Sumerians and Art
November 3rd, 2008 by admin
More than 4000 years ago the Sumerians settled in the valleys of the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The Sumerians were the first human race to form a settlement and brought to an end the nomadic existence of humans till then. With settlement and forming of cities, the Sumerian inventions changed the way all of us live today. Things that we take for granted today like farming, calendar, wheels were all Sumerian inventions. Writing was discovered and the Sumerian art and culture was sophistication in itself. The Sumerian art can be easily separated into ritual objects, state objects and personal objects.
Dating from 2400 BC, archaeologists have found smooth, perfected and idealized features of the classical period in Sumerian art. Some of the portraits are in marble and others in black-grey diorite. Excavations have unearthed great skill and artistry in Sumerian art. Sumerian art was complex and ornate with clay being the most abundantly used material. Stone, wood and metal had to be imported into Sumer. Painting and sculpture was the main median used and art was primarily used for religious purposes.
Sumerian art had Three-dimensional statuettes made of marble with an obvious hierarchy of size. The tallest statues were of the vegetation God almost about 30 inches in height. A number of statutes and sculptures were religious and depicted the mother goddess.
Tags: archaeologists, art and culture, classical period, diorite, excavations, fareast, material stone, mso, nomadic existence, paper source, personal objects, ritual objects, sculp, style definitions, style name, sumerian art, sumerian clothing, sumerian inventions, sumerians, tigris, times new roman
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