Analysis: The Standard Of Ur

The Sumerians were an intelligent people and very religious, who created art for the sole purpose of the Gods. Both the Stele of Hammurabi and the Statue of Gudea honor their deities and convey power and authority but in different ways. The Stele with law code of Hammurabi conveys his relationship to the sacred by showing him with his hand raised in respect to the flame-shouldered sun god, Shamash. King Hammurabi of Babylon created a comprehensive collection of 282 laws and standards, in essence a judicial code. These laws or code were carved into a massive seven-a-half-foot black stone stela or diorite pillar. Hammurabi is depicted in the familiar convention of combined front and side views, with the exception of the headdress which is

The word “cuneiform” means wedge shape, and that is what the Sumerians used on the clay. The tool that they used was a triangle with a line connecting to it. The shapes sometimes were combined together to create a letter of the alphabet (OI). After the wedges were carved into the clay, the Sumerians would lay it out in the sun so the clay can bake (Doc. 1). Cuneiform was a contribution that

The reliefs belonging to the sacred or"ceremonial" category consist of panels depicting a sacred tree, a human

Ur was one of the most powerful cities in Sumer between 3000 and 2000 BCE. It was located roughly 300 kilometers (about 187 miles) southeast of Baghdad which was surrounded by the arid, salt-encrusted plain of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Today however, Ur is far from the Persian Gulf and is surrounded by a wall about 8 meters tall. The temples were a major economic entities because it help them bring

His tomb was found in a secret spot in the royal burial ground of kings called the Valley of the Kings. King Tutankhamun’s tomb features his coffin which has three layers. Also, in the tomb other objects of value were found. In the innermost one you can find his golden sarcophagus. His sarcophagus along with the other objects were found untouched. It features him holding a crook and flail which were symbols of a king’s right to rule. The coffin is made out of nearly 240 pounds of gold and inlaid with enamel and semiprecious stones. The materials were used to show the theme of importance of power and authority and also wealth. Using these materials in the tombs and by putting other objects representing wealth provided for the ka. Ka is what is left of your soul once you die. The ka makes its way back to your body and lives out eternal life doing regular activities. Gold is a material used to show wealth in modern times and to the kings in Egypt it was used to indicate power, wealth, and authority. When you see gold you associate it with something of importance or someone of importance. When you see King Tut’s sarcophagus the bright gold is the first identifier. This means that the first thing you were supposed to recognize about him was his great wealth, power, and

It is with out a doubt that in our country the United States of America the lower and middle class have the common perception that the government and the “super rich” have some kind of unknown agreement to maintain extremely lower tax rates on the “super rich”. What do the “super rich” do with all the saved money coming from the tax cut is another unknown, perhaps some luxurious new home, car, or maybe put it to work and continue getting richer. While all this may be true to some degree, one of the “super rich” elite members has stepped fourth not only once but a few time but none compare to his current attempt to make change.

This is proof of the Sumerian architectural abilities. The architecture in Mesopotamia are considered to have been contemporary with the founding of the Sumerian cities, but there was some complexity in the architectural design during this Protoliterate period (c. 3400-c. 2900 BC). This is shown in the design of many religious buildings. Typical temples of the Protoliterate period--both the platform type and the type built at ground level--are, however, much more elaborate both in planning and ornament. The interior was decorated with cones sunk into the wall, covered in bronze. Most cities were simple in structure, but the ziggurat was one of the world's first complex architectural structures.

The two sculptures presented for this assignment are the Statue of Gudea, which dates back to 2090 B.C. (“Statue of Gudea,” 2000) and The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu, which dates back to 2575–2465 B.C. (“The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu,” 2000). Both statues represent people; however, they depict different types of people from completely different time periods and cultural backgrounds. The Statue of Gudea shows the ruler of southern Mesopotamian, Gudea, whose reign was from 2144-2124 B.C. (“The votive statue of Gudea: A formal analysis,” 2011) sitting in a praying position with his hands locked and his eyes forward. He is dressed in what appears to be a lavish robe with an inscription that clearly depicts what Gudea thought of himself and his successes during his time as ruler. The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu represent what is thought to be a married ancient Egyptian couple who are lovingly embracing each other. Aside from looking at

Often or probably used to store the kings belongings. Also there was a place in the temple for the king to

Ancient Mesopotamia was home to many artistic and mechanical developments. This was due to the emerging civilizations in the fourth millennium BCE. Among these creations, archaeologists discovered musical instruments, which were carefully crafted by Sumerian artists. One of the most acclaimed artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia is the Bull-Headed Lyre. The discovery of the lyre has reinvented the way that history professionals evaluate early human civilization. The Bull-Headed Lyre has impacted history by creating a foundation for an expression of beliefs about wealth in the Sumerian culture. This will be examined through a visual analysis of the Bull-Headed Lyre, evaluating its discovery, and analyzing its representation of wealth.

Many pieces in Mesopotamia represent the status of the kings as being a greater figure than the common people and even an alike or greater figure than the gods. One piece that depicts the high status of the ruler is the “Fragment of the victory stele of Eannatum”, from Girsu, Iraq. ca. 2600-2500 BCE. On the stele, is Eannatum, who is the ruler who leads the battle, and obtained the city of Umma. He is depicted larger than the army, except Ningirsu, who chose him as the ruler. The audience of the stele is the people of Sumer, but more importantly, his enemies. The second piece that depicts propaganda in Mesopotamia is the “Head of the Akkadian ruler”, from Nineveh, Iraq, ca. 2250-2200 BCE. The hollow-cast sculpture made with Cooper is believed to be an Akkadian king. The sculpture demonstrates propaganda in Mesopotamian art because it reflects the idea of absolute monarchy, and focuses on the kings, instead of the city-state. However, the head was vandalized as its eyes were gouged, and its beard and nose were slashed by the Medes because they were opposers of the absolute monarchy. In addition, another example of propaganda in Mesopotamia is the “Votive disk of Enheduanna”, from Ur, Iraq, ca. 2300-2275, in which the Alabaster disks represents the daughter of King Sargon, Enheduanna in which the cuneiform inscriptions which mentions that she is the daughter of Sargon, who is the king of the world. Moreover, the disk also mentions that she is the

The artifact functions as a music box and was a prominent instrument during the Sumerian age and was most commonly used during funerals. In addition, since the piece of work was found in a royal tomb, one can further assume that it played a role in ancient funeral rites or banquets13. The Epic of Gilgamesh, explained earlier, could have also played a role in the development of this piece since it was a large part of literature in the Sumerian age. Even though the poem was written down hundreds of years after this plaque was created, it could be evidence for the first documentation of a long oral tradition13. Although there is no known patron of the work, it was most likely intended to be played and seen by an audience and give respect to the dead. In contrast, the Lapith Fighting a Centaur was apart of the Parthenon and had been widely known for centuries; it wasn’t a recent discovery. The relief, along with the 96 others on the building, depicts a legendary war between two factions. Even though these were mythic tales, they played a large role in Ancient Greek lives. The reliefs were created to most-likely educate the people of Greece about their gods and to recreate their religious

Sculpture is a fascinating form of art because it documents the human experience going far back before languages were developed to convey meaning. In the case of the Egyptian statute of Memi and Sabu as well as Gudea from ancient Mesopotamia each culture was advanced enough to use hieroglyphic scripture and yet they still cultivated these careful representations of important people from the time. Although they come from different corners of the globe they have many similarities, perhaps even more in common than they have different. As we explore both statues the principles of design, including line, texture, shape and technique make it apparent how intelligent these civilizations were and how much care and pride went into them.

they used symbols that represented traded goods and livestock. The Sumerians used writing to keep records and to keep their stories.

The shrine of Tutankhamun uncovers the burial customs of the New Kingdom Egyptians. The Canopic Shrine positioned on the east wall of the Treasury holds Tutankhamun's embalmed internal organs. A gold chest held four Canopic jars containing the dead pharaoh's internal organs in each jar. Undoubtedly, through the process of mummification, the embalmers must have removed the internal organs and preserved them in the Canopic jars, perhaps to be taken with the pharaoh to the next world. The third and innermost of three coffins of Tutankhamun is made of solid gold and is inset with semiprecious stones and coloured glass. It is covered with carved decorations and inscriptions inside and outside. It bears the names and epitaph of the deceased king and also protective texts. From this we discover the significance of the importance of the decoration of the mummy was, and the power the coffin was believed to hold. Originally, mummification was so expensive that it was a privilege enjoyed only by the Pharaoh and few nobles. Everybody else was given a simple grave burial in one of the vast cemeteries or "necropolises" of the time. But the promise of eternal life was so appealing that it wasn't long before other classes of Egyptians began signing up for mummification, too.