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Sumer

By Pszkodon
  • Period: 4500 BCE to 2334 BCE

    Sumer

    Sumer is the earliest known civilization. This time period is marked by the emergence of urbanism, the development of cities, and the invention of writing. Some themes of Sumerian art are the sacred sphere, the socio-political sphere, kingship, and deities. Art during this time period was created using clay, mudbrick, lapis lazuli, gold, and shells. Hieratic scale, composite pose, and abstracted human figures are common stylizations of the period.
  • Late Uruk Period, Anu Ziggurat with White Temple, c. 3517–3358 B.C.E, mudbrick, 148 x 164 feet base, 40 feet height, Iraq
    3400 BCE

    Late Uruk Period, Anu Ziggurat with White Temple, c. 3517–3358 B.C.E, mudbrick, 148 x 164 feet base, 40 feet height, Iraq

    The White Temple was built atop Anu Ziggurat, dedicated to the sky God Anu. A ziggurat is a built platform with four sloping sides. These sides were broken up by stripes, and the flat top was coated with asphalt. The whitewashed temple stood 40 feet above the flat plain of Uruk, making it a focal point of the city. The temple's height was a visual symbolization of the theocratic political system; the sight a reminder that state officials operated on behalf of a higher power.
  • Uruk, Mask of Warka, c. 3200 - 3000 BCE, white marble, 20 cm in height, National Museum of Irag, Baghdad, Iraq
    3100 BCE

    Uruk, Mask of Warka, c. 3200 - 3000 BCE, white marble, 20 cm in height, National Museum of Irag, Baghdad, Iraq

    This carving is believed to be a rendering of the Goddess Inanna, the Sumerian goddess of love, war, beauty, sex, and fertility. It is carved out of a single piece of marble that was imported to Uruk, the cost highlighting the importance of the piece. The artist used a technique to make the cheeks appear softer, and the eyes and eyebrow are believed to have been inlaid with lapis lazuli and shell. Researchers believe it was placed atop a wooden body and adorned with a wig made of gold leaf.