We can gain insight into the artwork of a culture by better understanding the stories they tell. Additionally, we can understand a work of art by understanding its iconography. To understand iconography allow us to ‘read’ an artwork. Look for characters found in these stories which connect to the images and objects from our class (Ex. Inanna, Ishtar, Gilgamesh, Osiris).
In a cohesive academic essay, choose one of the following ancient works of literature (poetry, mythology, religious texts) to read and respond to. These are some of the oldest works ever recorded, dating to around 2000 BCE. Some elements may sound very familiar; some elements will be very strange. Most of these works are fragmentary (some parts are missing), so doing additional research (like a Wikipedia search) is crucial to understanding these works.
Include a brief summary of the work. Include a few quotes from the text, so the reader can get a sense for the flavor and content of the work. Try to connect subjects of the stories to the artworks from our class. Most importantly in your response, what do you think of this work? How does this story compare to some of the stories we tell today? Can you relate to the theme(s) presented in this ancient work of literature? Try to connect subjects of the stories to the artworks from our class.
Choose one of the following literary works from the Ancient Near East and Ancient Egypt to write about in a cohesive academic essay
here are the sources my proffessors had given me.
The ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ is the longest but most rewarding. An epic (the 1st epic!) filled with adventure, heroes, monsters, a bromance, and a quest for ever-lasting life.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
http://www.aina.org/books/eog/eog.pdfLinks to an external site.
Ever lose your lover and wanted them back? Even if you had to go the realm of the dead to retrieve them? ‘The Descent of Ishtar into the Underworld’ is the story for you. The prototype for all future ‘to go to hell and back’ stories.
The Descent of Ishtar into the Underworld
http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/ishtar.htmLinks to an external site.
Have you ever been curious about how the world began? ‘The Epic of Creation’ is the Sumerian version of the story.
Epic of Creation
http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/enuma.htmLinks to an external site.
‘The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi’ is a story about an arranged marriage. Inanna isn’t so excited about it, at first.
The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi
https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~kdickson/inanna.htmlLinks to an external site.
Did you know that the earliest known author/editor was a woman? Her name was Enheduanna, daughter to Sargon I.
Hymnal Prayers and Poems of Enheduanna
http://classicalarthistory.weebly.com/library/enheduanna-poemsLinks to an external site.
Ancient Writings from Egypt
Ever wonder what happens when you die? The Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’ is a loose collection of texts consisting of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person’s journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife.
The Book of the Dead or The Going Forth By Day
Ancient Writings from Egypt
Ever wonder what happens when you die? The Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’ is a loose collection of texts consisting of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person’s journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife.
The Book of the Dead or The Going Forth By Day