Mesopotamian Art

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Multiple Choices

Quiz Level

Intermediate

Mesopotamian Art At the end of the Neolithic period, a fundamental change occurred with the introduction of metalworking technology, enabling the creation of new, more durable objects. The methods and timing of the introduction of metallurgy varied from region to region, but it marked a fundamental change in any case. The material worked determined the process: - The Copper Age (3,500–2,500 BC) involved malleable metals and was widespread between the 5th and 4th centuries BC. The Bronze Age (2,500–1,000 BC) involved the use of an alloy of copper and tin, and the Iron Age (1000–300 BC) involved the use of iron, the fourth most abundant element on Earth. The Iron Age is considered a protohistoric phase due to the presence of engravings that demonstrate the use of writing. The use of the plough increased agricultural production. During the 4th millennium BC, the Copper-Bronze Age saw the emergence of the first great historical civilisations in the vast flat area of Asia between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, known as Mesopotamia, and in North-Eastern Africa: the Egyptian civilisation and the Mesopotamian civilisation. Both civilisations arose in large floodplains crossed by major rivers (the Nile in Egypt and the Tigris and Euphrates in Mesopotamia), which served as communication routes and guaranteed water resources and fertile land. Sumerians Sumerians are credited with many firsts: founded the first city-states (Susa, Ur, Lagash, Uruk, Kish and Babylon), invented writing (ideografic/cuneiform). Symbolic boundary between Prehistory and History, used astronomical knowledge to determine the best times for agricultural work. invented the wheel, Invented the plough, casting objects in copper and bronze Architecture: the city-state was one of the great Sumerian "inventions" Activities that had once been initiated individually became institutionalised: State took responsabilities for security/welfare Characteristic of Sumerian architecture is the temple, a veritable citadel. For the Sumerians, the temple was a way of getting closer to the God. This is why the temple was built according to the stepped typology of the ziqquarat. Ziqquarat of Ur (Iraq), the oldest surviving ziqqurat dedicated to the god Nannar: mud bricks; walls sloping inwards; several overlapping floors of gradually decreasing size. Lower floors: workshops and storerooms higher floors: royal apartments, reception and meeting rooms the highest floor: sanctuary, with a single cella Sculpture: round objects and reliefs The round objects depict praying men: their hands are folded in prayer, their posture is rigid their eyes are large and beady The reliefs were often made by pressing and rolling small cylindrical seals (made of stone, glass, bone or ivory) on fresh clay, engraved in the negative to obtain the images in the positive. They depicted lively scenes from everyday life or animals. The figures are arranged in bands with a fresh and immediate narrative sense. The same narrative sense can be found on carved slabs with more complex episodes and on larger surfaces, such as the 'Vulture Stele’. The most representative work of the band narrative method is the 'Royal Stendard of Ur’ two inlaid wooden panels (20x48 cm) made of wood, red limestone, shell, mother-of-pearl and lapis lazuli. One side depicts scenes of war, while the other shows activities typical of times of peace The two-dimensional figures are arranged in three overlapping horizontal bands. The narrative reading (from bottom to top and from left to right). The composition is rhythmic, although in each band the figures are arranged at different intervals. The main figures are always presented in a conventional manner (face, legs and feet in profile/eyes and chest in front to emphasise their importance). Prisoners and slaves, on the other hand, have freer forms and poses. The Sumerians used clay as a medium for writing. Signs were engraved on small slabs of fresh clay using primitive triangular pens. The tablets were then dried in the sun or baked in an oven. The oldest engraved tablets date from 3500 BC. The first signs are actually early drawings. Initially, writing was done with SYMBOLIC FIGURE, very similar to painted ones (pictographic characters). Later, the symbols were replaced by small segments ending in a wedge (cuneiform characters). Each figure represented a word. Pens and styli were used to write. Reed or metal pens were used to write with ink on parchment, papyrus or wood. The stylus, on the other hand, was used to write on tablets The fertility of the land and the wealth of the Mesopotamian centres attracted many other peoples, who arrived as conquerors and replaced each other, leading to bloody wars: The Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Persians succeeded one another until 331 BC, when Alexander the Great unified Europe and Asia and introduced the art of Grecianisation. However, despite the succession of kingdoms, Mesopotamian art retained some constant characteristics over time, and Sumerian civilisation can be said to have survived until the 4th millennium BC. Babylonians [2,000 - 1,100 B.C.] Civilisation of gardens and towers Around 2000 BC. the Sumerian kingdom fell due to invasions by other peoples, the Babylonians. One of the most important works from the early Babylonian period is the 'Stele of Hammurabi', a black basalt stone depicting the king standing upright in conversation with the sun god Shamash, who is seated on a throne. The god enlightens the king on how to govern the city by dictating to him the 282 articles of law that appear at the bottom. “The navel of the world” is what king Nebuchadnezzar called his capital city of Babylon. This premier city was the cradle of ancient art and architecture, as well as the site of both the Hanging Gardens. They were considered by the ancients to be one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Hanging Gardens was grandiose! It consisted of a series of four brick terraces, rising above the Euphrates River, with lush flowering shrubs and trees spilling over the city. Some believe Mesopotamia was the site of an even more famous historical garden - the garden of Eden. The construction of the magnificent walls of Babylon (6-24 metres thick). Nine monumental gates, each dedicated to a deity. The most beautiful, the Gate of Ishtar (goddess of fertility), was covered with glazed bricks and decorated with bas-reliefs depicting lions (symbol of Ishtar), bulls (symbol of the god Adam) and snake-headed dragons (symbol of the god Marduk). Assyrians [1,000 - 600 BC] Fortified cities and monstrous gods for a warrior nation During the period between the First and Second Babylonian Empires, the Assyrians expanded their control to encompass the entirety of Mesopotamia. The magnificent palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad serves as a reminder of this period. Its arched entrance was flanked by two towers and preceded by a majestic double staircase. The door was adorned with solemn winged androcephalic bulls, who were the palace's guardians. Lamassu androcephalic bulls, beneficent and protective spirits