Travel back to **ancient Mesopotamia—the “land between the rivers”—** as we begin a new AP Art History unit and explore how **physical setting, belief systems, cultural practices, and political power shaped the art of the ancient world.**
In this episode, Mr. Bruns examines four important AP Art History works:
🏛️ **#12** White Temple and its Ziggurat — Discover how Mesopotamia’s flat landscape and religious beliefs influenced the creation of monumental ziggurats and elevated sacred spaces.
🙏 **#13** Statue of a Votive Figure — Learn why these figures were created as perpetual worshippers and why those enormous eyes are so important to understanding Mesopotamian beliefs.
⚔️ **#16** Standard of Ur — Explore the connections between warfare, peace, social hierarchy, kingship, trade, and artistic representation—including the famous **hierarchy of scale**.
🪽 **#25** Lamassu from the Citadel of Sargon II — Meet the human-headed, winged bull that protected Assyrian royal spaces and communicated the power of the empire. And yes… we'll explain the **five legs!**
Throughout the episode, we’ll use an important AP Art History formula:
**CONTEXT → ARTISTIC CHOICE → MEANING**
We’ll also tackle the big question:
**How do cultural practices, belief systems, and physical setting impact art and art making?**
