AP Art History Unit 2 Cheat Sheet: Ancient Mediterranean

Timeline Overview

Required Works at a Glance

Work	Region	Date	Medium	Key AP Feature
Palette of Narmer	Egypt	c. 3000 BCE	Greywacke	Hieratic scale, registers, composite view — unification narrative
Seated Scribe	Egypt	c. 2620–2500 BCE	Painted limestone	Unusually realistic; inlaid rock crystal eyes
Great Pyramids & Sphinx, Giza	Egypt	c. 2560–2490 BCE	Limestone/granite	Funerary complex; ka; oriented to cardinal directions
King Menkaure and queen	Egypt	c. 2490–2472 BCE	Greywacke	Egyptian canon; frontality; paired royal portrait
Temple of Amun-Re, Karnak	Egypt	c. 1550 BCE+	Stone	Hypostyle hall; pylon gateways; royal patronage of Amun
Akhenaten	Egypt	c. 1353–1335 BCE	Sandstone/limestone	Amarna style; religious revolution; un-idealized
Nefertiti (Thutmose)	Egypt	c. 1353–1335 BCE	Painted limestone	Sculptor's model; blue crown; Amarna context
Tutankhamun's funerary mask	Egypt	c. 1323 BCE	Gold, lapis, carnelian	Nemes headdress; uraeus; divine flesh = gold
Last Judgment of Hu-Nefer	Egypt	c. 1275 BCE	Papyrus	Weighing of the Heart; Book of the Dead; registers
Votive Figures, Tell Asmar	Mesop.	c. 2700 BCE	Alabaster	Perpetual prayer; oversized inlaid eyes
Standard of Ur	Mesop.	c. 2600–2400 BCE	Wood inlay	War/Peace sides; lapis lazuli; registers
Stele of Hammurabi	Mesop.	c. 1792–1750 BCE	Black basalt	282 laws; Shamash gives laws; hieratic scale
Lamassu, Dur Sharrukin	Mesop.	c. 720–705 BCE	Limestone	5 legs; apotropaic; Assyrian palace gate guardian
Anavysos Kouros	Greece	c. 530 BCE	Marble	Archaic smile; left foot forward; funerary marker
Peplos Kore	Greece	c. 530 BCE	Painted marble	Kore type; votive; traces of original paint
Riace Warriors A & B	Greece	c. 460–450 BCE	Bronze	Lost-wax casting; contrapposto; inlaid eyes
Parthenon, Athens	Greece	447–432 BCE	Marble	Optical refinements; Phidias; Panathenaic frieze
Nike of Samothrace	Greece	c. 190 BCE	Marble	Wet drapery; Hellenistic drama; naval victory
Augustus of Primaporta	Rome	c. 20 BCE	Marble	Adlocutio; divine descent; propaganda portrait
Colosseum	Rome	c. 70–80 CE	Concrete/limestone	Superimposed orders; concrete; 50,000 capacity
Column of Trajan	Rome	c. 113 CE	Marble	Continuous narrative spiral; 2,500+ figures
Pantheon	Rome	c. 118–125 CE	Concrete/marble	Oculus; perfect sphere interior; opus caementicium
Ludovisi Battle Sarcophagus	Rome	c. 250 CE	Marble	Horror vacui; Late Antique expressionism

Key Conventions & Concepts

Hieratic Scale

Size = importance, not spatial logic. The pharaoh or deity is always the largest figure. Used in Egypt AND Mesopotamia. Always mention this when describing multi-figure compositions from this unit.

Egyptian Canon

Composite view (frontal eye/shoulders, profile head/legs), left foot forward, arms at sides, idealized proportions. Timeless, not realistic — designed to function in the afterlife for eternity.

Archaic vs. Classical Style (Greece)

Archaic (600–480 BCE): rigid, frontal, Archaic smile. Classical (480–323 BCE): contrapposto, naturalistic anatomy, calm expression. Hellenistic (323–31 BCE): drama, motion, emotion, wet drapery.

Contrapposto

Weight shift to one leg creates S-curve through body. First fully realized in Classical Greece. Signals understanding of how a living body stands — marks the transition from Archaic rigidity.

Roman Concrete (opus caementicium)

Volcanic ash + lime + aggregate = incredibly strong, mouldable material. Allows barrel vaults, groin vaults, domes, and large interior spans impossible in stone alone. The Pantheon's dome is the supreme example.

Continuous Narrative

Same figure appears multiple times in a single composition to show sequential events. Column of Trajan wraps 23 times. Compare to Standard of Ur's registers — both tell stories, different formats.

Amarna Revolution

Under Akhenaten (c. 1353–1335 BCE): monotheism (Aten), capital moved to Amarna, art became expressionistic and un-idealized. After his death: erased from records, traditional style restored.

Funerary Function

Most Egyptian art functions in the afterlife — it must work magically, not just look good. The ka needs to recognize itself. This explains the persistent canon: consistency = reliability across eternity.

Superimposed Orders (Rome)

Stacking Greek orders for decoration: Doric (ground), Ionic (second), Corinthian (third) — as on the Colosseum's exterior. The orders are decorative (engaged columns) not structural (arches carry the load).

Common Exam Traps

Archaic smile ≠ happiness. The Archaic smile is a stylistic convention of c. 600–480 BCE Greek sculpture — not an indication the figure is happy. It marks the Archaic period, not the subject's emotional state.

The Lamassu has 5 legs, not 4. The fifth leg is visible from the front (appears still) AND from the side (appears walking). This is a deliberate design choice, not an error.

Nefertiti bust was never meant to be displayed publicly. It was a sculptor's model or workshop reference — not a votive or public portrait. Found in Thutmose's workshop at Amarna.

The Pantheon's dome material is concrete, not marble. Marble veneers the interior; the structure is Roman concrete. The oculus is the ONLY light source in the rotunda.

Riace Warriors are bronze, not marble. Bronze is rarer to survive (usually melted down). They survived because they were lost at sea. Lost-wax casting allowed naturalistic detail impossible in carved stone.

The Stele of Hammurabi is not just a legal document. The image of Shamash giving laws to Hammurabi is equally important — it legitimizes Hammurabi's authority through divine sanction. Always discuss both image and text.

Hieratic scale ≠ hierarchy of subject matter. Hieratic scale refers specifically to size-based importance, not thematic hierarchy. A pharaoh larger than a god would be unusual — typically gods > pharaoh > priests > commoners.