Dimensional Perception of the Sumerian

[nznznzn]

The last four months, I've been actively absorbing a great many books on Sumer as a prelude to being able to talk about it, understand it, and formulate questions regarding it.

I have a question for the forum that I cannot find an answer to.

It relates directly to the spatial perception of a curious sculpture/frieze with five legs. The book I am reading, Gods, Demons, Symbolism of Ancient Mesopotamia (GDSAM) - says that it has five legs, because it was supposed to be viewed from the front, and from the side. Yet, this seems to me to be an extremely unusual design - and I was wondering if others more acquainted with the images of Sumer knew of other examples of this type of multi-view figures?



In all my travels through archaeology I do not recall once seeing something of this nature and wonder if there is more recent information or change of mind on this particular use of it?

PS - forgive me if its not actually Sumerian but Akkadian. I am still trying to determine the differences.

Anyway - It has been suggested to me, that this frame of mind, this spatial perception was either unique to the architect if there are only these examples in all of those found - that the five legs of the figure says more about Sumer's ancient type of perception than many other books have been able to give me - or that this five-legged example, whether an isolated incident of the artist, or a widespread practice of the Sumer people, may have met with extinction as it appeared gross or assymetrical with the preferred culture, practice and spatial preferences of its conquerors...

Can anyone give me a new lead? Has the way the Sumer percieved space been studied anywhere?

Also - GDSAM says that the Sumer were not familiar with Dinosaurs and Mega-Fauna, yet they knew of the Dragon. Is the GDSAM correct?

Great thanks for anyone's time - in time I hope to contribute to this forum more, but for the time being, I am still reading and researching the forum and the books I have bought/found been given. Including an Akkadian Dictionary and Grammar Guide - though different in meaning, still useful.

It is an exceptionally Deep subject, I don't want to sound like an idiot here, so I'm trying to get to grips with the topic before I join in with any frequency.

NZ

[sheshki]

About the dragon part, dragon is USHUMGAL wich literally means great snake. Maybe scholars interpreted a dragon into this...
many years ago i read that sumerians probably knew big lizards like monitor lizards, but i have no source for this and its probably BS

About the five legged sculptures, the explanation given are logic to me. These figures stood often to the left and right of gates, and when you enter the gate you see all four legs when ur standing next to them only if there is this fifth leg. Assyrians probably had a different idea of aestetics. Also possible that the walking pose had an iconographic meaning...

[nznznzn]

Thanks for your reply. I agree the logic makes sense - its just a different kind of logic and that's what interests me.

There is the icon of MUS-HUSSU however, which seems to be a snake-dragon as it has legs, and is later ridden by various gods including Marduk, Nabu indicating its carriage-ability.
Iskur is also shown on what clearly appears to be a winged creature with talons breathing fire or pouring water.

I don't ascribe the latter day meaning of Dragons as creatures that can fly or breathe fire - but the Sumer were adept at capturing respective imagery and appear to have had separate images of a snake. Perhaps what was great about it was that it could walk?

[us4-he2-gal2]

Hello Nznznzn:




There's no reason to worry about looking like a new learner or this sort of thing here. Enenuru is meant to be a sort of middle ground, helping those interested at all levels.



As for the Human-Headed Winged Bull there have been a small number found at different sites. I have seen the one at the Oriental Institute in Chicago in person and it was considerable more impressive than you might thing, standing at 16 feet.

There is a little about the one in Chicago here:

oi.uchicago.edu/museum/meso/

Pictures of its recovery:

oi.uchicago.edu/gallery/pa_iraq_bull/



About the origin and function of these sort of pieces there is an article out V. Danrey entitled "Winged Human-Headed Bulls of Nineveh: Genesis of an Iconographic Motif" in Iraq, 63 - 2004.




Danrey explains that these human head winged bull figures are often called "Lamassu" by modern scholars - this is controversial, as in earlier Mesopotamia, this term was applied to protective goddesses who more often guarded persons rather than entrance ways - there is also a long arguement over weather the term seen in Assyrian texts is relates to these human bull figures - however, in the end, Danrey see's these figures as an adaption of the religion and use of the word Lamassu and upholds the connection:


"From the Pre-Sargonic period onwards, the term lama-lamassu designated a female protective entity, represented as an anthropomorphic divinity with hands joined in an attitude of prayer. She played the role of an intermediary between men and deities in the transmission of prayers and offerings. The cult of the goddess Lama was very popular in Babylonia and survived until the end of the Kassite period. Thus there was, during the Assyrian period, a radical change in the representation of the lama lamassu, henceforth epitomized by winged human-headed bulls. The latter still seem to have retained part of the original apotropaic role of the goddess, which assigned to them the protection of entrances. This transformation underlines the new orientation followed by art at the turn of the first millennium BC: because religious iconography was progressively taken over by written traditions, it tended to specialise in the representation of apotropaic and prophylactic themes



It seems that the origin of this creature can be traced to the beginning of the 2nd millennium (around 1800 BC) as an image of a human head bull with wings has been found on a relief from Ebla at that time - there is another depiction in OB Mesopotamia although less clear. Examples of two men battling this beast are found on Assyrian seals from as early as 1400 BC. The significance of these scenes was thought to be Gilgamesh and Enkidu battling the bull of heaven, although this is now in doubt.



The author mentions that in the palace of Sennacherib, for example, many set of these huge figures are evidenced, and so the visitor would be led past many pairs of human head bulls at each gate on the way in to the main throne room:


"These figures are all identical within a single building, except for a few variations relating to the manufacture of each piece. The repeated use of these figures in the decoration of the gates should not be considered, according to Place, as "the proof of poverty of invention and taste, but rather as a mark of a wisely settled sobriety."6 Acting as pairs, these figures were used as guides within the palace: they oriented and escorted the visitor from gate to gate until he reached the throne room"




The Earliest dates to Tilgrath-Pilaser I :

"
The earliest example of a colossal winged human-headed bull was found in the area of the Old Palace at Assur and may date may to the reign of Tiglath-pileser I.7 It consisted of fragments buried under the foundations of Sennacherib's palace, and could be identified as belonging to a winged human-headed bull thanks to the elements of a head-dress specific to these figures"



The author describes the human headed bulls from Nimrud and Khorsabad as being peculiar in having the 5th leg, and explains this feature.. He also sees this as apparently a unique innovation of the examples for these two cities - I would say therefore that this technique is unusual withing the depicting of the Lamassu figures themselves AND Mesopotamian art as a whole:


"The human-headed bulls found at Nimrud and Khorsabad are more complete examples (Figs. 1-2). Those from Nimrud are distinguished by their head-dress with three pairs of horns surmounted by a round cap. Some were represented with the body and tail of a fish under the belly and with their hair decorated by a fish head.8 The winged human-headed bulls from Khorsabad are finer: they wear a cylindrical head-dress with three pairs of horns surmounted by feathers and encircled by a headband of rosettes. These figures have the peculiarity, at first unnoticeable but surprising in three-quarter view, of having five legs. Thus these figures were represented standing if seen from the front and walking if seen from the side. However, from the position of these sculptures and from the dimension of the rooms in which they were installed, it seems unlikely that all five legs could have been seen at the same time

....

This subterfuge, probably an attempt at realism by the early Assyrian artists, was abandoned in Nineveh where the number of legs became four again. From a general point of view, the winged human-headed bulls of Nineveh (Figs. 3-4) reproduce the model of the Khorsabad colossi. The proportions were lightened to give them a less massive and more dynamic gait. Likewise, more care was taken in the depiction of the feathers and of the curls of hair details which are the expression of a miniaturist tendency in low relief art from the time of Sennacherib"

[nznznzn]

Great answer Bill thanks a lot for all that - it to some extent confirms that there was an aesthetic, artistic, perceptual change - I only wish I could know more about that stage between the use of the 5 and the omission of it. From an artistic appreciation point of view - it seems artists were forced to work within their cultural millieu or be expelled from their job - so even if an artist had wanted to get creative - he was bound to present his work according to specific directives.
The emphasis on Realism - if valid - only deepens the mystery for me. I can see spatially how angles of the 5 legged bull would probably show only 4 legs at a time or would be an impressive illusion/device - but the mentality behind it fascinates me, from 5 to four. Unless the orthodoxy was four legs prior to that invention - then five for a moment of invention, experiment, [heresy] - then a return to four again.
It is just so unusual - because it as if the artist tried to add a fifth dimension to the statue, not just height, width, length - but a seamless almost liquid transfer between front- side and back - almost an arc of vision - rather than the euclidean front - side - back - side cubic formation of most other artists when depicting a 4-legged anything. Without being able to navigate around it for myself - I can't really deduce more.

And judging by that chair in the picture - its size would look MOST impressive...

Do these figures have any relation to the Sphinx?