3
3. The first civilisations
53
MESOPOTAMIAN ART
The
Wounded Lion
, an Assyrian relief which decorated the royal palace
in the city of Nineveh. Top right: Freestanding statue of the Assyrian
king Ashurnasirpal II (British Museum, London). Right:
Victory Stele
commemorating the victory of the Akkadian king Naram-Sin over his
enemies.
Beard and long
hair, following the
Assyrian fashion
of that era
Mace, symbol of
authority
Curved sword to
fight monsters
Solar discs: these
represent the gods
Mountain: where gods
and men were united
The king: Naram-Sin,
depicted on a large scale,
ruthlessly standing on
his enemies
The Arkaddian soldiers
follow their king’s orders
Recreation of a ziggurat
Understand
14.
Listen and identify the Mesopotamian art above.
Then answer the questions.
a)
What material was used to build the ziggurat?
b)
What material was the
Victory Stele
made of?
c)
What material was Ishtar’s gate decorated with?
15.
What type of sculpture do these works belong to?
a)
The Wounded Lion
b)
The Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal
c)
The Code of Hammurabi
Analyse
16.
We still use the sexagesimal systemthatwas invented
in Mesopotamia. What do we measure every day
with this system?
17.
No Mesopotamian monuments remain standing
today. However, buildings from other civilisations
of the same era have been preserved. Discuss why.
Evaluate
18.
Read the text about the
Epic of Gilgamesh
. Discuss
what later story this legend is very similar to.
