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Subject: Ashurbanipal hunting lions, relief from the north Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh, Iraq, ca. 645-640 BCE. Gypsum, 5'4" high. British Museum, London.
Style: Assyrian
Significance: Shallow relief is indicative of assyrian art as opposed to Persian. The artwork is used to display the king's power. He slays even the most worthy opponents. The "king of beasts" is shown to have extremely defined muscles and is very powerful, but the king slays him anway.
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Subject: Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, relief from the northeast palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu, Iraq, ca. 875-860 BCE. Gypsum, 2' 10 5/8" high. British Muesum, London.
Style: Assyrian
Significance: Highly narrative compared to early near eastern reliefs. Twisted perspective used frequently in the archers and other figures. distance and size aren't employed realistically, sacrificed to maintain narrative.
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Subject: Banquet scene, cylinder seal, Tomb of Pu-abi, Royal cemetary, Ur, Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Lapis Lazuli, approx 2" high. British Museum, London.
Style: Sumerian
Significance: Use of registers to organize image. Use of hierarchy of size and scale. The most important figures are seated and are still taller than other figures on the seal. |
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| Soundbox of the lyre from Tomb 789 ("King's Grave"), Royal Cemetary, Ur, Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Wood with inlaid gold, lapis lazuli and shell, approx. 1' 7" high. University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. |
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Subject: Bull-headed lyre (restored) from tomb 789 ("King's Grave"), Royal cemetary, ur, Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Gold leaf and lapis lazuli over a wooden core, approx. 5' 5" high. University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Style: Sumerian
Significance: stylization of Bull's face and beard. Lapis Lazuli and Gold leaf indicate trade. Beard on bull indicates composite figure. |
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Subject: Fragment of the victory stele of eannatum, (Victory stele of the vultures), from Girsu, Syria, ca. 2600-2500 BCE. Limestone, full stele approx. 5' 11" high. Louvre, Paris.
Style: Sumerian
Significance: Hierarchy of rank (powerful soldiers march on top of lowly victims), Hierarchy of scale- hug figure visible on the bottom register. |
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Subject: Head of an Akkadian ruler, from Nineveh, ca. 2250-2200 BCE. Copper, 1' 2 3/8" high. Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
Style: Akkadian
Significance: casting bronze is an incredibly lengthy, time and energy consuming process. A society would need to have a huge economic surplus to be able to support it. |
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Subject: Female head (Inanna?), from Uruk, Iraq, ca. 3200-3000 BCE. Marble, approx. 8" high. Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
Style: Sumerian
Significance: Marble is an indicator of trade. Several other materials were intended to acompany this sculpture, including gold leaf hair. Traces of pigment on the marble- once painted. |
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| Ishtar gate (restored), Babylon, Iraq, ca. 575 BCE. Glazed brick. Staatliche Museum, Berlin. |
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| Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin, Iraq, ca. 720-705 BCE. Limestone, approx. 13' 10" high. Louvre, Paris. |
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| Lion Gate, Boghazkoy, Turkey, ca. 1400 BCE. Limeston, lions approx. 7' high. |
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| Presentation of offerings to Inanna (Warka Vase), from Uruk, Iraq, ca. 3200-3000 BCE. Alabaster, 3' 1/4" high. Iraq Museum, Baghdad. |
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| Processional Frieze (detail), on the terrace of the royal audience hall (apadana), Persepolis, Iran, ca. 521-465 BCE. |
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| Persepolis, (royal audience hall in the background), Iran, ca. 521-465 BCE. |
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| War side of the Standard of Ur, from tomb 779, Royal Cemetary, Ur, Iraq, ca. 2600 BCE. Wood inlaid with shell, Lapis Lazuli, and red limestone, approx. 8"x1' 7". British Museum, London. |
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| Seated statue of Gudea holding temple plan, from Girsu, Iraq, ca 2100 BCE. Diorite, approx. 2' 5" high. Louvre, Paris. |
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| Seated statue of Queen Napir-Asu, from Susa, Iran, ca. 1350-1300 BCE. Bronze and copper, 4' 2 3/4" high. Louvre, Paris. |
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| Statuettes of two worshippers, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna, Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone, male figure approx. 2' 6" high. Iraq Museum, Baghdad. |
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Victory stele of Naram-sin, from Susa, Uran, 2254-2218 BCE. Pink Sandstone Approx.
6' 7" high. Louvre, Paris. |
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| Ziggurat (northeastern facade with restored stairs), Ur, Iraq, ca. 2100 BCE. |
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Stele with law code of Hammurabi, from Susa, Iran, ca. 1780 BCE. Basalt, approx.
7' 4" high. Louvre, Paris. |
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A trapezoidal mound made of unfired mud bricks. A stepped ziggurat has several levels piled on top of one another. Functioned as temples in Sumer. |
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| A small waiting room at the top of a temple, where a priest would wait to meet a god and ask them for assistance. |
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| Priests had to walk around the cella before entering in order to prepare themselves to meet with a god. |
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| Small figures intended to pay homage to a diety. The figures were also meant as placeholders, so that while a priest was absent from the cella, a god would not come and find it empty. The votive figures often had wide open eyes because their job is to watch for the god.. |
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| Levels used to organize an image. |
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| Visuals other than size are used to denote those of higher or lower rank. Amount of clothing, being seated, placement in an image, and symbolic objects (such as the hat of divinity) can be used to communicate this hierarchy. |
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| Size denotes importance. The most important people/objects in an image are the most important regardless of their actual size |
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