Mesopatamia Flashcards
Ancient Sumer
Cuneiform writing
earliest form of writing
pictorial information
records of administrative acts and commercial transactions
Warka vase
found within the Inanna temple complex at Uruk
first great work of narrative relief sculpture known.
presentation of offerings to Inanna
Statue head of Inana
Warka Mask
from the Inanna temple complex, Uruk
Made of marble
Inana was the goddess of love and war.
originally had inlaid colored shell or stone eyes and brows, and a wig, probably of gold leaf
Is considered their Mona Lisa
Was stolen during Iraq War
White Temple, Uruk
Built high to reach the gods
probably dedicated to Anu, the sky god
In its central hall (cella), the Sumerian priests would await the apparition of the deity
Stele of the Vultures
Theme of warfare
A stele is a carved stone slab erected to commemorate a historical event or, in some cultures, to mark a grave
This fragment depicts Eannatum leading an infantry battalion into battle (above) and attacking from a war chariot (below)
more hands and spears than heads and feet
Standard of Ur
wooden box inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone
thought the object was originally mounted on a pole, and he considered it a kind of military standard
has a peace and a war side
depicted a battlefield victory in three registers. The narrative reads from bottom to top, and the size of the figures varies with their importance in society.
other side depicts a celebration after a victory
what is different in the Mesopotamia era?
civilization
writings
groundline
Gods
Eshnunna Statuettes
statues of worshippers
carved of soft gypsum and inlaid with shell and black limestone
represent mortals, rather than deities
if someone was wealthy enough, they could have a worshipper statue made for them
texts inscribed on some statuettes are specific prayers to the deity on the owner’s behalf
Bull headed harps
From the tomb of “Queen” Pu-abi
resembles the instrument depicted on the Standard of Ur
the hair and beard of the bull are of lapis lazuli, as is the inlaid background of the sound box, which features figures of shell and red limestone
Sound box of the bull-headed harp from tomb 789
the depicted creatures inhabit the land of the dead and that the narrative has a funerary significance
the sound box is a very early instance of the recurring theme in both literature and art of animals acting as people
Cylinder Seals
a cylindrical piece of stone engraved to produce a raised impression when rolled over clay
Found near remains of Pu-abi
a woman, probably Pu-abi, and a man sit and drink from beakers, attended by servants
Below, male attendants serve two more seated men
signified high position on society
used as a signature
signs of deliberate mutilation
copper
Akkadian ruler from Nineven
signs of conquering that ruler
To make a political statement, the attackers gouged out the eyes (once inlaid with precious or semiprecious stones), broke off the lower part of the beard, and slashed the ears of the royal portrait
Naram-Sin Stele
Victory stele
commemorates the Akkadian ruler’s defeat of the Lullubi, a people of the Iranian mountains to the east
He wears the horned helmet signifying divinity—the first time a king appears as a god in Mesopotamian art
Ziggurat, Ur
oldest preserved tiered temple platform
has three (restored) ramplike stairways of a hundred steps each that originally ended at a gateway to a brick temple, which does not survive.
Gudea of Lagash
His statues show him seated (Fig. 2-16) or standing (Fig. 2-17), hands usually tightly clasped, head shaven, sometimes wearing a brimmed sheepskin hat, and always dressed in a long garment that leaves one shoulder and arm exposed
Gudea built or rebuilt many temples and placed statues of himself in them. The inscription on this seated portrait states that Gudea has on his lap a plan of the new temple he erected to Ningirsu.
Gudea of Lagash (standing)
ll of Gudea’s statues stood in temples where they could render perpetual service to the gods and intercede with the divine powers on his behalf
his large chest is a sign that the gods have given him fullness of life, and his muscular arms reveal his god-given strength
built or rebuilt, at great cost, all the temples in which he placed his statues
has a temple plan drawn on a tablet on his lap. It is the plan for a new temple dedicated to Ningirsu.
The overflowing water jar Gudea holds symbolizes the prosperity he brings to the people of Lagash. In Mesopotamian art, normally only gods and goddesses are the sources of life-giving water.
Code of Hammurabi
Hammurabi, most powerful king,
reestablished a centralized government in southern Mesopotamia in the area known as Babylonia, after its chief city
Hammurabi’s laws prescribed penalties for everything from adultery and murder to the cutting down of a neighbor’s trees
nearly 300 laws
1st case of rules being written
lions gate
was made for protection
Hattusa
A life-size bronze-and-copper statue of Queen Napir-Asu, wife of one of the most powerful Elamite kings, Untash-Napirisha
solid bronze core inside a hollow-cast copper shell
the Elamite inscription on the queen’s skirt explicitly asks the gods to protect the statue
The queen wanted her portrait to stand in a temple at Susa as an immovable votive offering to the deity
The hands crossed over the belly may allude to fertility and the queen’s role in assuring peaceful dynastic succession
Palace of Sargon II
twisty halls with images representing the king
Guarded by Lamassu
Lamassu
Guards the gate to Sargon’s palace
large limestone sculptures
winged, man-headed bulls (or lions in some instances) served to ward off the king’s enemies
most have 5 legs so all legs can be seen from every angle
The task of moving and installing these immense stone sculptures was so difficult that several reliefs in the palace of Sargon’s successor, Sennacherib (r. 705–681 bce), celebrate the feat, showing scores of men dragging lamassu figures with the aid of ropes and sledges.
Palace of Ashurnasirpal II
A panel depicting King Ashurnasirpal II) and his retinue paying homage to the gods
northwest palace at Kalhu
glazed brick
applied lines and colors to a clay panel and then baked the clay in a kiln, fusing the colors to the clay
Assyrian archers pursuing enemies
relief from the northwest palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu
depicts Ashurnasirpal II’s archers driving the enemy into the Euphrates River.
represents accomplishments of the king
Ashurbanipal hunting lions
Palace of Ashurbanipal
In addition to ceremonial and battle scenes, the hunt was a common subject of Assyrian palace reliefs. The Assyrians viewed hunting and killing lions as manly royal virtues on a par with victory in warfare
Ishtar Gate
almost listed as a wonder of the world
consists of a large arcuated (arch-shaped) opening flanked by towers, and features glazed bricks with reliefs of animals, real and imaginary
Lining the processional way leading up to the gate were reliefs of Ishtar’s sacred lion, glazed in yellow, brown, and red against a blue ground
Nebuchadnezzar II’s Babylon was one of the ancient world’s greatest cities and boasted the biblical Tower of Babel. Its Ishtar Gate featured glazed-brick reliefs of Marduk and Nabu’s dragon and Adad’s bull
Persepolis
successors of Cyrus, Darius I and Xerxes built
Alexander the Great razed the site in a gesture symbolizing the destruction of Persian imperial power
The heavily fortified complex of Persian royal buildings on a high plateau at Persepolis included a royal audience hall, or apadana, with 36 colossal columns topped by animal protomes
Three columns with animal protomes in the apadana of the palace
there are 36 columns
the columns consisted of tall bases with a ring of palm leaves, 57-foot shafts with flutes, and enormous capitals
suggest that the Persian king had captured the fiercest animals and monsters to hold up the roof of his palace
relief carvings in Persepolis
represent processions of royal guards, Persian nobles and dignitaries, and representatives from 23 subject nations
Traces of color prove that the reliefs were painted
Shapur’s palace
monumental iwan, or brick audience hall, covered by a vault
he immortalized in a series of reliefs of him capturing a Roman emperor
The Sasanians were the last great pre-Islamic civilization of Mesopotamia and Persia
only 2 small windows, so very little light can shine in
