Art of the Ancient Near East

Mesopotamia

“Land between the Rivers””

The Ancient Fertile Crescent

“The Cradle of Civilization”

Effects of cities

• Cities bring massive changes to human life• Alter physical environment (agricultures, slash and burn, ziggurats) • New means of transport (wheel, sailboat) need generated by lack

of natural resources• Metallurgy new use for metals (tools, weapons): the beginning of

Bronze Age• Human organization and structure changes (governments)• Division into social classes (royal, religious, landholding)• Specialization (scribes, artisans, traders, warriors, farmers)• Record keeping needed lead to development of language and writing

Mesopotamian Civilizations

• Sumerian*– 5000 - 3000 B.C.E.– Gilgamesh, Ur, Uruk [Southern Iraq]

• Akkadian– 2400-2100 B.C.E.– Sargon I aka Nimrod, Babylon, Ninevah [central]

• Assyrian– 2000-1500 B.C.E. / 1500-1000 B.C.E. [Northern]

• Babylonian*– 1800-1300 B.C.E. / 700-500 B.C.E.– Hammurabi to Nebuchadnezzer [Central Iraq]

Santa Anna Never Baked A Nutty Pancake

• Sumerian • Akkadian• Neo-Sumerian• Babylonians• Assyrian• Neo-Babylonians• Persians

Rise of Sumer

• Migration of Sumerians to Mesopotamia (4000 B.C.E.)• Opportunity and need combine to create city• Challenges of river valley (floods and farming create need for

irrigation)• Lack of natural resources encourages long distance trade• Need for protection and aggression results in disputes over

resources• Age of warring cities (Ur, Uruk, Lagash, Nippur) 3300 - 2350

B.C.E.• Creation of the first empires (control of other lands and people) • Eventual creation of city-states and unified empires

Sumerians

Ziggurat at Ur

Temple

“Mountain of the Gods”

Sumerian Religion - Polytheistic

Enki Innana

Anthropomorphic

Gods

Mesopotamian Trade

“The Cuneiform World”

Cuneiform: “Wedge-Shaped” Writing

White Temple and Ziggurat at Uruk, c. 3200-3000 BCE

use of mud brick/ desire for monumental architecture/ celestial orientation/ cella

Ziggurat at Ur (modern day Iraq), c.2100-2050 BCE

Statuettes from the Temple of Abu at Eshnunna (Tell Asmar), c. 2700-2600 BCE, gypsum

stylization of physical types/ hypnotic gaze

Above: Impression from a Sumerian cylinder seal,

c.2500 BCELeft:Seated Statuette of Urnanshe, from the Ishtar

temple at Mari (modern Tell Hariri, Syria), c. 2600-2500 BCE, gypsum

Left: Soundbox of a Sumerian lyre (Ur, Iraq), c. 2600 BCE

Below: Lyre from Sumerian Royal Cemetery (Ur, Iraq), c. 2600 BCE

Standard of Ur (Ur), c. 2700 BCE

Contrast between war and peace/ use of registers to depict a narrative/ discoveries from royal Sumerian graves/ depiction of

human figures/ lapis lazuli (Blue Stone)

“War side” of the Standard of Ur

“Peace side” of the Standard of Ur”

War side of the Standard of Ur, from Tomb 779, Royal Cemetery, Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq, ca.

2600 BCE. Wood inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone, 8” x 1’ 7”.

Peace side of the Standard of Ur

Sumerian Innovations

• Wheel [from pottery wheel]• Cuneiform• Astronomers• Arithmetic base of 10 and 6• Clock of 60 seconds, minutes, 12 hours, 12 months• Military formations• Codified law /administration [govt]• Agriculture and irrigation• Wheat, barley, sheep, cattle

Akkadian Empires

The First Empire

Sargon of Akkad:The World’s First Empire [Akkadians]

Head of an Akkadian ruler, from Nineveh

(modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 2250–

2200 BCE. Copper, 1’ 2 3/8” high.

Victory stele of Naram-Sin,

from Susa, Iran, 2254–2218 BCE. Pink sandstone,

6’ 7” high.

use of a stele to commemorate a victory/ Sargon of Akkad and Naram Sin/ hierarchical proportion/ organization of

figures/ incorporating landscape

Victory Stele of Naram-Sin (from Susa, Iran), 2254-2218

BCE, pink sandstone

Votive disk of Enheduanna, from Ur, Iraq, ca. 2300 – 2275 BCE.

Alabaster, diameter 10”.

Head of an Akkadian ruler (Ninevah, Iraq), c. 2250-2200

BCE, copper

balance of naturalism and stylization/ introduction of cast sculpture/ Akkadian concept of

imperial power

Akkadian Innovations

• Given credit for the world’s first empire• Sargon of Akkad aka Nimrod• Multiethnic centrally ruled empire• Euphrates River to Mediterranean with

parts of modern-day Iran,Syria, Anatolia, and Arabian Peninsulas

• Continuation of Sumerian civilization and innovations

Neo-Sumerian Empires

Phase Two

Seated Statue of Gudea

from LagashNeo-Sumerian

c. 2100 BCE

Right: Votive statue of Gudea, c.2120 BCE, diorite

The ensi Gudea/ image of piety for the god Ningirsu/ use of diorite

Top: Relief of Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions (Nimrud, Iraq)

c. 850 BCEBelow: Drawing of the citadel

and palace complex of Sargon II

(Khorsabad, Iraq)

Lion Gate (Boghazkoy, Turkey), c.1400 BCE, limestone

Assyrian Empires

“A land bathed in Blood””

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Assyrian Military Power

Assyrian soldiers carrying away the enemy’s

gods.

Assyrian Lamassu from the Citadel of Sargon II (Khorsabad, Iraq) c. 720

BCE

Reputation of the Assyrians/ royal citadel of Sargon II/ lamassu/

sculptor’s viewpoints

Assyrian reliefs from the palace of Ashurbanipal (Ninevah, Iraq) c.

650 BCE

depiction of a wild beast/ bas relief carving/

demonstration of the king’s power

Dying Lioness, Assyrian relief from the Palace of Ashurbanipal (Ninevah, Iraq) c.

650 BCE

Lamassu (winged, human-headed bull)

R: from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (modern

Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 720–705 BCE. Limestone, 13’ 10” high.

L: from the palace of

Assurnasirpal II, modern Nimrud, Iraq,

883–859 BCE. Alabaster,

10’ 3 ½" high.

Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, relief from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu (modern Nimrud), Iraq, ca. 875–860 BCE. Gypsum, 2’ 10 5/8”

high.

Assurbanipal and His Queen in the Garden, The Palace of Assurbanipal,

Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 647 BCE. Gypsum, 21” high.

Ashurbanipal hunting lions, relief from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal,

Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 645–640 BCE. Gypsum, 5’ 4” high.

Historical and current range of the Lion (Time 8/23/04)

Babylonian Empires

Hammurabi to Nebuchadnezzer

Stele with law code of Hammurabi (Susa, Iran), c. 1780 BCE, basalt

use of law to establish a central government (talion

law)/ god (Shamash) and ruler linked

Ishtar Gate (Babylon, Iraq),

c. 575 BCE

Neo-Babylonian Period/ King Nebuchadnezzar/ Ishtar and Tammuz/ bulls, lions, and the mususu/

the “hanging gardens”

Ishtar Gate and throne room, Babylon, Iraq, ca. 575 BCE.

Reconstruction drawing of Babylon in the 6th century BCE.

69

Ishtar Gate (restored),

Babylon, Iraq, ca. 575 BCE.

Persian Empire

A Brief Overview

Royal Audience Hall (apadana) at Persepolis of Darius I (Iran), c. 500 BCE

Darius III and Alexander the Great/ elevation of platform/ apadana with bull capitals/

loose groupings of buildings/ satrapies

Reliefs at Persepolis

Reliefs at Persepolis

Left: Layout of Persepolis Below: Bull Capital from the royal audience hall of the

palace of Artaxerxes II (Susa) c. 375 BCE

Persian Rhyton with forepart of a winged lion, 5th century BCE

Persepolis (apadana in the background), Iran, ca. 521–465 BCE.

Processional frieze (detail) on the terrace of the apadana, Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521–465 BCE. Limestone, 8’ 4” high.

Darius and Xerxes Receiving Tribute, relief on the

stairway, Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521–465 BCE. Limestone, 8’

4” high.

Triumph of Shapur I over Valerian, rock-cut relief, Bishapur, Iran, ca. 260 CE.

Art of the Ancient Near

East