Art of Ancient near East - Essay Example

A tablet known as cuneiform was majorly used for this purpose to keep records of special events like marriage or even some form of certificate (Cunningham & Reich 345). Generally, the art is classified according to various historical periods the first of which is the Achaemenid Persian empire between 550-330 B.C where art was mainly carvings of animals and gods. This was followed by the Akkadian period between 2900-2350 B.C and art was done on a tablet almost resembling a cuneiform tablet done by the majority
population of Semites in the region.  The last major historical art development was in the 3rd millennium B.C, it was more civilized and in some cases, art was done on metal.

The items are preserved in museums like the metropolitan art museum consisting of pottery, bronze horse-like art, and even silver vessels.  The sculptures were not just for aesthetic purposes but were also for other purposes (Winter 432). For instance, we have looked at it as a way of storing information, and such information is likened by the author to current textbooks used in schools for educational purposes. Both Winter (543) and Stockstad (31) agree on pieces of art as being important sources of historical happenings. In the near east, they are used to depict civilization for example the improvement from utilizing wood to metal. The kind of art changed from horse carts and animal labor to a more improved form of transport in the near east. Art keeps evolving and is an important source of intrigue in different aspects.