Ancient Near Eastern Art : Statues and Architecture used to display power, importance, or connection to the gods
By PenaGabe
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A Ziggurat is a built platform in the shape of the bottom half of a pyramid which contained a White Temple on top with 3 entrances that were opposite sides of the ramp leading to it. The Ziggurat would tower over the city symbolizing as the heart of a theocratic political system (government where Gods are seen as rulers). Within the architecture bones of leopards and a lion were found which could have symbolic meaning for strength and connection to the Gods.
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The giant statue is a hybrid monster that has a head of a human with beard and crown relating to the god Ishtar with the body of a bull with wings. The statue stares over human heads as if observing more important things and with the level of repeated high detail and patterns can signify higher importance beyond mortals.
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The stele itself depicts Naram-Sin who is the great great grandson of the founding king of the Akkadians, Sargon and his victory over the lullubi who were mountain people that lived in the eastern region on Mesopotamia. The stele has Naram-Sin towering over every person included wearing a helmet which symbolized divinity and is meant to symbolize that he's representing the status of the Gods which are shown at the very top as suns.
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The Sumerian Dynastic period had been interrupted by the Akkadians who took control until they were attacked by people from the mountains which gave the Sumerians the opportunity to reclaim their culture. Gudea was the prince or governor of Lagash and he sought to build and rebuild many temples. The statues of himself he had ordered to be made purely of diorite with no stones that would connect him to the Gods, simply having him of stone with his pose signified his humanity and dignity.
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The stele depicts Hammurabi receiving laws from the god Shamash who is seated and depicted with thunderbolts. This is also one of the earliest representations of written laws ever found.
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Reliefs such as these were very common to display the power of the Persian king. Many of the reliefs show contribution to the empire's central authority to cement political power which further cemented the kings authority and power.
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