Ancient Mediterranean 3500 BCE 300 CE Unit 2 Chapter 2 Mesopotamia and Persia
Mesopotamia is the Greek name for the land between the rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in this case Often called the Fertile Crescent due to the land s rich soil Mesopotamia
First city-states First evidence of writing Oldest Mesopotamian temples Specialization of labor o o o Sumer 3500-2332 BCE Agriculture is under control so trade, manufacturing, administration, etc. is now possible This allows for complex, urban structures Rulers and priests directed activity Trade was essential to Sumerians because the land was poor in resources like metal, stone, and wood First narratives in register format How did the invention of writing change the formal characteristics of art making?
Warka Vase [Presentation of offerings to Inanna] c. 3200-3000 BCE Alabaster Uruk [modern Warka, Iraq] 3 ¼ high Narrative relief sculpture Pictorial field divided in to three bands or registers All the figures within a register share a common ground line The pictographs show a procession of votive offerings to Inanna The priest-king and Inanna are depicted as taller, which is an example of hierarchy of scale
White Temple and its ziggurat c. 3500-3000 BCE Mud brick Uruk [modern Warka, Iraq] Sumerian Approx. 40 high Subject Matter Formal Characteristics Function Context
Mud brick was used as there was no access to stone quarries. Walls were white washed with bitumen across the top for a protective layer. A bent axis plan approach was used [no straight-forward entry]. This required a visitor to walk around the premise before entry. A tri-partite plan for the building did not accommodate large groups, emphasizing the cella and breaking off to smaller areas on either side. The temple was located at the center of the city and was 40 feet above street level. This height might suggest nearness to the gods but also creates a more imposing and impressive effect as the temple would be visible above the defensive walls of the city.
Gypsum tablets were found in the temple and recorded temple accounting [Uruk had developed pictographs as a form of writing]. The Sumerians had many deities, mostly nature gods. Anu was the chief deity and the god of the sky, and to whom this temple is thought to be dedicated to.
Ziggurat a built raised platform with 4 sloping sides Generally made of mud brick because stone is rare in the area Cella central hall Theocracy a type of government where a god is recognized as the ruler and state officials work on the god s behalf
Female head [possibly Inanna] c. 3200-3000 BCE Marble Inanna temple complex, Uruk,Iraq Sumerian 8 high Inanna, possibly depicted to the right, was the goddess of love and war o The marble for this work would have been imported o Shell or stone may have been inlaid for the eyes, and there is evidence of a gold leaf wig for the hair Deities were believed to inhabit their cult statues after being animated by proper rituals. Fragments of old cult statues were even stored in the walls of temples.
Stele of Vultures c.2600-2500 BCE Limestone From Girsu [modern Telloh], Iraq 2 6 high Stele carved stone slab erected to commemorate a historical event or mark a grave Cuneiform wedge shaped written characters Hierarchy of scale and composite perspective are also in use
Statues of votive figures from the Square Temple at Eshnunna c. 2700 BCE Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone Eshnunna [modern Tell Asmar, Iraq] Sumerian Male figure 2 4 ¼, Female figure 1 11 ¼ Subject Matter Formal Characteristics Function Context https://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=dkmws9qj_1u
A votive is a gift of gratitude to a deity, usually in fulfillment of a vow. A grouping of these were found buried together beneath the temple floor at Eshnunna during remodeling. They hold cups in their hands for ritual pourings [libations] which were part of temple practice. Goblets were found in the temple complex at Eshnunna. Much like it was believed that deities inhabited statues, humans were also believed to be present in their statues. These would act as a stand in for a person in continual worship of a deity. Some of the statues found had donor names inscribed, but all features are generalized and human forms simple. These were not meant to act as specific portraits of the patron, but a generalized human likeness.
Standard of Ur, Peace From the Royal Tombs at Ur c. 2600-2400 BCE Wood inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone Ur [modern Tell el- Muqayyar, Iraq] Sumerian 8 x 1 7 Subject Matter Formal Characteristics Function Context https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =Nok4cBt0V6w
Standard of Ur, War From the Royal Tombs at Ur c. 2600-2400 BCE Wood inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone Ur [modern Tell el-muqayyar, Iraq] 8 x 1 7
Discovered within the Royal Cemetery at Ur by Sir Leonard Woolley in the 1920 s, the standard was buried amongst dozens of people [possibly a case of ritual sacrifice], golden beakers and bowls, jewelry, musical instruments, and chariots. Woolley gave the standard it s name, though it is now thought to have possibly been the sound box for an instrument. It is hypothesized that the standard reads as two parts of one narrative, from bottom to top. Either way, the narrative enforces the king s capability to rule in both war and abundance.
Bull-headed harp with inlaid sound box From the tomb of Pu-abi 2600-2400 BCE Wood, gold, lapis lazuli, red limestone, and shell Royal Cemetery, Ur, Iraq 3 8 1/8
Earliest known [preserved] hollow-cast statues First Mesopotamian rulers to call themselves kings, depicted with divine attributes Royal power based on loyalty to a king rather than a city-state How did this shift in power change the formal characteristics of art making? Akkad 2332-2150 BCE
Possibly depicts Sargon who founded Akkad. Oldest known large-scale work of hollow-cast sculpture [life size]. Once had eyes of inlaid stones, but was badly damaged, likely in an enemy attack. A mix of naturalism and abstract patterns. Head of an Akkadian ruler ca. 2250 2200 BCE Copper from Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq 1 2 3/8 high
Victory stele of Naram-Sin 2254 2218 BCE Pink sandstone set up at Sippar, Iraq, found at Susa, Iraq 6 7 high First time a king appears as a god in Mesopotamian art o The horned helmet signified divinity Hierarchy of scale and composite perspective o Naram-Sin is at the highest point in the stele, similar to Mesopotamian temples reaching to the heavens Landscape setting rather than registers to place figures along [breaking of horizontal registers] https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=192&v=oy79augzdni
Votive disk of Enheduanna ca. 2300 2275 BCE Alabaster from Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq diameter 10 Daughter of King Sargon and priestess to Nanna, the moon god of Ur. She was also a poet. First record of a known author, male or female. Enheduanna credited for building an altar to Nanna in his temple.
Ziggurat [looking sothwest] c. 2100 BCE Mud brick and bitument Ur [modern Tell Muqayyar], Irag 50 in height Three tiered ziggurat, in comparison to the one elevating the White Temple This ziggurat likely elevated a temple as well
Babylon 2150-1600 BCE Gudea of Lagash is a recorded patron and commissioned artworks of himself to be placed in temples he helped build [votive figures]. Loyalty to a city-state rather than a divine ruler re-emerges. Hammurabi formulated laws and helped establish centralized government. How did this shift in power change the functions of their artworks?
Gudea standing, holding an overflowing water jar ca. 2100 BCE Calcite from the Temple of Geshtinanna, Girsu (modern Telloh), Iraq 2 3/8 high One of nearly two dozen artworks depicting Gudea s portrait. Gudea was a ruler but chose to represent himself as an agent of the gods rather than a divinity. Overflowing water symbolizes the prosperity he brought to his people. Cuneiform inscription describes this piece as dedicated in the temple he built for Geshtinanna.
Statue of Queen Napir-Asu ca. 1350 1300 BCE. Bronze and copper from Susa, Iran 4 2 3/4 high Life size statue of Queen Napir- Asu, wife of Elamite king Untash-Napirisha This statue weighs 3,760 pounds a solid bronze core inside a hollow-cast copper shell o o Immovable votive offering in the temple where it was found The inscription on the shirt details the offering and wishes a curse on anyone who destroys it A mix of naturalistic detail and decorative detail
The Code of Hammurabi c. 1792-1750 BCE Basalt Babylon, Iraq found at Susa, Iran Babylonian 7 4 in height Subject Matter Formal Characteristics Writing Cuneiform: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1 26&v=HbZ2asfyHcA Function Context https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w5n GOHbgTw
Hammurabi was known for his war victories, but was also described as the king who made four quarters of the earth obedient. Hammurabi is shown with the sun god Shamash who wears a helmet with four sets of horns and has flames or thunderbolts behind his shoulders. Shamash hands Hammurabi building tools symbolizing divinely gifted authority to set and enforce these laws. This also depicts Hammurabi as a pious theocrat. The codex is the oldest surviving set of laws and features 3,500 lines of cuneiform detailing nearly 300 laws. o o o If a man puts out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. If he kills a man s slave, he shall pay onethird of a mina. If a married woman dies before bearing sons, her dowry shall be repaid to her father, but if she gave birth to sons, the dowry shall belong to them.
Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2iz83oizh0 Ishtar Gate (restored) ca. 575 BCE. Glazed brick Babylon, Iraq Neo-Babylonian
Assyrians ruled a wide range of land from guarded citadels. Record of military campaigns in a variety of relief cycles. These decorated palace walls. Assyria 1600-612 BCE
Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II c. 720-705 BCE Alabaster Dur Sharrukin, Iraq [modern Khorsabad, Iraq] Assyrian 13 10 in height Subject Matter Formal Characteristics Function Context https://www.youtube.com/watc h?v=2grvblkarsi
In the fortified citadel of Sargon II, these lamassu were placed at various entry ways. The composite beasts were intended as guardian figures and to intimidate visitors of the king. The moving of these partly engaged relief sculptures was such an undertaking that Sargon s successor had wall reliefs in his palace referencing the installment of the lamassu. Access to many important rooms in the citadel were within a bent-axis plan. Lamassu would have appeared to be in motion as visitors turned a corner seeing them frontally and then in profile.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=175&v=5vcldg1tdhc
Lion Gate ca. 1400 BCE Hattusa (modern Boghazköy), Turkey Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II c. 720-705 BCE Alabaster Dur Sharrukin, Iraq [modern Khorsabad, Iraq] 13 10 in height
Assyrian archers pursuing enemies ca. 875 860 BCE. Gypsum relief from the northwest palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu (modern Nimrud), Iraq 2 10 5/8 high
The Dying Lion c. 645 B.C.E. Alabaster panel from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal Neo-Assyrian
Lion hunts took place in controlled environments to protect the king and ensure his success. These were meant to express the king s power over the power of nature. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=349&v=j5iey4hapmq Ashurbanipal hunting lions 645 640 BCE. Gypsum relief from the north palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq
A very tolerant society, and ruled a multi-ethnic empire o They recognized the languages and administrative systems of the societies they conquered Capital of Achaemenid Persians was at Persepolis Persepolis was ruined by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE Persia 559-330 BCE
Cyrus overthrew Nebuchadnezzar and began rule over Babylon in 539 BCE. This cylinder states, in Babylonian cuneiform, that the Babylonian god Marduk aided this success, that the people held captive will be freed, and the temples of those people restored. Considered an early bill of rights as it ensures a freedom of religion and returns misplaced peoples to their homelands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqms5qqj2k0 The Cyrus Cylinder c. 539-538 BCE Clay Babylon, Iraq 8 x3 Achaemenid Empire
Audience Hall [apadana] of Darius and Xerxes c. 520-465 BCE Limestone Persepolis, Iran Apadana stairway Subject Matter Formal Characteristics Function Context https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= FFEE4cTCijs&feature=youtu.be
Darius I and Xerxes [successors of Cyrus] built Persepolis as a ceremonial and administrative complex between 521 and 465 BCE. Persepolis was atop a plateau and was centrally located in the Persian empire to protect the treasury. Guests approached through the Gate of All Lands and up broad stairways to the apadana, or audience hall. The hall could hold 10,000 guests and the tall ceiling was supported by 36 stone columns. Persepolis was ruined by Alexander the Great in 480 BCE as revenge for the Persian attack on the Athenian Acropolis.
Three columns with animal protomes, from the apadana of the palace Persepolis, Iran The columns of the apadana are 64 tall and supported cedar beams [the cedar was imported from Lebanon] The capitals on top of the columns were 7 tall alone and included protomes that depicted the head, forelegs, and part of the body of various animals back to back. The protomes supported cedar beams, imported from Lebanon. o o Animals included are lions, bulls, griffins, and composite bull with a man s head These may have been painted originally https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=233&v=mjxcta pdx3q
Reliefs on the terrace and staircases depicted a procession of royal guards, Persian nobles, and dignitaries from 23 subject nations o o These nations include Babylon, Egypt, and Elam Each dignitary is dressed in costume typical for their nation and bringing a tribute of a regional gift to the king These reliefs were painted originally Persians and Medes detail of the processional frieze on the east side of the terrace of the apadana of the palace Limestone Persepolis, Iran 8 4 in height