Three NEAR EAST pieces to remember… Stele of NaramSin AKKADIAN 2300-2200 BCE Votive of Gudea NEO-SUMERIAN 2141-2122 BCE Stele of Hammurabi BABYLONIAN c1780 BCE

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, AKKADIAN 2300-2200 BCE

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.

Stele of Hammurabi BABYLONIAN c. 1780 BCE

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.

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.

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.

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)

Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions. From Palace Complex of Assurnasirpal II, Nimrud, Iraq. c. 850 BCE.

NEO-ASSYRIAN

Ziggurat of Ur

Sumerian About 2100 BCE

Ziggurat of Ur Sumerian About 2100 BCE

The

Ziggurat

The name was built as a place of worship, dedicated to the moon god Nanna

Nanna

is Sumerian for "illuminator.“ It’s in the Sumerian city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia.

Votive figures by unknown Sumerian sculptors. Sumer, 2700 to 2500 B.C. Stone. Tallest figure 30 inches high.

Sargon I – First AKKADIAN Ruler

Sargon 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.

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.

The hybrid or composite iconography is powerfully evocative of strength (body of lion / bull), speed (an eagle's wings) and intelligence (human head).