Mesopotamia: Could This Civilization Be Responsible For Modern Culture?

One of the first civilizations that has influenced Western culture to this day has been the Mesopotamian civilization. Mesopotamia was perhaps the first civilization to create art in the form of huge structural creations and sculptures. This art has helped each approaching civilization grow and develop from there, helping others to improve their own lives. However, we cannot talk about Mesopotamian art without discussing its location, way of life, and religious traditions.

The name Mesopotamia literally means “Land between two rivers”. These two rivers are the Tigris and the Euphrates. Farmers often had problems with their crops due to the flooding of these rivers. Eventually, they developed irrigation methods that allowed them to grow more crops than they actually needed. Having control over the rivers and having excess crops, these people needed some kind of record keeping.

Historian Delahunt believes that cuneiform writing was the first writing system developed in the world around 3500 BC. C. They used wet clay tablets and used sharp reeds to score the records on the tablets. The tablet would dry out and become a permanent record. However, not everyone could read or write, so official scribes had that duty. The scribes became important people since even some kings could not read. Knowing that the scribes kept all the records, it stands to reason that the scribe’s duty also included having good mathematical skills as in Egyptian culture.

It would be common then to make sculptures of his scribes as a tribute to them. One such sculpture believed to be a finance minister is the stone sculpture of Ebih-Il, the superintendent of man. The sculpture found in the Ishtar Temple is made of a type of stone called alabaster. A closer look at the statuette reveals a cheerful optimism on the part of the person and a leather skirt, which attempts to portray realism. With folded hands and wide eyes, this sculpture reveals a sense of divinity.

Furthermore, the control of these two rivers allowed the people of Mesopotamia to settle in city-states. Each city-state was protected by thick walls and had an imposing adobe building in the center of the city. This structure is called a ziggurat. These ziggurats were towers built like terraced pyramids with sloping walkways connecting each terrace.

The ziggurats were used as temples for the worship of its many gods and goddesses according to Delahunt. The stone figures found in the Abu Temple, from approximately 27 to 2600 BC, reveal some interesting facts about religious traditions. These Tell Asmar figures were “stand-ins.” These figures were part of a religious ritual of leaving substitutes in the temple when a person was dead.

The Tell Asmar statues are stylized with large eyes and are in a supplicating pose. All the elements of the Tell Asmar figures, except the faces, are reduced to the simplest possible form. This method reinforces the “power” of faces.

The figures are dominated by huge eyes (eyes that once would have had colored stones). Also, the different sizes of the statues reveal that there was a hierarchy in this society. Males were generally taller, had long hair and a thick beard. The female is smaller in size with a heavy coil arranged vertically from ear to ear and a bow at the back.

A constant symbol of Mesopotamian royal power has been the bearded bull’s head. The ancient Mesopotamians valued livestock. Cattle were a good working animal, they provided milk, leather, meat and had a religious importance for them. The bull-headed lyre was part of an ancient Sumerian harp. It has posts decorated in gold, four narrative scenes and a bull’s head with a lapis lazuli beard. The lyre was found near the body of a musician who may have performed during funeral ceremonies.

Another interesting sculpture that represents the Mesopotamians and gives us more information about who they were is the Ram trapped in a thicket or also called a male goat in a flowering tree. This sculpture was made in 2800 BC. C. and is approximately 45 centimeters long. First, this ram is not really a ram. It is a golden goat. It was found in a Sumerian tomb in Ur.

The head and legs of the animal, as well as the flowering tree, were made of wood covered with gold. Its fur is made of shell, its horns and eyes are made of lapis lazuli.

The ram is very different from the Tell Asmar Figures. There is a lot of energy and power in the bearded face, the sparkling eyes, the curly horns, and the blooming flowers. The ram can represent the god Tammuz, the masculine principle of nature. This figure is stylized in some ways, but the overall effect is one of life and energy. Also, it is considered a symbol of fertility.

Another sculpture worth mentioning is the Head of Nineveh. This sculpture is a magnificent copper head. Most likely it represents Naram-Sin, Sargon’s grandson. It accentuates the nobility of the Akkadian kings, who in 2300 BC. C. began to adopt divine aspects.

In addition, the sculptures began to express a new idea. The idea gave emphasis to worthy and powerful monarchs. The hair is braided, wound around the head, and tied into a tight bun. As mentioned by Robert C. Lamm, in The Humanities in Western Culture, this director reveals that “he is a ruler with absolute control.”

Mesopotamian sculpture and art were elaborate and complex. Clay was the most abundant material, while stone, wood, and metal had to be imported. The art was used primarily for religious purposes or had religious association. The lifestyle, location, and religion of Mesopotamia helped further develop the great civilizations that they were about to follow.