Material Art in Ancient Mesopotamia

Introduction

• Artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia
• Focus on the Bronze and Iron Ages

Pottery

• Most common type of art in ancient Mesopotamia
• Made of baked clay; oldest recognized art form in Near East
• Used to date cultures through changes in style
• Common objects: bowls, jars, cups, boxes, fragments
• Early pottery (~7000 BC) hand-shaped and open-fire baked
• Primitive kilns introduced (~6000 BC)
• Technology advancements allowed mass production of bowls, jars
• By 2000 BC, some pottery glazed in Babylonia and Assyria
• Wealthy preferred utensils of silver, gold, copper, bronze, glass, stone

Metalworking

• Most important craft in ancient Mesopotamia
• Essential for agriculture (plows), warfare (weapons, armor), household items
• Metal items more valuable and durable than clay/ceramic counterparts
• Metals mostly imported due to scarcity
  • Copper from Anatolia, Iran, and Canaan
  • Tin from Anatolia and Central Asia
• Bronze (copper + tin) dominant by 4th millennium BC
  • Used for weapons, helmets, utensils, statues
• Iron use widespread by end of the Bronze Age via Hittites
• Gold, silver, electrum used mainly for jewelry

Jewelry

• Used metals and alloys for fine/luxurious items
• Incorporated precious and semi-precious stones (lapis lazuli, jade)
• High social status individuals adorned with beads, amulets, bracelets
• Popular styles: ring-shaped earrings, crescent moons, cones, animal/human heads

Cylinder Seals

• Made from stone, clay, copper, bronze, silver, gold, bone, lapis lazuli, shell
• Used to create impressions on wet clay
• Depicted events, rulers, geometric patterns, daily life, battles, religious scenes
• Difficult to engrave correctly proportioned figures
• Used to verify official documents, correspondence, contracts, account ledgers
• Important archaeological finds providing insights into religion, mythology, rulers

Sculpture

• Important artistic expression in 3rd millennium BC
• Early sculptures of clay, later wood, stone, metals (copper, bronze)
• Examples: Bullheaded harp with wood core, gold layers, lapis lazuli
• Best preserved in stone (limestone, gypsum, alabaster, diorite)
• Stone often imported from Anatolia, Iran, Oman (Magan/Macan)
• Many had religious purposes, used as votive offerings
• Notable works from Assyria (Kalhu/Nimrud, Dur-Shorukan, Ashur, Nineveh)
• Sculpture peaked during Neo-Assyrian period

Conclusion

• Overview of primary material arts in ancient Mesopotamia