Professional Documents
Culture Documents
18 Mesopotamian Art 2
18 Mesopotamian Art 2
18 Mesopotamian Art 2
Ziggurat of Ur-Nammu
The Peoples of Mesopotamia
The Sumerians
The Akkadians
The Bayblonians
The Assyrians
The Neo- Babylonians
See the site for detailed information:
http://www.eyeconart.net/history/ancient/mesopotamian.htm
Stage 1 shows the pictogram as it was drawn around 3000 BC. Stage 2 shows the rotated
pictogram as written around 2800 BC. Stage 3 shows the abstracted glyph in archaic
monumental inscriptions, from ca. 2600 BC, and stage 4 is the sign as written in clay,
contemporary to stage 3. Stage 5 represents the late 3rd millennium, and stage 6 represents
Old Assyrian ductus of the early 2nd millennium, as adopted into Hittite. Stage 7 is the
simplified sign as written by Assyrian scribes in the early 1st millennium, and until the script's
extinction.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Epic of Gilgamesh is, perhaps, the oldest written story on Earth. It
comes to us from Ancient Sumeria, and was originally written on 12 clay
tablets in cunieform script. It is about the adventures of the historical King
of Uruk (somewhere between 2750 and 2500 BCE).
Art of the ancient civilizations that grew up in the area around the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers, now in Iraq. Mesopotamian art was largely used to glorify
powerful dynasties, and often reflected the belief that kingship and the divine
were closely interlocked.
Faces are dominated by very large eyes; but, for reasons we might take for
granted, artists of many cultures have placed emphasis on eyes.
Helmet of King Meskalamdug, c. 2400 BCE
Sumerian Votive Figures
Victory of Naram-Sin
(2200 BC; Louvre, Paris),
carved in relief
Akkadian (2300–2150 BC) The Akkadian invaders quickly
assimilated Sumerian styles. The stele (decorated upright slab)
Victory of Naram-Sin (2200 BC; Louvre, Paris), carved in relief,
depicts a military campaign of the warlike Akkadians. The
technical and artistic sophistication of bronze sculpture is
illustrated by the Head of an Akkadian King (2200 BC; Iraq
Museum, Baghdad).