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Mesopotamia and Persia

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The Ancient Near East

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The Neolithic Revolution

• Humans gave up the dangerous and uncertain life of the hunter

gatherer and are now in a more predictable and stable life of the

farmer and herder.

• This change in nature of daily life first occurred in Mesopotamia –

Greek meaning “ the land between the rivers” - Tigris and

Euphrates.

• The land mass forms an arc from Turkey and Syria through Iraq to

Iran giving birth to three of the worlds great modern faiths

– Judaism, Christianity and Islam

• The first city states, city planning, and organized religion are

attributed to Sumer.

• Sumerian rulers were the gods’ representatives on earth and stewards of their earthly treasures.

Rulers and priests directed all communal activities, including canal construction, crop

collection, and food distribution.

Specialization of labor was a hallmark of the first urban cities – Food production,

manufacturing, trade, and administration.

The community, rather than families, assumed functions such as defense against enemies.

Thus organizing a city-state.

Writing was also invented through Sumerian records. This was an administration act as well as

commercial transaction. Inventory of cattle and food were made by scratching pictographs into

soft clay with a stylus or sharp tool. Read from right to left

Invention of Cuneiform marked the beginning of writing.

Thousands of cuneiforms found throughout the region testify the wide spread use of Sumerian

writing and the span of trade the Sumerians did.

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Sumer

White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), Iraq, ca. 3200–3000 BCE.

Temple is only 61’ x 16’. Home of Gilgamesh – hero and King of Uruk. This temple is most likely dedicated to Anu. The sky

god.

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Reconstruction drawing of the White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk (modern Warka), Iraq, ca. 3200–3000 BCE.

Shows the platform or ziggurat that holds the temple 40 feet above city level. There is a stairway on one side which leads

to the top but does not end in front of any doorway , yet forces one to change two or three angular directions until

inside.

Layout of Sumerian cities reflected the central role of the gods in daily life. Forming a temple complex, where priests and

scribes carried on official administrative and commercial business as well as religious functions. Population at this time

was 40,000. Made out of mud bricks as there was no access to stone. Was dedicated to Anu, the sky god. Did not

accommodate a lot of people just a selected few possibly leaders in the community

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Female head (Inanna?), from

Uruk (modern Warka), Iraq, ca.

3200–3000 BCE. Marble, 8” high.

Iraq Museum, Baghdad.

Imported marble at a great cost.

Sumerians lacked a source of fine

stones suitable for carving

sculptures.

Unlike the worshiped Jericho

sculpted human skull this was a

fashioned by hand.

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Statuettes of two worshipers, from the Square

Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca.

2700 BCE. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black

limestone, male figure 2’ 6” high. Iraq Museum,

Baghdad.

Buried beneath the floor of a temple. Ranging in size

under one foot to 30 inches tall. Statues represent

mortals with their hands folded in a prayer gesture

and usually holding small beakers the Sumerians used

for libations (ritual pouring of liquid) to honor the

gods. Men wear belts and fringed skirts with beards

and long hair. Women wear long robes with a right

bare shoulder.

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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”. British Museum, London.

City of Ur was showing their wealth and success as a city-state. Ur also buried their dead in vaulted chambers beneath the

earth. In the Cemetery gold helmets and daggers have been found as well as musical instruments. This piece show a great

historic viewpoint of the life in Ur.

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Peace 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”. British Museum, London.

Narrative reads left to right – Hierarchy Scale is used – Third from left is of larger scale possibly acting as King while a harp

player entertains the group. Excavator who found this piece thought it was mounted on a pole as a type of military standard.

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Bull-headed harp with inlaid sound box, from the tomb

of Pu-abi (tomb 800), Royal Cemetery, Ur (modern Tell

Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2600-2400 BCE. Wood, gold, lapis

lazuli, red limestone, and shell, 3’ 8 1/8” high. British

Museum, London.

Bulls head is fashioned with gold leaf and lapis lazuli

over a wooden core. This harp is represented in the

Standard of Ur and would have been buried in the

cemetery to serve the purpose of entertainment and

music for the Kings and Queens in the afterlife.

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Sound box of the bull-headed harp from tomb 789

(“King’s Grave”), Royal Cemetery, Ur (modern Tell

Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2600-2400 BCE. Wood, lapis

lazuli, and shell, 1’ 7” high. University of

Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and

Anthropology, Philadelphia.

Animals take on human characteristics dog wearing a

dagger. The lion bringing in beverage service, the ass

playing the lyre and the bear holding it up. Some

suggest this piece is explaining that the creatures

inhabit the land of the dead and the narrative has a

funerary significance.

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Akkadian, Neo-Sumerian, Babylonian, and Hittite Cultures

• First mesopotamian rulers to call themselves kings

• Akkadian was an entire different language than Sumerian ut

they still used the Sumerian Cuneiform characters.

• Earliest preserved hollow cast bronze statue

• Largest Ziggurat Erected

• Hammrabi’s recording or stele – A carved stone slab to mark

graves or historical sites.

• Spatial isolation of king, hierarchy scale. King was

untouchable by civilians.

• Artists praise the greatness of their King and the ability to

kill his enemies.

• Law codes are written

Banquet scene, cylinder seal (left) and its modern impression (right), from the tomb of Pu-abi (tomb 800), Royal Cemetery,

Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Lapis lazuli, 2” high. British Museum, London.

Made of stone, seals of ivory or glass. Cylinder Seals have a hole drilled lengthwise through the center and would be strung

and worn around the neck or hung from wrist. These were prized possessions, signifying high positions and would be taken

with them to the afterlife. Primary function of a seal was to identify their documents and protect storage jars and doors

against unauthorized opening.

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Head of an Akkadian ruler, from Nineveh

(modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 2250–2200

BCE. Copper, 1’ 2 3/8” high. Iraq Museum,

Baghdad

First concept of monarchy. Head is all that

survives the=is statue which was vandalized

600 years later. Deliberate mutilation to

make a political statement. Sculpture shows

naturalism and a sense of abstract form in

the patterns. The arched eyebrows and the

differing texture of flesh and hair as well as

the different texture between mustache and

beard all show the artists was sensitive to

formal pattern.

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Victory stele of Naram-Sin, from Susa, Iran, 2254–

2218 BCE. Pink sandstone, 6’ 7” high. Louvre, Paris.

This stele was to commemorate Naram-Sin’s conquest

of Lullubi (people of the Iranian mountains to the

East) showing him leading an army over the mountain.

This image show the death of enemies falling down

the mountain.

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Ziggurat (looking southwest), Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2100 BCE.

Mud Brick building and whitewash used to disguise the mud appearance. Temple is set back from view of city below.

Built about a millennium later than the Urak Temple as is much larger. The bas is 50’ high Baked brick laid with bnitumen.

Votive disk of Enheduanna, from Ur (modern Tell Muqayyar), Iraq, ca. 2300 – 2275 BCE. Alabaster, diameter 10”.

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia

First record of a known poet, male or female in human history – the priestess Enheduanna, daughter of King Sargon and

priestess of the moon god Nanna at Ur. Author of various hymns in honor of the goddess Inanna.

This disk identifies Enheduanna greeting the god.

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Seated statue of Gudea holding temple plan,

from Girsu (modern Telloh), Iraq, ca. 2100

BCE. Diorite, 2’ 5” high. Louvre, Paris.

Fine fingers, right arm is bare, made from

diorite which is an expensive stone showing

the owner of this statue had money

The most preserved sculptural monuments

of the Neo-Sumerian culture are the statues

of Gudea. About 20 have been found seated

or standing, hands clasped, shaven head and

a woolen hat dressed in long garments

leaving one shoulder exposed. .

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Stele with law code of Hammurabi, from

Susa, Iran, ca. 1780 BCE. Basalt, 7’ 4” high.

Louvre, Paris.

Hammurabi was famous for his conquests

and known for his lows or codes, which

include penalties for everything from

adultery and murder to cutting down a

neighbor’s tree.

The artist of this stele explains that

Hammurabi had the god-given authority to

enforce laws which were spelled out on the

stele. Judicial code was written in Akkadian

and contains 3500 lines of cuneiform. The

codes govern all aspects of Babylonian life.

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Lion Gate, Hattusa (modern Boghazköy), Turkey, ca. 1400 BCE.

Gates leading into the Boghazkoy citadel. Hittie guardian beasts are examples that will be echoed on many Near Eastern gates.

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2.3 Elamite, Assyrian, and Neo-Babylonian Art

• 1600-440 BC

• What is now Western Iran – set to the East of Sumer, Akkad and Babylon.

• Elam was strong enough to plunder Babylonia steeling the Stele of Naram-Sin and Hammurabi.

• The Assyrian King destroyed the empire of Elam in 641BC

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Reconstruction drawing of the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 720–705 BCE (after Charles

Altman).

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Lamassu (winged, human-headed bull), from the

citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (modern

Khorsabad), Iraq, ca. 720–705 BCE. Limestone,

13’ 10” high. Louvre, Paris.

Guarded the Sargon II citadel palace – Has five

legs – two when seen from front and four when

viewed from a profile view. Meant to ward off

enemies.

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2.4 Persian Power and Opulence

• The Assyrian Empire ws never secure and the Kings had to

fight large portions of the Near East. The conquest of Elam

and rebellious Babylonians overextended Assyrians resources

and the Empire began to disintegrate.

• Babylonian Kings held sway over the former Assyrian

Empire until the Persian conquest.

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Ishtar Gate (restored),

Babylon, Iraq, ca. 575

BCE. Staatliche

Museen, Berlin.

Lining the processional

way leading up to the

gate of Ishtar’s sacred

lion, glazed in yellow,

brown and red against

a blue background. The

Babylonian glazes were

opaque and hard. Each

brick had to be molded

and glazed separately,

then set in proper

sequence on the wall.

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

Situated on a high plateau the palace on a wide platform. Alexander the Great raised the palace in a gesture symbolizing the

destruction of Persian Imperial power or an act of revenge. The dominant structure wsa a vast columned hall 60 feet high

and more than 20sq’. The roayl audience hall, or apadana, had 36 colosssal columns. These columns would have all been

painted at one point The cutting of the stone is precise and have crisped chiseled details. The reliefs were inspired by

Assyrian palaces yet these forms are more rounded. Some of the details echo forms characteristic of Archaic Greek style.

2-26 Columns with animal protomes, from the apadana of the palace, Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521–465 BCE.

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Figure 2-27 Processional frieze (detail) on the terrace of the apadana, Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521–465 BCE. Limestone, 8’ 4” high.

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Palace of Shapur I, Ctesiphon, Iraq, ca. 250 CE.

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Figure 2-28A Triumph of Shapur I over Valerian, rock-cut relief, Bishapur, Iran, ca. 260 CE.

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Discussion Questions

Discuss how many artworks are intended to celebrate a

ruler’s accomplishments—even if they did not occur? Give

specific examples of ancient Near Eastern art and

architecture that do this.

Identify evidence of the Sumerian culture’s lasting

influence today.

Identify evidence of the Persian Empire’s lasting influence

today.