An exploration of the conventions of Mesopotamian Art through an examination of four distinct Mesopotamian pieces, including the mediums of relief, stele and painting.
Abstract This paper traces the development of the history of art in Ancient Mesopotamia through a specific study of four well known and well preserved pieces of art. The range of dates runs from 2600 B.C. with an examination of the "Standard of Ur", through to 260 A.D. and the "Triumph of Shapur I". It looks at how this period of art history is critical to an understanding of the art of the ancient world and logically precedes Egyptian, Minoan, Greek and Roman Art.
From the Paper "Of Standard of Ur's two main sides, the 'war side' has immediately recognizable conventions similar to those found in Triumph of Shapur I; four-wheeled war chariots ride down enemies, the bodies of which are trampled beneath the hoofs of the animals. The depictions of war and victory are common motifs in Mesopotamian art. Here, as in Triumph of Shapur I, conventionalization is used, and the four bodies trampled beneath the war chariots, like the trampled body of the Roman soldier from Bishapur, represent the many killed. On the middle tier, the victorious army leads away naked and defeated captives."
