AP Art History : Answering other questions about Near Eastern 2D art
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About Near Eastern 2 D Art
The Egyptian work of art shown here depicts ___________________.
a pharaoh being coronated
a priest performing a religious ritual
a man entering the afterlife
a god creating the world
a man entering the afterlife
The work of art shown here, known as the Last Judgment of Hu-nefer, depicts the scribe Hu-nefer going through the process of transitioning from life into the afterlife. Specifically, it is contained in a "Book of the Dead" that was intended as a guide for the dead individual to successfully make it through the steps that would ensure a progression through the underworld Duat to becoming an Akh, or blessed spirit.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BD_Hunefer.jpg
Example Question #511 : 2 D Art
The production of this text was most likely begun by ______________________.
the person with whom it was entombed
the command of the pharaoh for whom the man pictured worked
the communal work of an entire group of society
a professional artist seeking payment
the person with whom it was entombed
A Book of the Dead, in which this work known as The Last Judgment of Hu-Nefer was contained, was made specifically for the individual with whom it was entombed. In this case, the scribe Hu-Nefer would have made his personal copy before his death to make sure he was well prepared to pass through the afterlife. Although not a pharaoh or even a member of the royal family, Hu-Nefer still could only produce a personal Book of the Dead due to being an important and well-educated member of society.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BD_Hunefer.jpg
Example Question #512 : 2 D Art
This lamassu was placed in the citadel of which king?
Tutankhamen
Hammurabi
Nimrud
Shamash
Sargon II
Sargon II
This lamassu was placed outside the citadel of Sargon II. It dates back to 720-750 B.C.E. in what is today Khorsabad. These lamassus were placed at the gates as guardians and also bore the weight of the gates' arches. (Shamash and Hammurabi were figures in Babylonian history and myth, Tutankhamen was an Egyptian pharaoh, and Nimrud was another city in Assyria.)
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_headed_winged_bull_profile.jpg
Example Question #513 : 2 D Art
Where is this lamassu located now?
The Louvre, Paris
LACMA, Los Angeles
Museum of Natural History, New York
The British Museum, London
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia
The Louvre, Paris
This lamassu is now found at the Louvre in Paris, France. The lamassus are set up to be between an archway, as they would have been set up in King Sargon II's citadel. Some of the other museums mentioned also have Assyrian art on display, but not necessarily lamassus such as this one.
Image is in the public domain, accessed through Wikipedia Media Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_headed_winged_bull_profile.jpg
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