Stele Of Naram-Sin Analysis

Early on in his reign Akhenaten began introducing new artistic styles, both in relation to religion and personal portrayals of the royal family. After moving the capital from Thebes to Amarna in search of new land on which to worship Aten (the God of sun/light) the artistic portrayal of the god changed to become one the most symbolic and abstract depictions of a God in Ancient Egypt (Weigall 1922, 120). The new depiction of Aten became a sun disc with long rays extending hands down to earth, and often to the royal family or the king himself. This can be thought of as symbolising the power given to the king by the Gods (Kempt 1989, 173). Akhenaten also introduced his own style of royal artwork, in which the royal family was represented in an exaggerated manner. The most notable of these exaggerations was the changes to facial features, such as the long skull and chin, and large oval eyes. This is thought to perhaps represent the separation of the royal family from everyday Egyptian people, however this contradicts with the meaning of another change to Amarna artwork, the personal, intimate portraits of the king’s family life (Kempt 1989, 265).

Like other Mesopotamian kings, Naram-Sin commemorate his “ military victories” and is one of the first works of “art created to celebrate a specific achievements of an individual rule” (Cothren) Damaged on both the top and bottom, Naram-Sin's stele depicts the king's defeat of the Lullubi people of the” Zagros Mountains “(Cothren).

The Akkadian empire is known for its imperialism. The art in their culture is profoundly influenced by their militant characteristic and they utilize their visual arts to showcase their power and strength. Moreover, the Akkadian empire built a stele that commemorated one of their achievements and it is called the Victory Stele of Naram-sin. The stele is 6 ft high and the relief and cuneiform was carved on a limestone. The stele’s visual narrative clearly illustrated king Naram-sin’s victory over Lullubi. In the relief, it showed the Akkadian army , in a composite view, going up to the mountains and also their foes can be seen on the ground dead and the defeated begging for their lives. Above them in the center is Naram-sin on a hierarchical scale, this clearly emphasizes that his identity is a king. He can be seen wearing a horned crown in which it indicates that he is also a deity. In addition, his stance

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

Depicted in the center of The Stele of Prince Ankh-nef-neb is the Prince standing at the right offering a table of gifts to three gods and goddesses. The deities can be identified from their appearances and symbols. Isis with the throne on his head, Horus with the head of a

A stele is a monument that is composed of a single column typically erected to present an important event or person. Here is the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin (2254–2218 B.C.E), who was the last great king of the Akkadian Empire and grandson of Sargon the Great, the founder of the empire. Naram-Sin's title was "King of the Four Quarters" meaning "Ruler of the World." The stele was intended to commemorate the king’s defeat of the Lullubi people in the mountains of present-day Iran. The intention of this work, however, is not only to commemorate an important battle but to show Naram-Sin’s power. Due to the hierarchy of scale it can be seen that Neram-Sin is the most important figure in the piece. He is standing victorious on the top of the mountain

The reliefs of Ankh-neb-ef are limestone panels with paint that originated from the Old Kingdom of Egypt in 2150 BC during the reign of Pharaoh Pepy II. The delicate carving of the panels in the sunken relief presents a magnificent image. They portray Ankh-neb-ef, an ancient Egyptian priest whose name translates to “may his lord live.” In the reliefs, Ankh-neb-ef holds a Kherep-sceptor and a walking stick, which were symbols of authority in ancient Egypt. Egyptian civilization was extremely religious and most ancient Egyptian artworks involved the portrayal of gods, goddesses, and Pharaoh, as well. Moreover, the Egyptian reverence for order and conservative ideals led to the institution of intricate rules that governed how artists represented both humans and gods (Saylor.org 4). For instance, the apparel worn by Ankh-neb-ef in the painting is not a simple fashion statement. The priest is wearing a prestigious sarong and ornamentation, bracelets, and a wide collar. The jewelry kept their owner safe in a dangerous passage to the afterlife. This formula for representing the human figure in a painting remained popular over several centuries (Robins 24).

They are the only two beings depicted with this great prerogative/privilege, suggesting equal association with the divine. This sense of not only equal power, but Nefertiti 's individual political power is especially seen in the uncovered reliefs of Amarna. During their joint reign a new wave of Egyptian art sweeps the country: Amarna art. It begins to emphasise an increasing influence of Nefertiti as a female ruler, now depicted as equal in size and positioning to her husband, rather than to his knee as queens in previous reigns. In many statues, the queen is portrayed in a masculine and regnant position beside the king, where she sits with one foot forward. She is depicted in many reliefs as individually powerful: in scenes at Karnak she is represented as a “warrior-pharoah sphinx”, and in Ay 's tomb she is seen equipped with a sheathed bow, driving her own chariot, a pose traditionally unseen for a female consort. To instil a sense of fear in the observer, she is even depicted on the talatat blocks from Hermopolis as smiting a captive with a scimitar, traditional of a pharaoh, on which John Cooney comments, “If she were a queen regnant, the composition...would be understandable or even suitable, but as queen consort the role is unique and incongruous.” Her distinct blue war crown, or “cap crown” with a gold diadem band and Uraeus answer any doubts as to her identity and advertises her kingly role at court. These scenes undeniably prove Nefertiti 's equal

Akkadian rulers were among the first to proclaim themselves kings of the world and assume divine attributes; as a result, Akkadian art conveys a sense of power and authority held by the ancient rulers. For example, the Stele of Naram-Sin represents the power and authority of the ruler Naram-Sin through the use of hierarchical scale and artistic details.

There is Ashurnasirpal II facing left with some type of a cup in his one hand and a bow in his other hand. He is followed by what it seems to be his eunuch or attendant and then by an Assyrian soldier with a shield on his back. These figures are included in this mural to show that the king is well attended and protected, as shown by the soldier’s shield. Also, according to Kirby AP Art History, Ashurnasirpal II is portrayed to be the tallest figure in the art piece. The author explains that this is done to show that he is of the highest authority and no one comes before him, the king.

For instance, the “Warrior” sculpture portrayal a Greek Olympic warrior of a time period in which it could have been important as a representation of the Olympics since it was on its “way from the Greek mainland to Rome, where the Greek statuary was much admired and copied”. In addition, this “Warrior” is a symbolic power due its physical strength which he had to use for the constant fights to achieve its recognition of warrior. However, the head of “Alexander the Great” demonstrate a different power which is more authoritative by the fact of his noble position of king. The image of “Alexander the Great” can represent nobility and a position of leadership by only projecting its head such as a symbolic manner to identify his great power as a conqueror and authority of Greece. However, for the sculpture of “Alexander the Great” it can be distinguished that it is not necessary to use a human figure as a force or power, therefore by showing their head was acceptable to demonstrate his authority and power beyond the physical attributes such as the “Warrior”

Composed of limestone, alabaster, and gypsum by the Sumerians, the votive figures found buried near the altar of the temple in Tell Asmar are around 30 inches or smaller. Made to ward off evil and to communicate with the gods, their proportionally large eyes are inlayed with lapis lazuli or shells to simulate irises. Their hands are clasped in a stance similar to that of prayer as an offering to the gods.

Near Eastern art was more than something visual, it was also something immensely political and religious, and because Near Eastern society was very hierarchical a lot of the art made during this period was constructed under the practice of using a hierarchic scale. A great example of that practice can be seen in Stele of Naram-Sin, in which the Eastern ruler Narman-Sin is the most prominent feature on the stele. Not only is he obviously present due to his relative size, but he is also seen in more decorative and military like gear with more weapons of destruction connected to him in comparison to others on the stele. Art historian Irene Winter even gave attention to the pose he was constructed in noting it signaled he was of vast importance.

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

Although they altered the language used they continued to use Sumerian cuneiform, for record keeping, and recordings. For Akkadians religion was a high priority, but the Akkadian religious beliefs changed minimally from the Sumerian’s belief system. The Sumerian gods An, Enlil, Enki, continued into Akkadian religion but, there was a name change An became Anu; Enlil became Bel; and Enki became Ea. The Akkadians also put a great emphasis on the god Shamash who was the sun god, he was a very important god as their agriculture lifestyles depended on him. Apart from these things the Akkadians were very similar to the Sumerians. Before Sargon was a king he was first a cup-bearer King Ur-Zababa of Kish at a time when Kish was a significant city. Sargon usurped the king’s power and assumed for himself the title as king; Sargon’s name means ‘the legitimized king’. During his time Sargon lead many military expeditions to conquer further east and north. As king, Sargon implemented his daughter as high priestess of the moon god and she took the name of Enheduanna. “Enheduanna must have been a very gifted woman; two Sumerian hymns by her have been preserved, and she is said to have been instrumental in starting a collection of songs dedicated to