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Ancient Near East

The Ancient Near East, an introduction

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The cradle of civilization
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Cuneiform
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Writing Cuneiform
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Cuneiform Tablets
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Cuneiform tablets: backstory
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Sumerian

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The Sumerians and Mesopotamia
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Sumerian art, an introduction
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White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk
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Archaeological reconstructions
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Warka Vase
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Cylinder seals
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Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar
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Standard of Ur and other objects from the Royal Graves
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The Standard of Ur
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Perforated Relief of Ur-Nanshe
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Ziggurat of Ur
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Seated Gudea holding Temple Plan
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Standard of Ur Get 6 of 8 questions to level up!

Akkadian

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Art of Akkad, an introduction
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Victory Stele of Naram-Sin
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Cylinder seal and modern impression: nude bearded hero wrestling with a water buffalo; bull-man wrestling with lion
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Victory Stele of Naram SinGet 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Babylonian

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Ancient Babylon: excavations, restorations and modern tourism
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Babylonia, an introduction
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The Babylonian mind
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The "Queen of the Night" relief
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Hammurabi: The king who made the four quarters of the earth obedient
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The Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi
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Kassite Art: Unfinished Kudurru
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Neo-Babylonian
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Ishtar gate and Processional Way
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Towers of Babel
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Law Code of HammurabiGet 4 of 5 questions to level up!
Ishtar GateGet 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Assyrian

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Assyrian art, an introduction
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Assyrian Sculpture
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Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II
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Lamassu: backstory
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Ashurbanipal hunting lions
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The palace decoration of Ashurbanipal
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Assyria vs Elam: The battle of Til Tuba
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Ashurbanipal hunting lions Get 3 of 4 questions to level up!

Persian

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Persian art, an introduction
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Persepolis: The Audience Hall of Darius and Xerxes
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The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia
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Capital of a column from the audience hall of the palace of Darius I, Susa
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Quiz: Ancient Near Eastern art

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Ancient Near Eastern art (quiz)Get 5 of 7 questions to level up!

About this unit

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Ancient Near Eastern cultures established the first cities, the earliest code of laws, and the oldest known writing which was used, not for poetry, but for bookkeeping.