2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
The history of civilizations began in the Middle East. More than six and a half thousand years ago, in the valley of two rivers, the Euphrates and the Tigris, the center of world culture began to form. Now Iraq is located on this territory. Then it was Mesopotamia - a country inhabited by the Babylonians, Syrians, Persians, Sumerians, Akkadians, Khaldians. The culture and art of Mesopotamia reached an extraordinary flowering for those times. The inhabitants of the country created cities with huge temples and mastered writing.
The origins of Mesopotamian culture
Probably, it was the large number of diverse peoples in one territory that contributed to the development of art and culture. Sumerian culture developed after the fall of the dynasty of rulers, and the Persians and Syrians also had their influence. It was the Sumerians who became the founders of the country's written language. Cuneiform writing had a strong impact on the art of ancient Mesopotamia, because with the help of this writing style not only government documents and scientific treatises were created, but also works of art, religious and poetic texts, some of which have survived to this day.
The Sumerians laid the foundations for the scientific development of the state, they wereirrigation systems and city fortifications were established. Two thousand years BC, the art of Mesopotamia was represented by applied and visual works, literary and musical workscompositions.
Mesopotamian architecture
Constant wars led to the fact that the mainstream of architecture was called upon to create fortresses. The distinctive features of the Mesopotamian cities were powerful gates, fortified doors and frames, and heavy columns. Bronze lions located at the doors were brought by the Babylonians. In addition, such architectural forms as towers and domes, as well as arches, appeared. The houses were built of clay and brick, and there was usually a ziggurat in the center of the city.
Temples-ziggurats were intended for believers who could come there and bring gifts to God. It was the architectural art of Mesopotamia that created one of the most famous temples in history - the Tower of Babel. It was a structure of seven towers, located one on top of the other, and at the top was the sanctuary of the god Marduk. Another important building is the gate of the goddess Ishtar. Babylon, then the largest city of the state, was filled with many palaces and temples, but powerful gates, decorated with blue plates with images of bulls and dragons, stood out among other architectural structures.
Glyptics
The art of Mesopotamia has survived to this day in glyptics. These are convex, rounded sculptural images, carved, as a rule, on stone (seals, rings, vases, dishes, bas-reliefs), made according to the canons. The human figure has always been depicted with a nose in profile, legs on the side, and eyes in front. Art did not reflect reality, but the accepted canon, a certain tradition of art. Mountains and trees were also depicted conditionally and symmetrically. The works reflect not the individuality of the creator, but his ability to create sculptures in accordance with the general canon. Therefore, according to the surviving samples of glyptics, one can judge the original Sumerian culture as a whole, and not about its individual masters.
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