ARH 2042 ART OF CIVILIZATION'S CRADLE
This course explores the artistic production of the region known as "The Cradle of Civilization", corresponding roughly to modern Iraq and Iran. It examines art and architecture from the dawn of urban life in the Neolithic Period; through the major empires such as the Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Achaemenid Persian; and the introduction of the Greco-Roman traditions in the Parthian and Sassanian Empires. It also examines the periods during and after the birth of Islam in this region, looking at the continuity of earlier traditions in the visual art and architecture, as well as the changes that accompanied new religious and political institutions. This course will draw upon visits to the collections of the Departments of Ancient Near Eastern and Islamic Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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