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White Temple and Ziggurat, Uruk, Sumer, Iraq, 3300 BCE, mudbrick and plaster, Protoliterate (sumerian)
dedicated to god Anu
Ziggurat = mountain to heaven
built on platform to raise above (man made construction)
projections and recesses (play with light and reflection)
indicate religious space
staircase and ramp for animal sacrifice
Large temple space
small interior spaces (only select few could enter)
main entrance is along the side
bent access approach (controlled vision)
long cella
Temple’s floors and walls where plastered with white gypsum
controlled entry; one could not walk directly into the temple
tripartite plan with a main cella, and subsidary surrounding rooms
Monumental stairway (experience of climbing upwards) was an elemental part of the ritual.
Exterior of temple had niched walls and grooved buttresses
Uruk/Warka Vase, Eanna precinct, Uruk, 3300 BCE, relief carved alabaster, Protoliterate (Sumerian)
representation of New Years festival represented (1st narrative relief sculpture)
performative/narrative image
nature was significant to religion → shows cycle of life and ritual of goddess Inanna
Broken down into registers
bottom registers → water, plants, male and female sheep
middle register → men carrying variety of offerings (bowls, baskets, jugs)
top register → two figures in hierarchical scale; may represent priest king and priestess or Inanna and partner (blurred boundaries between gods and their representatives)
Inanna/priestess receiving offerings → see interior of temple with offerings
priest king identified by sash
Inanna/priestess identified by pair of ring and post (symbols)
Female head (Inanna), Eanna precinct, Uruk (Warka), 3300 BCE, marble, Protoliterate (Sumerian)
missing inlaid eyes, eyebrow, and hair
believed to represent Inanna and to have been originally connected to a body (maybe made of wood)
life size temple statue
combination of naturalism and stylization
naturalistic modeling in softly carved lips, rounded cheeks
may have naturalistic elements but does not desire to represent realism → representative of the divine (imaginative)
early example of monumental sculpture → may have been a cult statue
Priest-King Hunting Stele, Uruk, 3300 BCE, relief carved basalt, Protoliterate (Sumerian)
shown with bow and arrow hunting animals
wears a long kilt with vertical fold at the center held by a wide belt
Priest king identified by hairstyle and skirt (belt)
priest king responsible for
making surrounding area safe
forces of the wild are subdued; priest king brings order
example of early political monument (legitimizing power)
Silver Vase of Enmetena, Girsu, Iraq, Early Dynastic Period, 2400 BCE, silver, and copper
Votive vessel
inscription on neck identifies as being dedicated my Enmetena (ruler of Lagash)
inscription at the top → describes how the object is made of fine material, made for a god to hold oil for their consumption
below inscription are 2 engraved registers
recumbent calves circle upper register
Lower register → image of an eagle with lion head grasping oxen, lions, and goats
represents Imdugud bird often shown with god Ningirsu (dedicated god)
Statuettes of Worshippers, Square Temple at Eshnunna, Iraq, 2700 BCE, gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone, Early Dynastic Period
not found in temple but buried underneath
votive offerings = imbued with life force
believed to represent mortals perpetually worshipping god
the figures of people stand in for the person represented, and capture the gesture of prayer
reciprocal nature
hands folded in a gesture of prayer (holding a cup)
stone was not readily available in Mesopotamia
figures are abstracted images - reduced to basic geometrical shapes
stylized figures (not naturalized)
more abstract expression
Votive Statue of Enmetena, Ruler of Lagash, Ur, Iraq, 2400 BCE, black diorite, Early Dynastic period
much larger in size compared to typical votive figures
carved from exotic stone
have a inscription dedicating the image of Enmetena to the god Enlil
details his lineage, his pious acts (built temples)
also gives the statue a title “Enmetena whom Enlil loves”
statement of performative declaration (desired outcome)
Female votive statue, from Nippur, Iraq, Early Dynastic Period, 2550 BCE, greenstone and gold, lapis lazuli, and shell
women made votive sculptures too
no lasting inscription telling us identity of woman who commissioned statue - but must have been wealthy (made of expensive material)
Stele of the Vultures, Girsu, Early Dynastic Period, 2450 BCE, limestone
public monument commemorates defeat of enemies
left top register → king leading infantry into battle
marching over bodies of enemies
vultures carrying of deceased
right top register → hierarchical scale
God Ningirsu holding enemies in bag - and hitting them
way in which enemies are defeated and humiliated
public monument (meant for consumption)
could evoke a variety of responses
contractual agreement that war was over (declared end of battle)
Dagger and sheath of Meskalamdug, Royal Cemetery of Ur, Iraq, Early Dynastic Period, 2550-2400 BCE, gold with lapis lazuli handle
metal work techniques
granulation
filigree
repousse
chasing
Headdress of Queen Puabi, Royal Cemetery of Ur, Ur, Early Dynastic period, 2550-2400 BCE, gold, lapis lazuli, and carnelian
metal work technique
Royal Standard of Ur, Ur iraq, Early Dynastic period, 2550-2400 BCE, lapis lazuli and red limestone
not sure how it function
may have been part of furniture
ends depict mythological creatures
Peace side → banqueting scene
hierarchical scale
War side → battle scene
bodies shown beneath chariots
group of prisoners of war being taken to king
most likely historical narrative
Bull-headed lyre, King Meskalamdug’s Tomb, Royal Cemetery of Ur, Ur, 2550-2400 BCE, Early Dynastic period, gold, silver, lapis lazuli, bitumen, wood
plaque → humanoid mythical creatures preforming a ritual
correlation with nature and man - man dominating nature
Cylinder seal of Queen Puabi, Ur, Iraq, Early Dynastic period, 2600 BCE, lapis lazuli
two register banquet scene
often represent kings, queens, and perhaps priestesses and priests drinking from cups
Head of an Akkadian ruler, from Nineveh, Iraq, 2250 BCE, bronze or copper alloy, Akkadian period
life size → monumental metal work
most likely part of full scale figure of king
hollow-cast lost wax technique
level of humanism/naturalism we haven’t seen before
more stylized eyebrows
inlaid eyes
stylized hair (human but divinesque)
balancing naturalism and stylizations
seems eyes and ears have been intentionally destroyed
Disc of Enheduanna, Ur, 2300-2250 BCE, alabaster, Akkadian period
Enheduanna → portrayed in hierarchical scale (isosepoli - heads on same level)
not in actively pouring libation
4 figures moving towards altar/ziggurat
pouring libations
Enheduanna - daughter of Sargon, and wife of Inanna (priestess)
may have been intentionally smashed
Akkadians → consolidating and solidifying power and connection to gods (legitimization)
Contextual Significance
women as goddesses → indicated women may have played significant roles in society
priestess → oversees rituals
most public representation of women
Victory Stele of Naramsin, found in Susa, Iran, 2250 BCE, limestone, Akkadian Period
King took on divine status
concept of divine produced new visual rhetoric
naturalistic landscape → moving within scene climbing over bodies
hierarchic scale
Naramsin shown with horned helmet
muscular perfection
standing/climbing over bodies of enemies
stars above represent immortality
organized army - compared to enemies in disarray
Reception Theory (power of political monument)
was taken by later king as booty (important enough to save and re display)
Statue of Gudea holding temple plan, Girsu, 2150 BCE, diorite, Neo-Sumerian Period
diorite → expensive and strong material
votive statues indicate piety
prayerful dedication to gods and requesting something in return
Gudea = Ruler of Lagash, rejected tactics of previous rulers
rebuilt temples where his statues were found
inscriptions tell a lot about where he got materials and how he rebuilt the temples and who they were dedicated too
less focus on active body - shown in frontal view
rounding of the body
change in how rulers choose to represent themselves
Statue of Gudea standing, Girsu, 2150 BCE, diorite, Neo-Sumerian period
Stele of Urnammu (restored), Ur, 2100 BCE, Neo-Sumerian Period
second from top resister → 2 seated figures on either side (wearing horned headdresses, wearing flounced skirts)
gods shown in hierarchical scale (holding rod and line; authoritative justice)
handing rod and line to king Urnammu
king (Urnammu) is shown giving offerings to both gods
burning offerings
in a gesture of piety
3rd from top register → shows Urnammu walking with tools that would have been used to construct the temple
Ziggurat of Ur, built by King Urnammu (patron), 2100 BCE, mudbrick, Neo-Sumerian period
dedicated o god Innanu
much larger - 3 platforms built of mudbrick
recesses in sidesof walls
signals religious structure (also helps stablize)
beielve first plantform had plants
served both religious and administrative functions
Private House, Ur, Isin-Larsa period, 2000 BCE
made of mudbrick - had 2 stories (upper class)
opened paved court yard in middle of center of the household
one entrance into the home
staircase that led o second story
wooden balcony
rooms on the upper story were more private
lower story rooms were more public
many homes had private altars shrines were also located at different parts of the city
Relief of Lilith, Isin-Larsa period, 2000 BCE, terracotta
Relief → frontal composition
helped viewer to engage more directly with the divine
usually placed over an altar (could have been for private/localized devotion)
holding rod and line → represents justice
composite features shown with owls and lions
wearing horned headdress
shown in a specific setting (scaled section below her represents mountains)
debate about her identity → may represent Inanna
owl iconography
connection with Inanna (origin of words)
Puzur-Ishtar of Mari, Istanbul, Isin-Larsa Period, 2000 BCE
emphasis on the body
more rounded forms
Goddess holding a flowing vase, Mari, Isin-Larsa period, 2000 BCE, (life size fountain)
fountain from Mari courtyard
fish represented on her dress
Investiture Scene, Palace of Zimiri-Lim, Mari, 19th century BCE, wall painting, Isin-Lara period
shows king has blessings from gods
divine authority from gods to rule → means agricultural plentitude
principle scene
goddess Ishatr (Inanna) standing on lions handing over line and rod (ability to enact justice)
other gods are present (horned headddresses)
lower register
one is holding vase w/ water - central to plentitude (abundance of water )
Statuette of Hammurabi kneeling in adoration, 1760 BCE, bronze with gold, Old Babylonian period
votive statue → would have been placed in a temple
see new level of movement
looks like he’s in the middle of kneeling down
inscription on side shows him kneeling before n enthroned goddess
purpose of perpetual prayer
Stele with the law code of Hammurabi, showing the king before the sun god, Shamash, 1760 BCE, diorite, Old Babylonian period
shown being given rod and line standing before god Shamash
Hammurabi sown in pious position - more rounded figures
Shamash → hierarchical scale
Inanna Temple, Eanna Precinct, Uruk, built by Karaindash, 1415 BCE, molded brick facade, terracotta Kassite period
Bilateral symmetry - straight line of sight from entrance (no longer controlled sight)
male and female deities shown in recesses on facade of temple
mountain and water god/goddesses
molded brick
Catal Huyuk, Turkey, wall painting, Deer Hunt (6000 BCE), Landscape with volcanic eruption (6150 BCE), Anatolia Neolithic period
Gobeklitepe, near Urfa, Turkey, 9500 BCE, Neolithic (Anatolia)
oldest religious or ritual site that has yet been discovered
monolithic structures - engravings of animals
Lion Gate, Bogazkoy (ancient Hattusas), Turkey, 1400 BCE, relief sculpture, Hittite Period
part of massive city wall
hidden tunnel beneath walls
ramps up to top of walls that allowed for easy defense
Temple 1, Hattusas, Turkey, 1400 BCE, Hittite Period, mudbrick with stone foundation
surrounded by storage spaces and workshops
administrative and religious importance
priests, musicians, crafters were regularly present