function within their
cultural, historical, religious, and economic contexts
Assess and evaluate the mutual influences between the visual art of Asia

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
Henri Frankfort, The Art and Architecture of the Ancient Near East
Other articles and essays will be posted on Blackboard in the folder called READINGS.
The reading assignments are listed in the Class Schedule. However, lectures always include
additional information that you will be expected to know on your exams. In other words, the
book is by no means a substitute for attending class.
BLACKBOARD
This course has a Blackboard component which can be accessed through your https://
my.wip.lamar.edu/ account. On Blackboard, there are links to required readings and essential
materials such as the syllabus, handouts, powerpoints, assignment dropbox, and
announcements. Any changes to the schedule will be announced in class and/or via email.
You are responsible for checking your Lamar email account AND Blackboard on a regular
basis!
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Your grade will be based on FIVE weighted evaluations:
1.)!
Exams (3): 45%
2.)!
Attendance and Participation: 15%
3.)!
Research Paper: 20%
4.)!
Short Papers: 20%
The grading scale I employ is a traditional 100% system: A = 90-100%, B = 80-89%, C =
70-79%, D = 60-69%, F = 59% and below. All of your grades will be posted on Blackboard.

Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015

Three exams will be given in this course (see Class Schedule for the dates). Study guides
will be posted on Blackboard about a week prior to the exam. The exams are not cumulative.
That is, each exam only covers the information from that part of the course. However, be aware
that in this field the student is building up a comprehensive set of ideas that must be brought to
bear on any given exam. Thus concepts and vocabulary will be in use and tested throughout
the semester. Exams will consist of some or all of the following: slide identification, slide
comparisons, long essays, terms, and unknowns.
There will be no make-up exams unless an extremely unusual circumstance prevents you from
taking the testand even then only if you have contacted me before the test and can provide
appropriate documentation. If you are granted and excused an absence for the exam (due to
serious illness, for example, or a car accident or death in the family), the make-up exam will be
a different format than the regular exams. It is your responsibility to request and make an
appointment for a make-up exam if you are granted an excused absence. Students who miss
an exam without being excused will receive a zero.
This course also requires you to write a short 5-6 page research paper. A list of possible
objects and topics will be posted on Blackboard, though you can certainly choose from outside
the list. More instructions on this assignment will be given in class.
LATE WORK POLICY: Students are expected to submit all work at the specified times. For
every day that a paper is late, 15% of the assignment grade will be subtracted. For example, a
paper that would have received a 100 would receive a 85, and so on.
Finally, Attendance and Participation are worth 15% of your overall final grade. Throughout
the semester, you are expected to participate in class discussions. Attendance is crucial to your
success in the course. The following Department of Art policies apply to missed classes. Three
unexcused absences will automatically result in a lowered letter grade. After that, the course
letter grade will be lowered half a letter grade for each additional absence. Please be advised of
the following Department of Art policies apply to missed classes: three absences will
automatically result in a lowered letter grade. After that, the course letter grade will be
lowered half a letter grade for each additional absence. Students will be marked present if
present at time of attendance taking, marked tardy if attending the class late but within the first
half of the class, and absent if arrival is after class midpoint or student is not present. Two
tardies are the equivalent of an absence.
In order to be prepared for class discussions, you are responsible for turning in a series of short,
one-page papers based on the readings. Please see the schedule for due dates. More
instructions will be posted on Blackboard.
Be aware that sleeping in class will translate to a day of absence. Please take note that
talking, note-passing, texting and checking your phone, using your laptop for anything except
taking notes, will all negatively affect your participation grade. If the instructor catches a student
using the internet during class, that will equal a day of absence. Class time is not time to
check facebook, email, and do work for other classes! Also, you must first get permission
from the instructor to use your laptop during class.
IMPORTANT DATES: Mark these in your planner immediately!
Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015

Exam 1:
Exam 2:
Exam 3:
Research Paper:
Short Papers:
Last day to drop or withdraw from the course WITHOUT academic penalty:
Last day to drop or withdraw from the course WITH academic penalty:

CLASS ETIQUETTE AND DECORUM

You are expected to arrive on time and not disturb those around you with private chatter, doing
work for other classes, answering cell phone calls, texting, or playing games. No eating or
drinking in the classrooms. All cell phones must be turned completely off when you enter the
classroom. Students who participate in disruptive and inappropriate behaviors will be asked to
leave the class. If you intend to take notes on your laptop, please respect the decorum of the
classroom by not working on other assignments or playing games, updating your facebook
status, etc. This is disrespectful not only to the professor but especially to those around you
who are engaged in the class. Falling asleep, surfing the internet, disrupting class, and
disrespectful behavior towards the class or the instructor will negatively affect your final grade.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
All students are expected to familiarize themselves with all university policies pertaining to
academic performance and conduct. As stated in the Lamar Student Handbook, all students
should maintain complete honesty and integrity in their academic experiences. In this course,
disciplinary action will be brought against any student found guilty of academic dishonesty
including, but not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work to be
submitted, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. Cheating, plagiarism,
collusion, and the abuse of resource materials are defined on page 82 of the Student
Handbook. In addition, by University policy, a student cannot avoid any penalty for cheating set
forth by the instructor in a course syllabus by dropping the course. Procedures for disciplinary
action due to academic dishonesty shall be the same as in other violations of the Student Code
of Conduct (see Student Handbook) except that all academic dishonesty cases shall first be
considered and reviewed by the faculty member. The process of appeal is located in the
Student Handbook available online.
The course instructor will complete a thorough and impartial investigation of any instance of
academic dishonesty. A student found guilty of academic dishonesty will be notified in writing by
the instructor of the violation, the penalty, and the students right to appeal the determination of
dishonesty and/or the sanction imposed. Penalties for academic dishonesty in this course will
result in either a lowered letter grade or failure of the course as determined by the instructor.
Any occurrences of cheating and/or plagiarism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent
possible.
Disability Resource Center (DRC)
Lamar University is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for all
students. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) is located in the Communications building room
105. Office staff collaborate with students who have disabilities to provide and/or arrange
reasonable accommodations. If you have, or think you may have, a disability (e.g., mental
Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015

health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory, or physical), please contact the DRC at
409-880-8347 or drc@lamar.edu to arrange a confidential appointment with the Director of the
DRC to explore possible options regarding equitable access and reasonable accommodations.
If you are registered with DRC and have a current letter requesting reasonable
accommodations, we encourage you to contact your instructor early in the semester to review
how the accommodations will be applied in the course.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Many types of emergencies can occur on campus; instructions for severe weather or violence/
active shooter, fire, or chemical release can be found at: http://www.lamar.edu/about-lu/
administration/risk-management/index.html.
Following are procedures for the first two:
SEVERE WEATHER

Follow the directions of the instructor or emergency personnel.

Seek shelter in an interior room or hallway on the lowest floor, putting as many walls
as

possible between you and the outside.

If you are in a multi-story building, and you cannot get to the lowest floor, pick a
hallway in

the center of the building.

Stay in the center of the room, away from exterior walls, windows, and doors.
VIOLENCE/ACTIVE SHOOTER (CADD)
CALL - 8-3-1-1 from a campus phone (880-8311 from a cell phone).
AVOID - if possible, self-evacuate to a safe area outside of the building. Follow the
directions of police officers.
DENY - Barricade the door with desks, chairs, bookcases, or any other items. Move to
a place inside the room where you are not visible. Turn off the lights and remain quiet.
Remain in side there until told by police it is safe.
DEFEND - Use chairs, desks, cell phones, or whatever is immediately available to
distract and/or defend yourself and others from attack.
CAMPUS CLOSURE (ACADEMIC CONTINUITY PLAN)
In the event of campus closure and evacuation due to a hurricane or other disaster, this course
will continue in an online format until campus reopens. After four days of closure (for evacuation
and relocation), please login to the courses page on Blackboard for class instructions. Lamar
will communicate through Blackboard, your official Lamar email address, and the university
webpage (www.Lamar.edu). These efforts will allow you to complete the course and semester
on time.
IMPORTANT: An impending graduation date or scholarship which requires the maintenance of
a particular GPA, or the GPA requirement for admission to an academic program of study will
not earn you a passing grade in this course. While it does seem to be the trend nowadays,
there will be no negotiation of changing a final grade you will meet with no success. I
do not give grades your grade will be evaluated solely on the scores you earn on your
exams and assignments. While I am happy to meet with you to help you find ways to improve
your scores, do not wait until the end of term to contact me as this will almost certainly be

Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015

too late. If you believe I have made a mistake in my calculations, please contact me, and I will
be happy to review your grade.
This syllabus is an agreement between the professor and student to respectively provide and
complete a worthy learning experience. By remaining a registered student in this course, the
student has identified their understanding of the obligations set forth in this syllabus for
satisfactory completion of the course.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Date

Topic

Assignment

Lecture 1

An Introduction to the Ancient

Near East: Geographic and
Cultural Overview

Lecture 2

The Protoliterate Period

Frankfort, 17-37

Lecture 3

The Sumerians Part I

Frankfort, 39-82

Lecture 4

SHORT PAPER #1 DUE

Bahrani, Z., Performativity and

the image: narrative,
representation, and the Uruk
Vase, in Leaving no stones
unturned: essays on the ancient
Near East and Egypt in honor of
Donald P. Hansen edited by E
Ehrenberg, 15-22

The Sumerians Part II

Discussion 1

Iraq, Looting, and Art

SHORT PAPER #2 DUE

Iraqs cultural heritage:

monuments, history, and loss,
Art Journal (2003) 10-17
Bring in three news items about
looting and destruction in Iraq

Lecture 5

The Akkadians

Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015

Frankfort, 83-91

Date
Lecture 6

Topic
Gudea and the Kassites

Assignment
Frankfort, 93-130
Winter, Irene J. The eyes have
it: votive statuary, Gilgameshs
axe, and cathected viewing in
the ancient Near East, in
Visuality Before and Beyond the
Renaissance edited by R.
Nelson, 22-44

Lecture 7

Babylon

Bahrani, Z. The Babylonian

visual image in The Babylonian
World edited by G. Leick,
155-70

Screening: Forgotten Empires:

The Mesopotamian Kingdom
EXAM 1
Lecture 8

Assyrian Art Part I

Frankfort, 131-142

Lecture 9

Assyrian Art Part II

Frankfort, 143-199

Lecture 10

The Neo-Babylonians

Frankfort, 200-205

Lecture 11

SHORT PAPER #3 DUE

Franfort, 207-238

The Hittites

Bonatz, D., The divine image of

the king: religious representation
of political power in the Hittite
Empire, in Representations of
Political Power: Case Histories
from Times of Change and
Dissolving Order in the Ancient
Near East edited by M. Heinz
and M.H. Feldman, 111-136

The Levant in the Second

Millennium BCE

Frankfort, 239-278

Lecture 12

Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015

Date
Lecture 13

Topic
Aramaeans and Phoenicians in
Syria

Assignment
Frankfort, 279-332
Winter, I. Art as evidence for
interaction between the Assyrian
Empire and North Syria in
Mesopotamien und seine
Nachbarn, 355-382

Discussion 2

SHORT PAPER #4 DUE

ISIS and Syria

Bring in three news items about

ISIS destruction of art and
monuments in Syria

Screening: TBD
EXAM 2
Lecture 14

Early Persia

Frankfort, 333-378

Lecture 15

SHORT PAPER #5 DUE

Root, M., Circles of artistic

programming: strategies for
studying creative process at
Perseopolis, in Investigating
artistic environments in the
ancient Near East edited by A.
Gunter, 115-139

Achaemenid Persia

Lecture 16

Sasanian Persia

Canepa, M. Technologies of
memory in early Sasanian Iran:
Achaemenid sites and Sasanian
identity, AJA (201)): 563-596

Lecture 17

The Emergence of Islamic Art

Flood, F. Faith, religion, and

the material culture of early
Islam, in Byzantium and Islam:
Age of Transition, edited by H.
Evans, 244-257

Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015

Date
Discussion 3

Topic
SHORT PAPER #6 DUE
Archaeology in Iran

Assignment
Kamyar Abdi, Nationalism,
Politics, and the Development of
Archaeology in Iran, American
Journal of Archaeology (2001):
51-76
Bring in names and info for
three archaeologists/teams
throughout history who have
working in the Near East

Screening: Engineering an
Empire: The Persians
EXAM 3

Ancient Near Eastern Art - Fall 2015