“Some Apples, Bananas And Peaches…”

SUMERIAN AKKADIAN BABYLONIAN ASSYRIAN PERSIAN City of UR (first independent city-state) – Anu and Nanna Ziggurats – developed 1st writing system – VOTIVE FIGURES – Cylinder seals for stamping – EPIC OF GILGAMESH – invention of the wheel SUMERIAN AKKADIAN BABYLONIAN ASSYRIAN PERSIAN Sargon I defeats Sumerians – Stele of Naramsin – heiractic scale – brutality in art Neo-Sumerian – Gudea of Lagash United Sumer under Hammurabi (1792 – 1750 BCE) – Stele of Hammurabi with his Code of Laws – Creation Myths Took control around 1400 BCE – King Assurbanipal – kept library, ziggurat form & Sumerian texts – Human-head lion LAMASSUs guard palace Neo-Babylonian – Nebuchadnezzar II Cyrus & the citadel at Persepolis (built between 521-465 BCE)

Ziggurat of Ur Sumerian About 2100 BCE

Ziggurat of Ur Sumerian About 2100 BCE The Ziggurat was built as a place of worship, dedicated to the moon god Nanna The name Nanna is Sumerian for "illuminator.“ It’s in the Sumerian city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia.

Lyre of Queen Puabi (Ur) Sumerian c. 2685 BCE

Votive figures by unknown Sumerian sculptors. Sumer, 2700 to 2500 B. C Votive figures by unknown Sumerian sculptors. Sumer, 2700 to 2500 B.C. Stone. Tallest figure 30 inches high.

Votive figures at the Temple of Abu (Sumerian)

Standard of Ur (Sumerian) Discovered in the 1920s

The Standard of Ur was an Ancient Sumerian box that contained a “Peace” side (left) and a “War” side (below)

Loyal Solders (the WAR side) Lyre Player (the PEACE side)

Cylinder Seals

Sargon I – First AKKADIAN Ruler

Sargon I – First AKKADIAN Ruler Sargon is regarded as one of the first individuals in recorded history to create a multiethnic, centrally ruled empire, and his dynasty controlled Mesopotamia for around a century and a half.

Stele of NaramSin AKKADIAN c. 2300-2200 BCE 6 ½ ft. tall Sandstone

A stele is a monument composed of a single column or shaft usually erected to commemorate an important event or person. The Akkadians under Sargon dominated the Sumerians about 2300 BC. Naram-Sin was Sargon's grandson. The god-like Akkadian kings ruled with absolute authority. Naram-Sin's title was "King of the Four Quarters" meaning "Ruler of the World." Damaged on both the top and bottom, Naram-Sin's stele depicts the king's defeat of the Lullubi peoples in what is now Iran

Originally erected in Sippar, (centre of the cult of the Sun god) north of Babylon. lt illustrates Naram-Sin’s victory over the Lullabis, mountain people of western lran. Naram-Sin, claimed to be the universal monarch; he was deified during his lifetime.

He had himself depicted climbing the mountain ahead of his troops He had himself depicted climbing the mountain ahead of his troops. His helmet bears horns symbolizing divine power. His face, while worn, expresses the features of an ideal human conqueror, a convention imposed on artists by the monarchy.

The king tramples on the bodies of his enemies at the foot of a peak; above it the solar disk appears several times, and the king pays homage to it for his victory.

Neo-Sumerian period; (16 1/8 in.); Gudea of Lagash 2141-2122 B.C.; Mesopotamian, Neo-Sumerian period; (16 1/8 in.); Of all the ancient Mesopotamian rulers, Gudea, ensi (governor) of Lagash, emerges most clearly across the millennia thanks to the survival of his many religious texts and statues.

This statuette depicts the governor in worship before his gods wearing the persian-lamb fur cap of the ensi and a shawl-like fringed robe with tassles. The serene, heavily lidded eyes and calm pose create a powerful portrait of this pious ruler. (Can you think of other serene “pious” images?)

The capital of thie Akkadian Empire was Lagash on the Tigris River The capital of thie Akkadian Empire was Lagash on the Tigris River. Here the people rebuilt temples and placed votive statues in them. Period statues were carved from diorite, a very hard stone that is very difficult to work with. This material prompted simpler, compact forms for portraits. Twenty of these survived, but all look relatively similar to Gudea's face. Imposing and impressive, this statue is monumental although it is only 2.5 feet tall. The sculptor's top heavy style of the people is common of Mesoptamia.

He ruled his city-state in southeast Iraq for 20 yrs bringing peace and prosperity at a time when the Guti, tribesmen from the northeastern mountains, occupied the land. His inscriptions describe vast temple-building programs for his gods. A Sumerian cuneiform inscription on the back describes the building of a temple to a goddess -consort of Gudea's personal god, and the making of this statue for her.

The inscription extends over part of the right shoulder and onto the left side of the robe. The upper part, the cartouche, gives the name of the ruler, while the lower, main text speaks of the reasons for the creation of this particular statue. The cartouche translates as follows:

Gudea, city ruler of Lagash, built to Geshtinanna, the queen a-azi-mu-a, the beloved wife of Ningishzida, his queen, her temple in Girsu. He created for her [this] statue. "She granted the prayer," he gave it a name for her and brought it into her temple.

Stele of Hammurabi BABYLONIAN c. 1780 BCE

The top portion, shown here, depicts Hammurabi with Shamash, the sun god. Shamash is presenting to Hammurabi a staff and ring, symbolizing the power to administer the law.

Hammurabi, aided by his impressive Babylonian army, conquered his rivals and established a unified Mesopotamia. He proved to be as great an administrator as he was a general.

The code of Hammurabi contained 282 laws, written by scribes on 12 tablets. Unlike earlier laws, it was written in Akkadian, the daily language of Babylon, and could therefore be read by any literate person in the city.

3 NEAR EAST pieces to remember… Stele of NaramSin AKKADIAN 2300-2200 BCE Votive of Gudea NEO-SUMERIAN 2141-2122 BCE Stele of Hammurabi BABYLONIAN c1780 BCE

THE MAN Assurbanipal ASSYRIAN

Ashurbanipal offs a lion! Whatta MAN!? ASSYRIAN

NEO-ASSYRIAN Ashurnasirpal II 883–859 B.C.

Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions. From Palace Complex of Assurnasirpal II, Nimrud, Iraq. c. 850 BCE. NEO-ASSYRIAN

Human-headed Winged Bull (Lamassu) Assyrian Reign of Sargon II, 721-705 BCE This colossal sculpture was one of a pair guarding the entrance to the throne room of King Sargon II.

A protective spirit known as a "lamassu", is shown as a composite being with the head of a human, the body and ears of a bull, and the wings of a bird.

When viewed from the side, the creature appears to be walking; when viewed from the front, to be standing still. Thus it is actually represented with five, rather than four, legs.

The hybrid or composite iconography is powerfully evocative of strength (body of lion / bull), speed (an eagle's wings) and intelligence (human head). What sort of composite iconography would you use for your personal hybrid symbol?

Ishtar Gate Neo-Babylonian 575 BCE The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate to the inner city of Babylon. It was constructed in about 575 BC by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II on the north side of the city. Dedicated to the goddess Ishtar, the Gate was constructed of blue glazed tiles with alternating rows of bas-relief dragons and bulls.

Ishtar Gate Neo-Babylonian 575 BCE Built by Nebuchadnezzar II to honor Ishtar, the goddess of Love and War. A reconstruction of the Ishtar gate and Processional Way was built at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin out of material excavated and finished in the 1930s. It includes the inscription plaque. It stands 47 feet high and 32 feet wide (14 meters by 10 meters). What do you think is lost or gained by having a reconstruction rather than seeing the gate “in situ” in its original location?

Imperial Persepolis (Persian - now Iran)

Persepolis

Persepolis