Transcript Slide 1

Three NEAR EAST pieces to remember…
Stele of NaramSin
Votive of Gudea
Stele of Hammurabi
AKKADIAN
NEO-SUMERIAN
BABYLONIAN
2300-2200 BCE
2141-2122 BCE
c1780 BCE
A stele is a monument composed of
a single column or shaft typically
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 of present-day Iran.
Stele of NaramSin, AKKADIAN
2300-2200 BCE
lt illustrates the victory over the
Lullabis, mountain people of
western lran by Naram-Sin, who
claimed to be the universal
monarch and was deified during
his lifetime. He had himself
depicted climbing the mountain at
the head of his troops. His helmet
bears the horns emblematic of
divine power. Although it is worn,
his face is expressive of the 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 figures several times, and the
king pays homage to it for his
victory.
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,
which symbolize the power to
administer the law. Hammurabi, with
the help of 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.
Gudea of Lagash
2141-2122 B.C.; NEO-SUMERIAN 16 1/8 in.
Of all the rulers of ancient Mesopotamia, Gudea,
Ruler of Lagash, emerges the most clearly across the
millennia due to the survival of many of his religious
texts and statues. He ruled his city-state in southeast
Iraq for twenty years, bringing peace and prosperity
at a time when the Guti, tribesmen from the
northeastern mountains, occupied the land. His
inscriptions describe vast building programs of
temples for his gods.
This statuette depicts the governor in worship before
his gods wearing the persian-lamb fur cap and a
shawl-like fringed robe with tassles.
A Sumerian cuneiform inscription on the back
describes the building of a temple to the goddess
Geshtinanna, Gudea's personal god, and the making
of this statue for her.
Around 2120 BCE, Mesopotamia was
ruled by Guti until 2180 when they
overpowered the Akkadian Empire. The
capital of this was Lagash on the Tigris
River. Here the people rebuilt temples
and placed votive statues in them. At
this time period statues were carved
from diorite, a very hard stone that is
very difficult to work with. This prompted
simpler, more compact forms for
portraits. Twenty of these survived, but
all look relatively similar to Gudea's
face. This piece was dedicated by him
to the goddess of interpretation of
dreams. 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.
This sculpture belongs to a series of diorite
statues commissioned by Gudea, ensi
(governor) of the city of Lagash. Gudea is
depicted in a seated pose with his hands
folded in a traditional gesure of greeting
and attentiveness. The Sumerian
inscription on his robe lists the various
temples that he built or renovated in
Lagash and names the statue itself,
“Gudea, the man who built the temple, may
his life be long.” The name of the statue
reinforces its communicative purpose,
which was to secure or commemorate the
benevolence of a deity.
Text written on the pedestal of
the Gudea exhibit, Met Museum
of Art (NYC)
Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions. From Palace Complex of
Assurnasirpal II, Nimrud, Iraq. c. 850 BCE. NEO-ASSYRIAN
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.
Votive figures by unknown Sumerian sculptors. Sumer, 2700 to 2500 B.C.
Stone. Tallest figure 30 inches high.
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.
Human-headed Winged Bull
Assyrian
Reign of Sargon II, 721-705 BCE
This colossal sculpture was one of a
pair that guarded the entrance to the
throne room of King Sargon II. A
protective spirit known as a
"lamassu", it 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).