Near East Quiz #2

The Akkadian Empire

The Akkadian Empire

• 2300-2100 BC

Post Akkadian Period

• 2150-2000 BC

title, date, material, findspot

• Head of a King (son of Sargon?)

• Akkadian Period, 2300-2100 BC

• Bronze or copper alloy

• Nineveh, Iraq

Head of a King (son of Sargon?)

• Bronze and copper head

• Could be Sargon himself? – today we just call it the head of a king

  • Represents to son of Sargon

• Head used to be part of a full body statue

• From Akkadian period

• Found at Nineveh

• Depiction of kingship

• It is life size

• Arresting in terms of style

  • Naturalistic

  • Eyes would be inlaid

  • Upper lip is carefully shaped

  • Flaring nostrils

• Somewhat stylized, but naturalistic

• Meant to convey to power of the king

• Standard king iconography: bun, headdress, beard, somber look (naturalistic)

  • Headdress: rolled cap, echos the helmet of Meskalamdug

  • Also like to Stele of Eannatum

  • Beard is important to rulers

• Must of been displayed in Akkan or Sumer

  • Stolen by Assyrians

• Missing the inlay of an eye → significant damage to eye

  • Looks purposely done

• Iconoclasm

• Nose is also damaged

  • Bridge of nose

  • Tip of nose (not purposely done → probably just fell over)

• Ears were also damaged

• Captured kings (did this in real life – with alive Kings):

  • Gouged out eyes, cut out tongues, knock off noses, cut off ears

  • See if he could live with the disabilities

• Object biographies

• Objects live longer than the people who made them

title, date, material, findspot

• Stele of Naram-Sin

• Akkadian Period, 2300-2100 BC

• Red sandstone

• Originally from Sippar, excavated in Susa

Stele of Naram-Sin

• Important Akkadian work

• 6’ tall

• It records a victory of grandson of Sargon

  • One of the most famous rulers

  • Ruled for 65 years

  • Royal titles of the “King of the four quarters of the world”

• During grandson’s reign: cult developed

• Monumental stele that captures history

• Masterpiece of artistic composition

• New representation of the king as a deity

  • King is not a helper of a god, but now a deity

• Made out of a roughly shaped boulder

• Used shape of boulder itself

• Looks like a mountain – mountain depicted on the “mountain”

• Area is largely flat

• Iconic congruent

  • The shape of the object itself has a symbolic meaning of what is depicted on it

• Giant heap of enemies

• New king Iconography

  • New helmet (wearing crown with horns coming out of the sides of it)

• Above mountain:

  • (star/flower) Still has support of patron goddess Ishtar

• Standard features:

  • Hieratic scale!

  • Rolled cap (rim on helmet)

  • Beard

  • Standing above a victim (like lion hunt stele)

    • Above everyone

• Horned helmet – usually reserved for deity, still reaching out to patron goddess

title, date, material, findspot

• Disk of Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon

• Akkadian Period, c. 2300-2250 BC

• Alabaster

• Ur, Iraq

Disk of Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon

• Fair number of images of women → sometimes empowered women

• Important because she is the world’s first named author!!!

• Standing nearly at the center of the disk

• High priestess of the moon god 

• Entu – had to be of royal birth – religious, but also political

  • Controlling things via religion

• Cashes of poems and hymns to Ishtar → she signed them

• Long after she was dead, they were copied in scribel settings and in schools

• Participating in a ritual to the moon god

• In front of an altar

• Steps → ziggurat

• First attendant is pouring a liquid offering on to altar

• Attendant behind her is holding a fancy rattle 

• Last attendant is carrying a spouted jug/vessel

  • Engaged in a ritual to the moon god

• Enheduanna → flounder skirt, curls beside ears (fancy hairstyle), fancy headdress with rolled rim (aga), one arm totally bare/exposed and other arm folded into robe/gown, and she is bigger than everyone else (hieratic scale)

• Not married because she is married to the moon god

• Had religious roles

• Interesting format

• Disk in shape of a full moon

• Manor of decoration → rolling impression of seal

• Found at Ur

• Found in a building complex known as the Giparu

Back side:

• has an inscription on it and names her

  • states that she is the high priestess

title, date, material, findspot

• Seal of Ibni-Sharrum, scribe of Sharkalisharri

• Akkadian Period, 2217-2193 BC

• Diorite

• Unknown — probably southern Iraq

Seal of Ibni-Sharrum, scribe of Sharkalisharri

• Akkadian empire fell

  • Internal descent, invaders on the edges

• Around 2160 BCE is often referred to as the Post-Akkadian Period as well as the Gudean Period

• Telloh/Lagash is a big city-state

title, date, material, findspot

• Statue of Gudea

• Post-Akkadian Period, c. 2150 BC

• Diorite

• Girsu, Iraq

Statue of Gudea

• Gudea (ruler)

• Under Gudea, things got better → lots of literature and arts, especially sculptures

• Gudea paved the way for Sumerian culture (Neosumerian period)

• Found in temples

• All have very standard iconography

  • either standing or seated

  • Folded arms

  • Bare headed or wearing woolen cap

  • All wearing woolen shawl that is wrapped around the body (cylindrical form)

    • One arm is left bare and other is covered

• Stocky and muscular

  • Muscles are shown even under the cloak/shawl
    

• Carved from diorite that gets polished
  

• Looks more religious

• Divine authority 

• Many are inscribed

  • Talk in the first person

    • Common thing in antiquity

• Some statues are found in a palace at Girsu from Parthian kings

• Made his palace out of bricks that were stamped with impressions of Gudea
  

• Sitting with a plan of a map in his lap

• 2100 year old plan of a temple building

  • Pius act to build this temple

  • Shows that he is the patron of the temple

    • Not everybody could read, so the map/plan shows what he is the patron of

title, date, material, findspot

• Gudea Holding the Plan of a Building

• Post-Akkadian Period, c. 2150 BC

• Diorite

• Girsu, Iraq (height: 36.5 inches)

Gudea Holding the Plan of a Building

• Gudea (ruler)

• Under Gudea, things got better → lots of literature and arts, especially sculptures

• Gudea paved the way for Sumerian culture (Neosumerian period)

• Found in temples

• All have very standard iconography

  • either standing or seated

  • Folded arms

  • Bare headed or wearing woolen cap

  • All wearing woolen shawl that is wrapped around the body (cylindrical form)

    • One arm is left bare and other is covered
      

• Stocky and muscular

  • Muscles are shown even under the cloak/shawl
    

• Carved from diorite that gets polished
  

• Looks more religious

• Divine authority 

• Many are inscribed

  • Talk in the first person

    • Common thing in antiquity

• Some statues are found in a palace at Girsu from Parthian kings

• Made his palace out of bricks that were stamped with impressions of Gudea
  

• Sitting with a plan of a map in his lap

• 2100 year old plan of a temple building

  • Pius act to build this temple

  • Shows that he is the patron of the temple

    • Not everybody could read, so the map/plan shows what he is the patron of

title, date, material, findspot

• Foundation Figure

• Post-Akkadian Period, c. 2150 BC

• Copper alloy

• Probably from Lagash (modern Telloh)

Foundation Figure

• Rare example of metal work art from the period

  • Most of it is lost to us

• Deity iconography

  • Headdress (horns – horned crown – a bunch of horns folded to make hat)

  • Giant false beard

  • Rolled waistband

• Shoving peg into ground to represent that he is grounding the temple

• Rooting or grounding the temple foundation

title, date, material, findspot

• Ziggurat at Ur

• 2112-2004 BC

• Mudbrick, reed mats, baked mudbrick

• Ur

Ziggurat at Ur

• Dominated city of Ur became an urban center of Ur

• Had fortification walls

• In center → Ziggurat

• Took 7 years to build temples of similar size

• Best preserved ziggurats

• Was still made of mudbrick, but encased the exterior with baked clay

• In Between the layers of bricks, he inserted mats that were inlaid with clay (bonding – made the building stay up and not be a heap of mud)

• Bricks used are stamped with the name Urnamun

Standard features of Ziggurat

• Monumental staircase that leads to the entrance

• Recesses and buttresses exterior wall

• Slanted inward walls

• four cardinal points

title, date, material, findspot

• Stele of Ur-Nammu

• Neo-Sumerian Period, 2100-2000 BC

• Stone

• Ur

Stele of Ur-Nammu

• Controversy on where the original pieces have been placed and where they went

• At the top of Stele is the crescent moon of Nanna → moon god

  • Solar symbol

• Below it is a ruler that is approaching a deity

• Image is being repeated

• The deity is on the 4th layer (layer below the top)

  • Horned crown

    • Can see multilayered horn crown

  • Flounced skirt

  • Holding stuff in his hand

    • Extending a rod (like measuring stick) and ring (coil of rope)

      • Symbols of justice

      • Building materials

• Urnamu approaching deity and deity is extending symbols

• Register below:

  • Can see Urnamu

    • Carrying a bag with tools on his back → tools for building

• Building a Ziggurat or temple of the moon/flower(or sun) → moon god (Nanna)

• Do you read it bottom to top?

• A lot of emphasis on building
  

• Not focused on an individual → now back to a pius king or priest king that was seen in protoliterate period

title, date, material, findspot

• Foundation figure of Ur Nammu

• Third Dynasty of Ur, 2112-2004 BC

• Copper alloy

• Nippur, Iraq

Foundation figure of Ur Nammu

• Grounding temple to the earth

• Carrying tools on head to build

title, date, material, findspot

• Head of a King (possibly Hammurabi)

• Old Babylonian Period, 1894-1595 BC

• Diorite

• Provenance unknown

Head of a King (possibly Hammurabi)

• Rolled cap (wide rim around it)

• Stylized beard

• Connected, furrowed eyebrows

• Stylized hairstyle peeking out from under the cap

• Dealing with my pius king

title, date, material, findspot

• Law Code of Hammurabi

• 1706 BC

• Black basalt

• Originally erected in Babylon

• Excavated in Susa, Iran

Law Code of Hammurabi

• From old Babylonian Period

• Made out of black basalt → comes from the site of Susa

• 8 feet tall

• Records one of the earliest law codes known

• Relationship between writing and art! (writing and image)

• Famous law code of Hammurabi

• classist

• Laws added are strict and severe punishments (being thrown into water to drown)

  • Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth

    • Stated in the Bible (Old Testament)

• Punishment has to fit the crime – has to be even

• Preamble and epilogue is in the first person

  • “Called me…”

  • Gender of the offender

• Law code is not just text, but includes an image

• Depicts Hammurabi

• Standard scene

  • king/worshipper standing before a deity

• Hammurabi is standing before the sun god 

• Hammurabi:

  • Rolled cap with wide rim

  • Religious gown that leaves one arm covered and one arm bare

  • Stylized beard (long that could be attached) and stylized hair peeking out from the hat

  • Standard convention of representing people in profile (now have profile eyes)

  • Pray motion → gesture of hand near face → religions, pius, stance

• Shamash (Sun God):

  • Multi-horned helmet

  • Feet are raised up above the ground

  • Little squares on foot stool → meant to be mountains

  • Seated god is as tall as Hammurabi → hieratic scale

    • If stood up, he would be above the stele

  • Holding a rod and ring

  • Extending symbols of justice

  • Handing them to Hammurabi

    • Visual depiction of what the preamble says

  • Something coming off of his shoulders → rays because he is the sun god

  • Skirt is flounced

    • Separates the deity from the king

  • Religious gown that leaves one arm covered and one arm bare

  • Throne is meant to look recessed and buttressed

    • Like a facade of his temple

• Parallels to Moses receiving the 10 commandments

• There is an image to show:

  • power and authority

  • people couldn’t read

• Shape:

  • Conceived of a body

  • Rounded shape (like gown/cloak Hammurabi is wearing)

title, date, material, findspot

• Votive Statue dedicated by Lu-Nanna

• c. 1705 BC

• Copper and gold

• Larsa, Iraq

Votive Statue dedicated by Lu-Nanna

• Small statuette of a worshipper

• Dedicated (votive) to a temple meant to depict this worshipper

• Meant to represent individual (which is inscribed – Lu-Nanna)

• Iconography:

  • Kneeling

  • Copper, but some gold overlay (on face and hands)

  • Gesture → arm to his face, has forefinger and thumb put together (which means prayer)

  • Rolled cap with wide rim and stylized beard

• Base:

  • Basin (in order to hold liquid or incense)

  • Inscription of dedicator and to whom this was dedicated to

  • Made this for the life of Hammurabi and in support for his own life

  • Inscription talks about material of statue

  • Relief → seeded deity

    • Pieces of flounced skirt

  • In front of deity, there is a guy on his knee in same position
    

• Hypericon

  • Very self conscious

  • Example: Uruk Vase, Harp from Ur
    

• In 1762, Hammurabi conquered city of Mari

• Before that Hammurabi had a positive diplomatic ruling with the ruler of Mari

• Palace at Mari

• Fabled palace – wonder of the time

title, date, material, findspot

• Investiture of Zimri-Lim

• (from Court 106)

• c. 1708 BC

• Tempera

• Palace of Zimri-Lim, Mari, Syria

Investiture of Zimri-Lim

• Giant palace built during the NeoSumerian period

• Famous throughout the entire Near East because it was so humongous 

• Over 250 rooms

• So famous that there are literary pieces talking about this palace

• Palace was the center of libraries and culture, as well as an administrative center

• Example of how big the Old Babylonian was

• Palace was actually built in NeoSumerian period

• Enormous!

• Had over 260 rooms

• Under many monarchs

• Fresco from outside the writing room

• Conquered in 1762 BC → becomes Hammurabi’s territory

• Zimri-Lim ruled 1775-1762 BCE

• Did a lot of renovations on this palace during his time of living here

• Giant fresco found in room C → outside of throne room (room D)

• Court area that goes into to see the King

Investiture of Zimri-Lim

• Shows goddess of Ishtar handing rod and the ring to Zimri-Lim

• Goddess iconography

  • Rays coming out of shoulders

  • Foot is on top of animal (it is not a footstool, it is a lion)

  • Deities have specific animals → Ishtar’s animal is a lion

• Clearly part of program of propaganda to show when this king was put into power and by whom the king was put into power

• Rule is divinely
  

• Frescos are “true frescoes”

  • Paint was applied to a wet base

  • Painted on wet plaster → considered true fresco

    • Earliest true fresco anywhere in the world

• “True fresco” → fresh

  • Paint goes on wet/fresh plaster

    • Form a chemical bond that the paint doesn’t fall off the surface

Neo-Sumerian Period (Third Dynasty of Ur)

• 2112-2004 BC

Old Babylonian Period

• 1894-1595 BC