1 / 29

Exploring Ideology and Power in Early Mesopotamia

This course delves into the rise of the Early Mesopotamian urban elite, examining the intersections of ideology and power in shaping ancient Near Eastern societies. We explore public rituals, gender roles, and the significance of material practices in maintaining social order. Discover the political discourses and state spectacles of this era, including funerary ceremonies and monumental structures that symbolize collective identity. Follow the political rivalry between urban elites and delve into myth and history through steles and artifacts from this fascinating period in Mesopotamian history.

patelc
Download Presentation

Exploring Ideology and Power in Early Mesopotamia

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. ARCH 0351 / AWAS 0800 Introduction to the Ancient Near East Brown University ~ Fall 2009 The rise of the Early Mesopotamian urban elite: questions of ideology and power October 15, 2009

  2. ideology an exchange between makers of political discourse and the audience of that discourse- aims to consolidate social order for the good of a dominant class public ritual, performance and legitimacy in the political sphere collective identity, gender, social status are both created and maintained through material practices and state spectacles. funerary spectacles: human sacrifice, exquisitely built artifacts

  3. ideology an established dialogue, a social transaction, a cultural discourse that is delievered in the form of a complex worldview, power discourse that seeps into everyday life... not propaganda... not produced by the elites... commemorative monument steles, rock reliefs, inscribed statues, “obelisks” and a whole plethora of Near Eastern “monuments” of the public sphere, presenting pictorial and textual narrativized

  4. Goat and the tree: a wonder to behold Long distance trade, magical craftsmanship, and exotic precious materials through which the object shines, exerts its agency.

  5. Context: Cities, gods and citizens in Early Bronze Age Southern Mesopotamia (2950-2000 BC)

  6. archaeological time

  7. Mesopotamian cities in the Early Bronze Age

  8. North Palace City wall Temple Oval Khafajah (ancient Tutub), city plan and the aerial view of Temple Oval

  9. Stone commemorative plaques from Early Dynastic temple contexts (Nippur, Khafajah)

  10. Wall plaque- Ur-Nanše and family. Limestone w/ cuneiform inscription Girsu (modern Tello), Southern Iraq Early Dynastic IIIA 2550-2400 BC

  11. Wall plaque- Ur-Nanše and family. Limestone w/ cuneiform inscription Girsu (modern Tello), Southern Iraq Early Dynastic IIIA 2550-2400 BC

  12. Early Mesopotamian cult places and burial space the political rivalry among the new urban elites

  13. First dynasty of Lagash... (ca 2550-2380 BC)

  14. Border conflict between the regional states of Umma and Lagash (25th c. BC)

  15. Wall plaque- Ur-Nanše and family. Limestone w/ cuneiform inscription Girsu (modern Tello), Southern Iraq Early Dynastic IIIA 2550-2400 BC

  16. Myth and History: Stele of Eannatum. ca. 2460 BC. from Girsu (Telloh) Limestone H. 1.8 m; L. 1.3 m; Th. 0.11 mLouvre Museum, Paris

  17. Stele of Eannatum. ca. 2460 BC. from Girsu (Telloh), fragments

  18. Vase dedicated by Entemena, king of Lagash, to Ningirsu. Silver and copper, ca. 2400 BC. Telloh, ancient city of Girsu.

  19. Votive relief of Dudu, priest of Ningirsu, in the days of King Entemena of Lagash. Oil shale, ca. 2400 BC. Telloh, ancient city of Girsu. A bas-relief.

More Related