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The Ancient World
Besides Sumer, there were numerous other city-states in Ancient Mesopotamia:
Akkad, Assyria, and Babylon.
Farther to the West, along the shores of the Mediterranean were Mycenae, Egypt, and the island of
Crete.
A significant preoccupation of these developing
civilizations was war. The history of this time appears
to be a succession of wars of conquest: As one
culture grew in strength, it conquered another, then
eventually weakened and was conquered in turn.
Some ancient societies would be destroyed by war,
some absorbed by their conquerors, and others
would dwindle and disappear for reasons unknown.
Akkad
Around 2400 b.c. the
Sumerian cities were conquered by the great King Sargon of Akkad.
The Akkadians had advanced
weaponry which gave them a
military advantage against their
neighbors. Sargonʼs capital
city was Nineveh, in the north.
Since this magnificent bronze
portrait head was found there, it
is assumed to be of Sargon.. His
eyes were ioriginally inlaid wtih
semi-pre cious stones, but they
were gouged out in antiquity.
The next great Akkadian King
we meet in art was Sargonʼs
grandson Naram-Sin. We know
him from the stele he erected to
celebrate his victories over his
enemies.
In this scene, Akkadian soldiers are pursuing their enemy
up a mountain. The trapped and defeated soldiers plead for
their lives as Naram-Sin approaches to inspect his victory.
There are many of the usual conventions of ancient art in
the depiction of the figures:
The King is larger than the other figures (symbolic
proportions)
he wears a helmet with both horns in view (characteristic
perspective)
His pose (left foot forward, left arm across chest) is mirrored
in each of his soldiers (they are types, only the King is an
individual).
Above the peak of the mountain, Two Akkadian Gods in stellar
form hover in the sky to witness the Akkadian Victory.
They are symbols of Divine sponsorship. Their participation in
this event means that Naram-Sin
has the gods on his side and that
they want the Akkadian nation
and its King to prevail.
Gudea
was King of Lagash, one of the
smaller Sumerian cities. Rather
than posing as a mighty warrior,
Gudea folds his hand devoutly.
He apparently dedicated himself
to the builiding of temples for the
Gods. He was also dedicated to
having himself sculpted. there
are more survivng images of
Gudea than any other
Mesopotamian King.
Babylon
The Sumerian gods and goddesses were adopted by
other cultures all across Mesopotamia, but they were
sometimes given different names and different roles to
play.
The principal goddess of the Sumerians was Inanna, but
the Babylonians called her Ishtar.
Here Inanna-Ishtar has the wings and talons of an eagle.
She is attended by owls and lions. She holds a rod in
one hand and a ring in the other, symbols of Kingship and
reminders of her power.
In the Christian Bible, Babylon was portrayed as a city of
excess, and the word Babylon still conjures up images of
luxury and decadence.
In truth, Babylonian civilization was the most refined and
accomplished in all of Mesopotamia. Its hanging gardens were
one of the great wonders of the Ancient World, and its King
Hammurabiʼs Code of Law is the basis of all written law.
So that his people could know what the laws were, Hammurabi had
them engraved on a stele and displayed it publicly. At left is the
complete Stele of Hammurabi, carved in black basalt and over 7
feet tall.
The Law Code of
Hammurabi, is inscribed
on the middle third of
the stone. Above it is a
relief carving that depicts
Hammurabi receiving
the laws from the God
Shamash.
Hammurabi was a great
warrior, but in this work he
appears to be in the role
of the wise leader and
protector of his people
Instead of appearing as
a star, Shamash takes
human form. If he were
to stand, he would be taller than Hammurabi. He points his
ring and staff toward the king, bestowing his divine blessing upon
him and his laws. Hamurrabi offers thanks and holds one hand
upward, making a gesture of truth. The figures conform to some
of the stylistic conventions of Ancient art, but there are also some
innovations toward greater naturalism. Can you find them?
As sometimes happens, a greater civilization is
overcome by the brutal aggressiveness of a lesser
one. That is how Babylon fell to the Hittites, a rougher
group who invaded from the North( present-day
Turkey).. Soon, the conquerors returned to their
home city of Boghazkoy, and to enter the city they
had to pass through this gate. Massive guardian
figures in the form of lions stand watch on each side
of the entrance. Perhaps warlike societies choose
a ferocious animal symbol for its intimidation value.
This pair has been weathered over the millennia until
most of their features have been worn away, so today
they impress us more with their age, massive forms,
and monumental scale.
The Assyrians
The Assyrians were another race of people from the North who conquered their neighbors.. They
had sophisticated weapons, fast horses, and a taste for war; so fighting and killing are the principal
subjects of their art.
This busy scene of a battle with the Chaldeans shows the Assyrians advancing and the Chaldenas
running away. Many enemy dead lie on the battlefield,. Assyrian horsemen spear running
Chaldean soldiers. from the back. The enemy flees to the river.
One Assyrian soldier returns with
the severed head of an enemy
while another grasps a Chaldean
by the hair and prepares to do the
same.
Here we see the Assyrianʼs favorite
medium of low relief carving in
stone. and their favorite subject:
war.
The Kings of Assyria were
absolute monarchs. They believed
in ruling by divine right. They were
merciless with their enemies, and cruel to everyone else. If captured by the Assyrians, only two
fates were possible: death or slavery.
This inscription was carved like a dedication plaque on the building projects completed by King
Ashurnasirpal :
I built this city with the peoples subdued by my hand,
whom the Gods had caused to lay themselves at my feet and to bear my yoke.”
The Assyrian Kings might celebrate their victories with a banquet, just a small get-together with
the wife and a dozen servants or so. Any excuse to enjoy the garden and
admire the sview of the just-defeated, newly severed Kingʼs head hanging
flike a decoration rom a favorite tree.
If If any further evidence of Assyrian insensitivity is necessary, one only
has to look at the series of relief panels that show King Ashurnasirpal
hunting lions.
Captive lions were released from cages and encouraged into the path of
the Kingʼs chariot, where he proved his prowess by killing them all, while
his soldiers made sure he was protectedat all times.
One of the most admired panels
from this series of hunting scenes
records the suffering of a fatally
wounded lioness. This beast is
pierced by three arrows, but still
crawls along on her front legs as
she presents a defiant snarl.
The artist who carved the Dying
Lioness panel demonstrated
sensitivity to animal behavior that
expresses her life force. He also
exhibits a profound knowledge
of the natural appearance of the
animal and her muscular power.
One of the most striking of Assyrian subjects was the
Lamassu. Lamassu were monumental man-headed bulls
that guarded the entry to the Kingʼs palace.
In addition to the typical beard and hair of the Mesopotamian
ruler, the Lamassu wear a kingly crown. Wings sprout from
their shoulders.
They seem to be hybrids of animals that embody strength,
swiftness, and ferocity: qualities the king would be sure to
possess.
A unique feature of the Lamassu is that it has five legs. In
an interesting attempt at three-sided relief, the animal has
four legs in motion when seen from the side and two at rest
when seen from the front.
This gives the appearance of a 5th leg when viewed at an
angle.
The Assyrians eventually fell to the
resurgent Babylonians and their conquerors adopted the
Lamassu as its favorite guardian figure. The palace of
The second wave of Babylonian civilization under the
guidance of King Nebuchadnezzar II constructed an
extraordinary city gate and dedicated it to the goddess
Ishtar. It was monumental in scale with crenellations on
the roof and and four corner towers. The Ishtar gate was
faced with glazed blue brick and decorated wiwth other
bricks of glod and white. Guardian animal figures were
carved into the brick in low relief before being glazed as
well.
It was in ruins when it was removed from its
original site and reconstructed in the Berlin
Museum where it looks like this today.
Below is a smaller version of the
original gate, that has been rebuilt in Babylon as
a tourist attraction.
The Neo-Babylonians eventually were conquered
by the Persians and later it is the Persians who
constantly threaten Classical Greece. Who do
you think wins that one?
It seems that no Mesopotamian civilization was
secure for long. If the Akkadians were the victors
one day, they were the victims the next. Though these cultures shared a common fate, they were
each distinctly different from one another which is evident when you look at their art.
Go to the next page to see your wriring assignment for next
Writing a comparison and contrast essay:
The point of writing any essay is to exercise your brain and advance your thinking. Writing also
hones your communication skills and challenges your preconceptions.
A comparison/contrast essay presents you with two similar but not identical objects, and you are
expected to measure each against the other.
In art history we look at two works of art. We place them side by side. First notice each subject,
theme if there is one, artist if there is one and ao on. Look for obvious similarities and write them
down.. Next look for obvious differences and do the same.. Then research and read about them to
gather a few facts and process a little information, Then look again for more subtle similarities and
differences, and you should start to get ideas to write about.
Identify and describe the points of likeness and unlikeness. Ask yourself why these things are this
way. Are they from the same point in time, the same culture or style? the same subject or the
same whatever? Or are they from different times, cultures, and so on. How much do they resemble
each other, if at all? What is significant about their differences?
Think about the historical period each comes from. What was art like then? What was the style,
what was the purpose? What were the themes, the mediums, and the subjects that were typical?
soes it look like a period style or a personal style?
Then ask your self: what happened and why? Develop a theory of growth and change as it applies
to these two works. Draw some conclusions.
Organize your thoughts into an essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Use a word
processor with spelling and thesaurus tools. Use them. Identiy and describe what you see.
Refer to the earlier Writing about Art directions that were in the unit about composition so you will
remember the essentials of the essay form and apply them here.
Here are three sites that mayalso be be of help:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/eduweb/writing/II_2b.htm
http://www.temple.edu/writingctr/student_resources/comparison.html
http://www.rscc.cc.tn.us/owl&writingcenter/OWL/Com_Con.html
The following page has your works to compare and contrast.
Below are an number
of items to consider in
the analysis of any two
works of art.
Omit the items that
do not apply and add
others to the list as you
discover them.
Subjects
Medium/materials
eras
cultures
styles
Themes
Purposes
Settings
Use of space
Emphasis
Mood
Narrative (story)
Meaning
What else?
How are these works
alike?
How are these works
different?
What conclusions can
you draw to explain the
change in art or the lack
of change? What could
this mean?
Compare and Contrast
these two works: