Artistic Representations of Historic Events

[enkur]

In the thread "Akkadian atrocities in Sumer?" enenuru.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=research&action=display&thread=360 I posted some artistic representations of historic events in Mesopotamia. Now I propose this new thread to be used for posting any artistic views of the Mesopotamian history (including its neighbourhood as far as such representations contribute in creating some notion of the whole historic picture of the Ancient Orient). The artistic visions of antiquity often distort the historic and the archaeological facts being based on out-of-date notions, or on insufficient knowledge and wishful thinking, so it could be very educative if those of competence comment thereon, and even post some excavated archaeological imagery to be compared with the artistic stuff.

Here there are some finds I got from www.worldhistoryplus.com/worldhistorypictures/2500-1300%20BCE%201.html

[img src="http://www.worldhistoryplus.com/worldhistorypictures/-24/224[bab]A.jpg"]

The comment under the drawing is:
Lagash and Umma define their frontier after years of warfare.

Here I think the artist(?) has expressed his vision of the event by throwing about all what he knew in not a very precise way.

[enkur]

I don't know why no images appear - I put the image address between

img /img (in the rectangular brackets [ ]

but anyway here I'm attaching it:

Lagash and Umma define their frontier after years of warfare.

Attachments:

[enkur]

Here I'm attaching the next one:

Soldiers of Umma destroy Lagash in a night attack.

Attachments:

[enkur]

A portrait of Ur-Nanshe (2494 - 2465 BCE) painted by Damnans.

[enkur]

Shulgi - from the same author.

[us4-he2-gal2]

Enkur: These paintings are fantastic! I particularly like the last two, the Ur-Nanshe and the Shulgi.


Ur-Nanshe appears in front of what may be a temple or palace wall - the paintings on the wall are fitting for his city of Lagash, with images of the Anzu bird, a creature defeated by the city god Ningirsu/Ninurta, and who afterward became that god's heraldic animal. The plaques which hang on the wall behind him are known artifacts from the site and are thought to have been hung just as the artist depicts them. The artist has obviously done good research.


The Shulgi painting is also impressive, showing the king looking on to the Ziggurat of Ur. He is holding a rod of kingship - the depiction of the lambskin skirt is probably the best I've seen



Thanks very much for passing these on!

[enkur]

Yet I tend to imagine much more greenery on Ur's Etemennigur and its surroundings at the time of Shulgi. I'm afraid the artist has depicted the landscape as it is now.

[enkur]

Here is what the artist Mr. Damnas answered to my note about the greenery on Etemennigur and its surroundings:

Yes, I know that the landscape there was far greener at that time. I depicted Ur-Shulgi looking at present day's Etemennigur (which is half-destroyed and partially rebuilt). Thanks anyway for the input

The painting below depicts one of the greatest Hittite kings - Suppiluliumas I (about 1380 - 1346 BCE) returning triumphant in Hattusa after a victorious war with Mitanni. It's interesting that the artist has depicted the Hurrian captives as fairer than the Hittites. Some historians suppose that the ruling dynasty of Mitanni was Indo-European.

Anyway it's seems the artist is the same who depicted the border affair between Lagash and Umma (above).

Attachments:

[nininimzue]

.......Ur-Shulgi? Huh?

However, I like the stuff by Mr. Dammas - it's not easy to make me happy with modern paintings of Mesopotamian stuff, but he does it quite well. Now I must search for the Mesopotamia-pics I got for a talk at the institute... *wades through data* *crosses fingers that it isn't on the dead external hd*