The ancient Sumerian culture
Recent discoveries not far from the area in which the Sumerian culture was developed.
It has been raised for years that the Sumerian culture located in the fertile valleys of the Euphrates and the Tigris was the one that marked the true beginning of the first forms of coexistence that could be considered as civilized forms of social organization. However, some polished stone structures and carved by the hand of man belonging to the Neolithic period that are not far from the Mesopotamia area and those that are calculated in time to the Sumerian culture have been discovered.
The circular stone pillars of Gobekli Tepe which is where this archaeological site is reveal that the man of the stone age had a surprisingly high level of artistic sophistication and that is proof of an already extremely complex specialization that marks the beginning of a more multifaceted society. The stone circular complex dates from approximately 2,000 years before the man settled permanently on farms.
This important recent discovery could radically change our understanding and perspective regarding the date of the birth of civilization. The new knowledge reveals that hunter and collector societies in the Neolithic were more organized than we previously thought. Historians and archaeologist have concluded that the planning and organization of these structures in the Governor Valley Tepe show the existence of organized groups of men who left their mark on artistic monuments created by them from a date as remote as 10,000 years.
The economic development that agriculture conducive transformed what until then was a society forced to wandering or nomads in a civilized human society with sedentary characteristics, a factor that I provide the possibility of developing among other important aspects the artistic manifestations.
Sumer- Cultura Ubaid.
We will now focus on the civilization that was established in Sumer in the southwest region of Mesopotamia, which corresponds to the current Iraq. Its era of emergence and subsequent flowering is located in the period that corresponds to the final of the age of copper or lithic tract and the beginnings of the Bronze Age. This civilization called UBAID, can be considered as the first one that establishes and becomes strength in this region after having moved here coming from northern Mesopotamia.
The oldest records of civilization in this region are found are approximately 2900 anne but their settlement and development can be located between 3600 and 4000 anne, although these first residents of Sumer did not speak the Sumerian language yet, an aspect that is deduced from the evidence found as to how they named the rivers, cities, labor occupations etc.
The cities of Sumeria were the first to develop an agriculture system that implied work to be carried out during the entire year, with its planting, cultivation and collection stages. They installed an irrigation system that allowed them to attend these crops quite successful and served by a work force specialized in it.
The invention of the wheel and a better technique in the elaboration of metals allowed this culture important advances in this field of agriculture.
In addition to agriculture, the Ubidians developed commercial exchange, established certain industries such as weaver, the skins, metallurgy, masonry and ceramics worked.
The only works of art of the UBAID period that are known to us are their handmade clay figurines, almost always naked female figures, they are carefully made with a great finish; The bodies show being subject to certain conventions, such as the marked anguity of the shoulders.
They are quite realistic but static figures showing a geometric simplification in the forms and large eyes. The majority have overlapping hands on each other and crossed over the chest in reverential position, while the bosses, which are represented with their high headdresses, are reptiles more than humans, a quality that is perhaps due to the lack of ability of the artist although this assertion has not been proven, so it can also have been intentional.
These minor arts are characteristics of the UBAID culture period but it was in the architecture that Ubaid made an immediate and more lasting contribution.
In a land lacking appropriate stones to be used in construction and without hard wood that would serve this purpose, they could only count on the materials supplied by nature and these were mud and reeds. But thanks to immigrants from the Delta who have brought with them the knowledge of the realization of raw mud bricks it was possible that they were used in the construction of temples. They also used immensely high and robust reeds and most of their constructions were carried out with them.
Sargon dynasty
Sumer It was formed by several cities-state, each of which was a political unit in itself with its own sovereign and laws these cities-states were unified by King Sargon I, in the year 2300 Ane It is known by these writings that there were slaves and that the monarchy was dynastic, the kings or dynasties that are mentioned in the list of the Sumerian kings date back to the middle of the third millennium.
In Sumer, most of its inhabitants in this historical period if Sumerian already spoke, a language that is not related to other ancient languages that are known. Each city had a protective God with their corresponding temples, department stores and homes and its inhabitants in addition to the religious function, the administration of the great agricultural properties that they owned while others were specializing in different trades such as weavers, ceramists and goldsmiths.
The Sargon dynasty between (2300-2223 AC) has left few samples in monuments, but the cylindrical seals of highly sophisticated clay and that were used to mark documents or property are so numerous and informative that they constitute a key factor for the understanding of art in this period in general.
The cylindrical seals of the Sargon period present a change in the issues that are represented. The preferred ritual banquet scene in the archaic dynastic period is completely lost but a whole series of religious scenes are introduced, mythological themes are addressed in a somewhat dramatic way.
There is also a Style Cambo and is over overcrowding in the elements of the composition of the scenes to be these freer and more independent figures charging for themselves more importantly within the entire set.
Statuillas have been found in the Abu temple, Tell Asmar that date from an approximate period between (2700 and 2600) that are a well -representative sample of the sculpture of this Sargon period. They are male statues in static position and are naked from the waist upwards carrying what looks like a skirt of wool wool. Men carrying long hair with a wavy hair beard. The female figures have a kind of cofia. Sometimes the hair of these female figures is covered with a kind of linen cloth with which they hold the hair.
It is noteworthy the fact of hierarchical representation you dare the size of the figures, these are in order of importance from the gods to the worshipers. And this element is shown both in the early and subsequent period by maintaining a constant in the Sumerian art that even for other cultures with which they had contact or those who passed this formula by inheritance.
Some sculptures made of metal and also others made with the process that is known as “lost wax” as well as others made in Diorita, Copper, Gold and Silver in Warehouses, in which not only grain, figs, etc., but also vessels, weapons, ceramic tablets with the detailed records of the businesses, sculptures and any possible object related to the use and administration of the palace and the temple were not only stored.
The sculpture that represents a bull was used with the purpose of decorating an harp founded in Paubi’s tomb and dating around 2600 AC exhibits a richness of surprising decorative elements. It is made in gold and Lapislázuli.
The UR banner.
The UR banner Belonging to Sumerian culture is a very important piece of art that shows through colorful paintings on a banner the artistic skills of this culture and in which images are represented by both sides showing different aspects of the life of these first civilizations. Some of them are rituals, ceremonies, battles as well as the social layers that are shown by the different height of the characters being the highest of course the most important as gods and the king. Figures that present a ritual nakedness have also been found but it is limited rather to those representing the figures of the priests. On the one hand, the representation of the aspects of daily life predominates, while on the other it is the military scenes that are shown.
The cuneiform writing in Sumeria
It was in Sumeria where writing was developed for the first time, progressing from a stadium of proto-writing before one of writing in the third millennium. Nevertheless this literary awakening; Most of the population was illiterate since only the scribes knew and developed that ability as happened in most ancient cultures.
The cuneiform writing printed on the ceramic tablets has been of invaluable value to know and understand many aspects of its social, political and religious system, some of the parameters that were then governed shows a curious similarity with those that govern today throughout the world. The losses carved in stones were apparently a very popular means of artistic expression that allowed them to be able to capture important events, legends, commemorations and of course respect for the gods as well as passages of their war clashes.
Architecture in Sumeria
Architecture in Sumeria seems to have developed two types of temples:
– Of varied platform.
– Built at floor level.
The temples were a kind of clay brick house to which the gods supposedly came to visit periodically, these houses were made on platforms made of mud bricks as well and were growing in size and height according to the future of the years. These platforms are known by the name of Zigurat, and can be considered as one of the first great structures …