Lamassu: Art In The Assyrian Period

Horrific violence, terrifying threats and public terrors strike fear into the hearts of thousands who oppose the Assyrian Empire. “An Assyrian Emperor’s Resume: Ferocious Conquests a Specialty” remains a paragon of these unspeakable tragedies transpiring around 875 B.C. Written by Ashur-Nasir-Pal II (or one of his subjects), this anecdote highlights his conquests as he claims ancient cities’ wealth, while brutally murdering foreign people and destroying their lands. Geographically, the story takes place in the Middle East, specifically North Mesopotamia. According to the author, he conquers places like Hudun, Zamua, Zamru, Iritu and Ammaru. The historical value behind this piece portrays prominent aspects of their society and depicts how Assyrians reigned, while hinting at the empire’s values; therefore, this historical account provides evidence, which exhibits the attributes of the Near East during Ashur-Nasir-Pal II’s reign.

The coffin and mummy of Djedmaatesankh are known as one of the few unopened coffins, retaining the original seal. Currently, it has been decided not to open the coffin in order to examine the mummy within due to the fact that it would severely damage the artwork and hieroglyphs that have been painted on the outside. The coffin is made of cartonnage, which is created with moulded linen and plaster and is painted on the outermost layer. These paintings describe the story of Djedmaatesankh’s life, as well as references to the Book of Caverns in order to provide the body “with safe protection as it makes its journey through the underworld on its way to eternal life in the Field of Reeds”. The coffin is from the 3rd intermediate period of ancient Egyptian culture and has been dated to 945-715 BC, coinciding with the 22nd Dynasty in which Ian Shaw relays that the “Chief of the Meshwesh Sheshonq (King Sheshonq I)” ruled. The base materials used are linen and plaster to form the cartonnage, and the artwork on the outermost layer uses a combination of paint and gold leaf to create depictions of Djedmaatesankh’s life. Ancient Egyptians used paint made from a mixture of pigment and plaster to paint on coffins and sarcophagi, and the higher classes used increased amounts of gold leaf as well. Djedmaatesankh’s coffin would be classified as funerary art, which had been created to be of use in funerary rituals and practices. Djedmaatesankh’s coffin is an excellent example of the extensive

From 1567 to 330 B.C. humanity experienced many subsequent development as well as decline in its civilizations. Among these events emerged three colossal empires that had shaken the world and forever changed the course of human history. The Egyptian, Assyrian, and Persian Empires have been instrumental in influencing technology, religion, and ideas throughout the world. Various factors have contributed to the success and downfall of these giants. Each of the “World Powers” have similarities as well as distinctions in its government form and organization, religion, and economy that contributed to their triumph.

Various pieces of art found thousands of years ago depict characters based on certain events and legends. I will be analyzing two works of art: The Sound Box of the Great Lyre, a wooden music box (33 x 11 cm) found in present-day Iraq c. 2600-2500 BCE, and Lapith Fighting a Centaur, a high metope relief (1.42 m) on the side of the Parthenon in Ancient Greece c. 447-432 BCE. The former represents a bull with a low relief under its head, depicting animals mimicking the lifestyle of humans. The latter exemplifies a nude man struggling against a mythical creature that is half-man half-horse2. Although these works are from across the world with completely different cultures, they both have similar

This essay aims to investigate two different time periods in the history of art. It will scrutinize the influence that the respective societal contexts had on the different artists, which in turn, caused them to arrange the formal elements in a specific way. I will be examining an Egyptian sculpture of the god Isis nursing Horus, her son, as well as the Vladimir Virgin icon, which dates from the Byzantine era. Experts vary on the precise ‘lifetime’ of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, but according to Mason (2007:10) it existed from 3100 BCE up to 30 BCE. The Byzantine era, which

George Orwell famously declared »all art is propaganda.« Great works of art, in other words, have a very particular message for an intended audience. This function of art transcends historical periods, as is evident if one takes a closer look at the art of specific eras, such as Ancient Egyptian art. Ancient Egyptian art possessed a very specific propaganda function: to promote the divine origins and authority of the Pharaoh and thus a hierarchical social system.

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 artworks of Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are both strikingly different and similar at the same time. Consistent is the theme of serving the different gods the two cultures believed in. In Mesopotamia the various city-states each had their own protective deity, and in Egypt they sometimes differed from one dynasty to the next. Whatever the case, with the beginning of kingdoms and rulership came the need to justify a position of power and establish a hierarchy. And as more time passed came also the human need to leave an impression on their world. Looking at the example of the statues of Gudea from the Neo-Sumerian period and the Temple of Ramses II from the New Kingdom of Egypt in the 19th dynasty, will show how both rulers of

The Middle Assyrian Laws are a selection of laws also known as the Code of the Assyrians. They are composed in the wedge shaped writing system of ancient Mesopotamia. There are only twenty-eight given in the source but the actual number of codes in the society is uncertain. The codes listed are out of order and many numbers are missing. The documents were written in Akkadian, one of the earliest Semitic languages, in the Middle Assyrian dialect. The particular author of these codes is unknown. The existing copies though were apparently edited during the reign of the Assyrian king Tiglath- pileser I. The texts were found during the excavation of the site of Qal’at Shergat (ancient Assur) in northern Iraq in the early twentieth century. The existing copies number about fifteen tablets, one of which is duplicated by a copy that dates to the Neo – Assyrian period, around 900-612 BCE. The relationship of the document to each other is unclear. The evidence as to why these were written and whom they directly affect is not clear. The laws primarily target the relationship between male and female. The significance of the source is ambiguous, but based off of the time in history and people targeted in the law codes, the people who lived here were men and woman in relationships with one another. The codes explain the consequences, rules, and way of life in this time period.

After one takes in the armed and protective aura of the Winged Being, the eyes

Throughout different time periods and civilizations come many different types of art that would never be comparable to those of another time or place. There are also the pieces that come from a completely different time and place, but yet they can still be compared to one another. The Torso of a God (Egyptian, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, last decade of the reign of Amenhotep III, Granodiorite, 1359-1349 B.C.) and the Statue of Asklepios (Greek, Hellenistic period, Pentelic Marble, 2nd century B.C.) are two sculptures made hundreds of years apart, yet they both display many similarities and show how art is constantly changing whilst keeping the same core ideas.

The sphinx is located in the eastern wing of the museum. This is a fairly small artifact comparing with the original sphinx located at Giza, Egypt. It is famous for its projection both Kushite and Egyptian elements. The lion shown in the body of the sphinx is done in typical Egyptian style like the grand sphinx itself, while the face of the artifact clearly Sudanese resemblance of Taharqo, the black king. There are hieroglyphics and symbols on the statue clarifies the fact that it is a real and legitimate portrait of the great King Taharqo. The statue is kept in the central of the room in a glass box (Caleca, 1979). The statue is only accessible for viewing. Visitors are not allowed to touch the box at any cost, but they are allowed to take pictures. Besides the box, there is black and white steel panel where description about the statue is written. It’s said there that, Taharqo was in fact, the fourth pharaoh to rule both the kingdoms of ancient Egypt and Kush together, during the Third Transitional Period of the middle age (Török, 2002). Also, there was a mention that, this statue was built around 680 B.C. The statue was first discovered by archaeologists at a demolished stone temple in Nubia (now known as Sudan), which is situated in the south-eastern part of the Amun Temple at Kawa (now Gematon). The excavations were conducted and monitored by the University of Oxford in 1930 (MacGregor, 2012). Experts believe

The name of my art work selection is the Osiride statue of Senwosret I. It is a limestone statue from the Middle Kingdom also referred to as “The Period of Reunification” from 1961–1917 B.C. in Egypt. It can be found in gallery 110 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. When on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website, it can be easily found by typing the accession number of 09.180.529 into the search bar in the upper right hand corner.

Starting with Bastet, this free-standing statue hails from Late –Ptolemaic Period (664–30 B.C) from Egypt. Medium used was bronze, precious metal and black bronze inlays. The dimensions are H. 5 cm (4 1/8 in.); W. 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.); D. 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.). This statuette was donated to the Museum by George and Florence Blumenthal in 1934 and is on view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134.

Perhaps the most mysterious thing about the Lion Hunt reliefs is motive behind their creation. At face value they are gorgeous pieces of art with excellent attention to detail. Yet the subject matter and the gruesome illustrations do serve a purpose to the one who requested their