The following summarizes what a student should have learned from reading each chapter of A History of Western Art.

It is assumed that students can identify all works by title, artist (if known), culture (or nationality) and time period, medium, and style. It is also assumed that students will look up and be able to define the bolded glossary terms. In addition, further examples of what a student should be familiar with are listed below.

After reading chapter 4, you should be able to:

1. locate the following on a map: Anatolia, Mesopotamia, Assyria, Akkad, Sumer, Elam, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, the Mediterranean Sea.
2. describe the evolution of cuneiform.
3. identify the major gods of the Mesopotamian pantheon and summarize the Epic of Gilgamesh.
4. compare the ziggurat with the Apadana. Explain the function and context of each.
5. compare Akkad and Sumer.
6. discuss the nature of the two steles illustrated in the chapter: the Stele of Naramsin and the Law Code of Hammurabi.
7. discuss the combination of naturalism and stylization in Mesopotamian art.
8. discuss the combination of human with animal form in ancient Near Eastern art.
9. describe the iconography of the Stele of Naramsin.
10. describe the relationship of form and function in the Lamassu.
11. compare the Assyrian and Persian Empires.
12. draw and label the parts of the Persian column and compare and contrast it with the upright stones at Stonehenge.
13. explain the political meaning of the bull capitals at Persepolis and of the lions in the reliefs of Assurnasirpal II.
14. discuss the nature of metaphor in the gold Scythian stag.