Whitewash was used to disguise the mud appearance. .
Akkad.
Victory Steele of Naram-Sin 75 40.
Naram-Sin defeats soldiers and they fall beneath him as he climbs to join the gods, who are represented as suns at the top of the mountain. He thinks he himself is a god, which is why he wears a horned crown of divinity. Hierarchy of scale is used to show his importance. .
Babylonian.
Stele of Hammurabi 76 30/43.
The sun god gives Hammurabi the right to rule and the code of laws. The beards symbolize wisdom, the god's is longer than Hammurabi's. Though their shoulders are frontal, they stare at each other directly. 300 law entries are placed below the grouping.
Ishtar Gate 76 47.
Glazed bricks cover mud walls of the city. Animals guard the gate to the city. Lions, dragons, bulls, etc. Crenellations give a warlike appearance to the gate. .
Assyrian.
Lamassu 77 45.
Human-headed animal, guardian figure. It has 5 legs (appears to be walking from the side, and standing erect from the front). It has wings, and beards to show wisdom. It is meant to ward off enemies. .
Lion Hunt 77 46.
Emotions are shown in animals, but not in humans. The lion represents the most fearsome of beasts, but the king defeats him. An act of power over nature.
Persian.
Palace of Darius I (Persepolis, Iran) 77 49.
Mud-brick with stone facing. Lamassu gates, stone walls, relief sculptures showing delegations from all parts of the empire bringing gifts to be stored in the treasury. The audience hall, or apadana, has 36 columns covered by a wooden roof; held thousands of people; used for the king's receptions. The columns have bell-shaped bases and lions/bull capitals.
VOCABULARY.
Apadana: an audience hall in a Persian palace.
Capital: the top element of a column.
Cuneiform: a system of writing in which the strokes are formed in a wedge or arrow-head shape.
Cylinder seal: a round piece of carved stone that when rolled onto clay produces an image.
Facade: the front of a building.
