Three NEAR EAST pieces to remember

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Three NEAR EAST pieces to remember
Stele of Hammurabi BABYLONIAN c1780 BCE
Stele of NaramSin AKKADIAN 2300-2200 BCE
Votive of Gudea NEO-SUMERIAN 2141-2122 BCE
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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, AKKADIAN2300-2200 BCE
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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.
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Stele of Hammurabi BABYLONIAN c. 1780 BCE
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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)
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Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions. From Palace
Complex of Assurnasirpal II, Nimrud, Iraq. c. 850
BCE. NEO-ASSYRIAN
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Ziggurat of UrSumerianAbout 2100 BCE
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Ziggurat of UrSumerianAbout 2100 BCE
The Ziggurat was built as a place of worship,
dedicated to the moon god Nanna The name Nanna is
Sumerian for "illuminator. Its in the Sumerian
city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia.
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Votive figures by unknown Sumerian sculptors.
Sumer, 2700 to 2500 B.C. Stone. Tallest figure 30
inches high.
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Sargon I First AKKADIAN RulerSargon 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.
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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.
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The hybrid or composite iconography is powerfully
evocative of strength (body of lion / bull),
speed (an eagle's wings) and intelligence (human
head).