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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Jun 12, 2008 21:20:49 GMT -5
Thread Orientation: This thread is inspired by a post Naomi originally made on the Ningishzida thread. Because I enjoy that post I have transferred it immediately below and hope we can expand on it in the following. Naomi: I particular like that the picture you added and that your art taking notes at the library - in the unusual way of drawing them with little technical explanations!  Your drawing of jewelery and a Mesopotamian garment have inspired this thread. I have added a few comments about these drawings at bottom.
[Originally posted by Naomi, Ningishzida thread, June 4th.] Hrmmm well I was at the library today and picked up a stacks book from the 60's...I was very excited by what i found. i forgot to record the name of the book, but it was one I previously overlooked as the index did not have Ningishzidda's name in it, instead I went through each page to find anything on Ningishzidda, and I did in fact find one picture of what they call (in this book) the Lagash Gudea beaker...because, well, it IS a beaker. The photograph fortunately showed the top part of the cup indicating more accurately the shape. One gets the impression that it's round when, in fact it has a pronounced lip. The book describes the cup as having dragons with serpent heads, lion forepaws, and bird hindfeet as well as horned crowns. And I thought they were swords the dragons were holding. Apparently they are ringed staves. The diameter of the cup is 8 and 12 cm and it is 23 cm high. Also please note the cylinder seal of a mushushu type creature I recorded.
Admin comments: Going from the top to the bottom of your page of sketch's- -Jewelery- I believe the jewelery here displayed is from the finds at the tombs of Ur- a famous dig by Sir Leonard Wooley in the 1930s if my memory on that date serves. Although we often hear of the city of Ur in it context of the Ur III period (2150 B.C.) , the jewelery found and the most exciting part of that dig had to do with the royal tombs, which date to back to the Early Dynastic period, approx 2500 B.C. -Beaker/cup- I also was not aware that Gudea's cup was spouted ) I think we are referring to Gudea's cup, even though your authors use the term "beaker".) However as long as it understood as a libation vessel, used to make libation offerings to the gods, this would make sense as it would then be made for pouring and spout would go a long ways.. -Garment- The Garment you draw I think is Assyrian. If the picture you draw depicted 'Ur-zimrilim' this sounds like a later ruler or personage to me. -Cylinder Seal- About the cylinder seal image you've drawn at bottom, I believe the cultic item at center may represent the Semitic moon god Sin (in Sumerian Nanna), on account of what appears to be a crescent moon (symbol of the moon god). On the right you've drawn a naughty little creature - I'm trying to figure out which it is. Referring to the article on religious iconography by Green (Green14.jpg I sent you), it resembles most #13, the dog, which however is not horned. #13 Green tells us symbolizes Gula, the healing goddess. This horned dog would seem to be an anomilie.
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Jun 12, 2008 23:31:45 GMT -5
In the following I will start informations on the Sumerians, following by the Babylonians, then Assyrians.
The Sumerians - Anyone for a Big Lamb-like skirt? I don't usually refer to out-of-field sources, however while browsing the Public library I've come across a reasonable treatment of Mesopotamian fashion within the a large book titled (simply enough.) " A History of Fashion" , which was written in 1975 by S. Anderson Black and Madge Garland. Fortunately for those interested in Sumerian getup, before the authors proceed to discussing the styles of the Greeks, Romans, Europeans and so on, they stop first in Mesopotamia; (I didn't see anything in this book about slim, tight fitting black jeans, mean looking necklaces and cuneiform graffiti.. but this book was written before I was born 0_0) Because the article and its orientation is well written, especially for an outside the field book, I will quote extensively below: Mesopotamia "In the third millennium there were two distinct peoples in the Valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates: the Akkadians in the north and the Sumerians in the south. It seems that the Sumerians were dominant for several centuries.........They were a highly sophisticated people with enormous technical resources, capable of producing advanced machinery and buildings and the most intricate goldwork. Their fashions and customs were adopted throughout Mesopotamia. Our knowledge of [the fashion of] this civilization is drawn largely from sculptures and from tombs where the dead were interred with their personal belongings to ensure prosperity in the after-life, a practice which has proved a rich source of information to scholars. "Basic Costume: "Unlike that of Egypt, Mesopotamia's soil is damp and no garments have survived the millennia of decay. We therefore have to rely entirely on other sources, such as statues and bas-reliefs which, although highly stylized, display a distinctive style of dress and show its development over the period. The first most striking feature of Sumerian dress is its simplicity, even crudity. The basic form for both men and women was a simple ankle-length wrap-around skirt called kaunkès, the torso left hanging bare. In statues and bas-reliefs, the material is portrayed as having a thick flounced texture. This has given rise to a certain amount of controversy for most experts consider that the material used was sheepskin with the wool worn outwards, the symmetrical flounces suggesting that the wool was trimmed and combed. But actual sheep, depicted at this period, have the same neat flounces which are possibly a stylized method of depicting wool. Fragments of woven material found in Sumerian tombs have led to the alternative theory, supported by some authorities who feel it is inconceivable that a nation as sophisticated as the Sumerians would have sweltered in sheepskins, that the material used was in fact a fabric with a woven back into which tufts of wool were knotted, much in the manner of rug-making, giving the effect of fleece. This cloth was also called kaunakès. Which of these two versions is the correct one we shall probably never know, but overall appearance of the Sumerian costume was a long, shaggy skirt. " Statue of Ebih-il of Mari[ On Royal Statures] "One of the finest three-dimensional statues discovered in Sumeria is the seated figure of Ebih-il, Superintendent of the Ishtar temple at Mari. He is wearing an ankle-length flounced skirt tied at the waist. At the back there hands an eight-inch tail of the same fabric which might be surplus material from the waist band, but is probably meant to suggest the animal skin from which the garments were made. A slight variation on this basic style is depicted in a votive plaque of Ur-Nanshe of Lagash. A longer piece of material has been used and the surplus thrown over the left shoulder to form a loose cloak, in the fashion of a Scottish kilt and plaid. " A Section of the Standard of Ur[ On non-Royals] "Both statues mentioned above are of nobility, but the Royal standard of Ur shows the dress of a wider cross-section of society. This mosaic, found by Sir Leonard Woolley in the Royal Tombs of Ur, depicts farmers, fisherman, musicians and soldiers. The form of dress is identical for all the figures but, with the exception of one seated figure, the skirts are portrayed without any discernible texture. The seated figure suggests that this could not have been an oversight on the part of the artist, and this suggestion is reinforced by the presence of sheep which are similarly depicted. It seems that either these skirts were made from sheepskin with the fleece removed or they were of linen without the tufting. Whichever is true, the flounced skirt appears to have been the preserve of the nobility and the army. "On Soldiers ![]() Soldier from the Steele of Vultures "One plaque that depicts military costume is the Steele of Vultures, and this shows King Eannatum at the head of his warriors. Again the basic garment is the same, but here it is supplemented by a long flounced cloak worn over the let shoulder and diagonally across the chest, leaving the right arm completely free. On his head he wears a helmet with a chignon, or hair-knot, at the back. A more elaborate helmet, designed in the form of a hairstyle, was found in the Royal tombs of Ur and is perhaps one of the finest examples of ancient goldwork ever discovered. "
Wow - Quite a array of stylings! No? 0_o Okay - whose got a sheep? Come on - Sheep skirts never get old! Uh. Note, this sheepskin skirt though frequent in the surviving statue/art piece, is not absolutely the only type of dress, but is the "basic form." - this long shawl Gudea wears for example, seems to differ markably for example. Next the authors discuss the finer details..
Accessories and Decoration [/ Jewelery of Queen Pu-abiThis simple, almost primitive, attitude towards clothes does not mean that the Sumerians were uninterested in their appearance. Their personal grooming for instance, appears to have been meticulous. Some men shaved their heads and sported neatly trimmed beards without mustaches, while others had long hair and beards. Women's hairstyles were varied and complex and wigs may have been worn. Certainly wigs and wigstands were found in the tombs of Ur. One woman portrayed in a plaque from Kafajah exemplifies the sophistication of women's hairdressing. All the hair has been drawn up to the crown of the head, then plaited into six braids from the crown to the base of the skull. Here the small braids are plaited into one thick one which is passed round the head and across the top forming a coronet. It is for jewelery, however, that the Sumerians will be remembered in the field of self-adornment. During the excavations at Ur, some of the most breathtaking goldwork ever discovered from the ancient world was unearthed. The most impressive single collection came from the grave of queen Pu-Abi, of about 2500 B.C. With her body were found necklaces and bracelets of Gold, lapis lazuli and cornelian, huge hollow semi-spherical earrings, and most dramatic of all, her headdress was constructed from rows of wafer-thin gold mulberry leaves and flowers decorated with repousse and interspersed with tubes of lapis lazuli. Above this rise seven open flowers of gold decorated with precious stones. The craftmanship of this and other goldwork discovered in the tombs is quite astonishing, showing an elegance of design and a fineness of execution which is in marked contrast to the simplicity of their basic costume. " |
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Post by sheshki on Jun 16, 2008 14:23:10 GMT -5
while searching through several books i found some interesting pictures.its a bit mixed up, but i try and sort it always from the oldest to the newest. dressesthese 2 pictures are taken in the 1930´s by the " ecole des beaux arts" . the male figure is inspired by statue of gudea. the book says that during excavations in susa they found textile remains on copper-axes, and the found linen is easy compareable to modern linen.              jewelryfishes made out of gold and lapis, found in Ur, grave of queen Puabi   found in Ur (EdIII)  jewelry from early dynastic times     found in Uruk, (UrIII)  found in the graves of Ur (EdIII)   Ur, ca.2680-2450/2520-2400bc, 41cm  Ur, ca.2680-2450/2520-2400bc, 21cm  Agrab, ca 2900-2450bc, 44cm  Eshnunna, ca 2900-2450bc,19cm  Ur, ca 2040-1800, 2,1x1,7cm  Tepe Gaura, ca 2900-2450 bc, 24cm  ca 2900-2450, 28cm  discovered in royal tombs under the north-west palace of Nimrud   haircuts, jewelery for the head        discovered in royal tombs under the north-west palace of Nimrud  more to come...i need a scanner... |
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Jun 22, 2008 19:16:01 GMT -5
Wonderful pictures Sheshki! You remain the foremost visual learner I have ever ecountered - In the dress picture you post, we see again the typical Sumerian dress consists of a) the sheep like flounced skirt and b) the long shawl with left shoulder left bare. - In the Jewelery we see the liking for triangular pattern and Rosette. I have NEVER seen those golden fish jewelery, where did you see them? And tohse rings! Gold with semi-precious jewel inlays, I have never seen again, I wonder what period they are from! |
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Post by us4-he2-gal2 on Jun 22, 2008 19:57:56 GMT -5
The Babylonians Note: In the below article the authors employ the term "Babylonian" in possibly inappropriate contexts. It is possibly at certain points the term "Semitic" should be substituted - I render as the original in any case. This information should be considered tentative and taken just for its observations of clothing. Referring again to The History of Fashion (ibid, above), the authors stick on some very interesting information in regards Babylonian influence and clothing that I wasn't aware of: "The Babylonians did not assume dominance in Mesopotamia until the [edit: Second millennium] BC, but their ideas and fashions infiltrated Sumerian life [edit: prior to this.] The move away from fleeced skirts is apparent from the twenty-fourth century B.C. From this date, through the Babylonian and Assyrian empires, we see a development in both the form of clothes and their decoration: light woven materials replace the thick skins of the previous era. Clothes become much more practical and more suitable for the sub-tropical climate of Mesopotamia. Initially, wool was the material generally woven, rather then Cotton or linen, but this was probably a result of availability. Statues show fabrics were richly decorated, very often with geometric designs. " It appears that in reviewing the authors comments on the Sumerians material above, when I pointed out that the long Shawl style dress was worn by the Gudea Statues, this was a bit hasty - as I now read below into the Babylonian section of this chapter of the book, I see the authors give a wonderful observation and explanation of why Gudea's dress may have differed from the typical Sumerian fleeced skirt: Gudea statue with long shawl "During the last years of Sumerian and the first of Babylonian domination, the dressmaker's craft was more a question of artful draping of material than of producing complex garments. One of the earliest examples of these draped costumes, fashioned from a single rectangle of material, is shown in a statue of Gudea, ruler of Lagash (2350 B.C.) who, though a Sumerian, had adopted a typical Babylonian mode of dress. The figure is draped in a fashion not dissimilar to the Greek himation, or Roman toga of two thousand years later. The material is draped round the body passing under the armpits, with the surplus material passed over the left shoulder encasing the left arm, leaving the right arm and shoulder uncovered. An almost identical costume an be seen on a statue of the Babylonian king, Hammurabi, several hundred years later. "Female type of dress, Mari 2500-2400 B.C. at the Louvre, similar or the same as to the statue alluded to below "Although pictorial representations of women in Mesopotamia are too rare for us to be able to make any generalizations about their costume, they seem to have followed the fashion of their menfolk. One rare exception is a statue of a woman from the time of Gudea, now in the Louvre, which, though damaged, gives us an idea of at least one fashion for women of this period. Again, the costume is made from a single rectangle of woven material, but, unlike the contemporary male costume, both shoulders are covered. The material is stretched tight across the bust, crossed over at the back with the loose ends passed over the shoulders and hanging loose to the waist. "
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Post by sheshki on Jun 23, 2008 7:47:56 GMT -5
thanks ush4,
well, here are some more infos.
the fishes(gold and lapis) were part of queen Puabis costume found in Ur. im not sure from what time those arm rings are, but they were found in Nimrud under the north west palace.
i added all the other infos about jewelry to the old post.
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Post by sheshki on Jun 23, 2008 10:24:10 GMT -5
I just found an article in an National Geographics Magazin (oct.2003) about that find in Nimrud. It says that archeologists from iraq found the treasure by chance. It belonged to assyrian princesses at around 8th and 9th century bc. In 1989/90 it was displayed for a short time, then it was hidden inside the central bank of bagdad. The building was bombed, burned out and gets flooded with water, but the archeologist were able to discover it from the ruins unharmed. This find of Nimrud is one of the most precious ever made.  Nice, isnt it?  |
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Post by sheshki on Jul 11, 2008 17:47:20 GMT -5
hello enenurians, here are some more pictures out of : Die Welt des alten Babylon by Charles Seignobos (1975) and Kunst Mesopotamiens by Albert Champdor (1964) unfortunatly the books does not give much informations on the displayed artifacts      this drawing shows assurbanipal celebrating his victory over elam. its inspired by an assyrian relief. the elamite king got a nice place with a great overview, or better his head up in the trees. btw, his name was teuman.     |
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Post by sheshki on Jul 22, 2008 18:13:32 GMT -5
from the website of the museum of bagdad www.baghdadmuseum.org/ Cosmetic vessel with relief of four bulls. Nippur/Nuffar. Early Dynastic II, c. 2600 BC. Alabaster with bitumen and mother-of-pearl inlays, h. 8 cm, w. 10 and 8.5 cm. IM 66136.  Necklace with five large incised beads. Ur/Tell al Muqayyar. Early Dynastic IIIA, c. 2550-2400 BC. Carnelian, gold, lapis lazuli, l. 28 cm. IM 8386. |
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Post by sheshki on Jul 25, 2008 19:42:02 GMT -5
QUEEN PUABI'S BEADED CAPE AND JEWELRY. Gold, lapis lazuli, carnelian, and various stones.  found at mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/specex/ur/ur.htmand Queen Pu-Abi's Seal: Found next to her body, this "Banquet Scene" cylinder seal identifies its holder as the Queen Pu-Abi. Below is a closeup photograph of an impression made of this seal. The Sumerian inscription bearing her name is visible at either end of the upper register.  www.arthistory.upenn.edu/522/puabi/puabiseal.html |
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Post by sheshki on Aug 28, 2008 19:35:51 GMT -5
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Post by xuchilpaba on Aug 31, 2008 0:32:07 GMT -5
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Post by sheshki on Feb 20, 2009 16:57:51 GMT -5
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Post by sheshki on Feb 20, 2009 17:08:44 GMT -5
Puabis headdress , this time from a different perspective. Found at a russian book about Sumer: "Gosudarstwennoje chosjaistwo Drewnewo Schumera" by A.I.Tjumenew |
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Post by xuchilpaba on Feb 20, 2009 19:37:52 GMT -5
It amazes me how the Sumerians actually look as ooposed to what popular culture thinks they look like. They are actually more beautiful people than people make them out to be and they have great beauty products. I'm sold! |
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Post by sheshki on Dec 16, 2010 17:52:12 GMT -5
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Post by sheshki on Dec 8, 2012 12:06:25 GMT -5
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Post by sheshki on Dec 8, 2012 12:27:54 GMT -5
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Post by sheshki on Mar 7, 2013 14:14:42 GMT -5
From: OIC 13 Tell Asmar and Khafaje The First Season's Work in Eshnunna 1930/31"The bust of a bearded figure..., shows that long, wavy hair was worn parted in the middle, hanging in locks in front of the shoulders."  |
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Post by sheshki on Mar 7, 2013 14:34:32 GMT -5
From: OIC 17 Iraq Excavations of the Oriental Institute 1932/33
Third Preliminary Report of the Iraq ExpeditionThe jewellery was found at Tell Asmar.    |
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Post by sheshki on Mar 7, 2013 14:47:59 GMT -5
from: OIC 16 Tell Asmar, Khafaje and Khorsabad; Second Preliminary Report of the Iraq Expedition  |
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Post by sheshki on Mar 7, 2013 16:05:05 GMT -5
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Post by sheshki on Mar 7, 2013 17:08:51 GMT -5
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Post by sheshki on Mar 8, 2013 13:07:39 GMT -5
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Post by sheshki on Mar 8, 2013 13:43:31 GMT -5
From: OIP58 Presargonic temples in the Diyala regionED jewellery.  |
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Your drawing of jewelery and a Mesopotamian garment have inspired this thread. I have added a few comments about these drawings at bottom.
