WAKARA VASE (CH 2)

In ancient Mesopotamia, around 4000 BCE, humans began to domesticate plants and animals allowing them to organize communities rather than live a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. Because they had the basic components of a civilization with a stable food supply, people began to specialize in areas such as trade, manufacturing, administration, and art. Sumerian art was one of the first evidences of narrative art as seen by the Wakara Vase, from the Inanna temple complex in Uruk. The alabaster vessel, roughly three feet tall, is divided into registers to tell the story of a religious ceremony honoring the goddess Inanna. The vase’s reliefs are divided into registers to tell a story. The first register depicts water as a wavy line with a crop above. The next register is of ewes and rams depicted in strict profile, which was characteristic of the time. The crops and animals were necessities in the daily life of all Sumerians. The next band is of naked men carrying overflowing baskets and jars to present as a votive offering and the top band depicts a female in a horned headdress symbolizing the goddess Inanna. Inanna is depicted much larger than the man, signifying her importance. This is one of the first examples of hierarchy of scale, where greater size is used to emphasize power or importance. The layout of the bands signifies Sumerian society: Inanna has blessed the people with abundant crops and herds and in return they give votive offerings. The Wakara vase is the first known example of the relationship among the divine, humans, animals, plants, and water. Even in the earliest days of recorded history, there was evidence of social satisfaction with a select few afforded power and authority.
SPRING FRESCO (CH 4)
Before the period of ancient Greece there were three interacting civilizations occupying Crete, the Cyclades, and the Greek mainland. The