Artistic culture and art of ancient Sumer. Culture Sumer, First Civilization on Earth

The religion of the ancient Suchmers along with Egypt, the birthplace of another oldest civilization was the lower flow of two large rivers - Tiger and Euphrates. This area was called interfluid (in Greek Mesopotamia), or two-range. The conditions of the historical development of peoples of Mesopotamia were

Active, productive nature of the Sumerian people who grew up in a constant struggle with severe natural conditions, left humanity many wonderful achievements in the field of art. However, the Sumerians themselves, as well as other peoples of corporal antiquity, the concept of "art" did not arise due to the strict functionality of any product. All works of Sumerian architecture, sculptures and glyptics had three main functions: cult, pragmatic and memorial. The cult function included the participation of products in the temple or royal ritual, its sign correlation with the world of dead ancestors and immortal gods. Pragmatic function allowed the product (for example, printing) to participate in the current social life, showing the high social status of its owner. The memorial function of the product was to appeal to the offspring with the call forever remember his ancestors, bring them the victims, to pronounce their names and honor their acts. Thus, any product of Sumerian art was intended to function in all well-known spaces and times, carrying out a sign message between them. In fact, the aesthetic function of art at that time has not yet meditated, and the aesthetic terminology known from the texts is in no way connected with the understanding of beauty as such.
Sumerian art begins with painting ceramic products. Already on the example of ceramics from Uruk and Sousse (Elam), which came from the end of the IV Millennium, one can see the main features of front -hasional art for which geometrism is characterized, strictly desposed ornamentality, the rhythmic organization of the work and a subtle sense of form. Sometimes the vessel is decorated with geometric or floral ornament, in some cases we see stylized images of goats, dogs, birds, even the altar in the sanctuary. All ceramics of this time is painted in red, black, brown and purple pattern on a bright background. There is no blue yet (it will appear only in the Millennium Phone II, when they learn to get indigo paint from sea algae), only the color of the stone of Lazurit is known. Green in pure form was also not received - Sumerian language knows the "yellow-green" (salad), the color of the young spring grass.
What do images on early ceramics mean? First of all, the desire of a person to master the external world, subordinate to himself and adversely to his earthly goal. A person wants to accommodate in his senses, as if to "enter" through memory and skill what he is not and what is not. Displaying, an ancient artist does not allow the thoughts about the mechanical reflection of the object; On the contrary, he immediately includes him into the world of his own emotion and pondaling about life. This is not just mastering and accounting, it is almost immediately a systemic accounting, the room inside our idea of \u200b\u200bthe world. The object will be symmetrically and rhythmically placed on the vessel, it will indicate the place in the order of things and lines. At the same time, the intrinsic personality of the object, with the exception of texture and plastics, is never taken into account.
The transition from the ornamental painting of the vessels to the ceramic relief is performed at the beginning of the III Millennium in the work known as the "Alebaster Vasca of Inanna from Uruk". Here we see the first attempt to move from the rhythmic and unsystematic location of the items to some kind of progress of the story. The vessel is divided into transverse stripes to three registers, and the "story", presented on it, you need to read on registers, bottom to top. In the lower case - a certain designation of the place of action: the river depicted by conditioned wavy lines, and alternating ears, leaves and palm trees. The next row is the procession of pets (long-haired rams and sheep) and then a number of naked men's figures with vessels, bowls, dishes, full of fruit. The top register depicts the final phase of the procession: the gifts are folded in front of the altar, next to them - the symbols of the Goddess of Inanna, the priest in a long robe in the role of Inannaya tests procession, and the priest is sent to her clothes with a long train, which supports the next person in a short skirt.
In the field of architecture, the Sumerians are known mainly as active temple-creators. It must be said that in Sumerian language the house and the temple are called the same, and for the Sumerian architect "Build the Temple" sounded the same way as "build a house". The god-owner of the city needed a dwelling that corresponded to the presentation of people about his inexhaustible power, a large family, military and labor valor and wealth. Therefore, a large temple was built on a high platform (to some extent it could be protected from the destruction caused by floods), to which from the two sides of the Gleysdays or ramps. In the early architecture, the church's sanctuary was shifted to the edge of the platform and had an open courtyard. In the depths of the sanctuary there was a statue of the Divine, which was devoted to the temple. From the texts it is known that the sacred center of the temple was the throne of God (bar),which had to be repaired and to protect against destruction. Unfortunately, the thrones themselves are not preserved. Prior to the beginning of the III Millennium, there was free access to all parts of the temple, but later in the sanctuary and in the courtyard stopped let the uninitiated. It is possible that the temples were signed from the inside, but in the humid climate, the murals of the painting could not be preserved. In addition, in Mesopotamia, the main construction materials were clay and the raw brick (with an adhesiveness of reeds and straw), and the age of raw construction is underworld, therefore, only the ruins for which we are trying to reconstruct the device and the most ancient Sumerian temples Decoration of the temple.
By the end of the III Millennium, another type of church was witnessed in the two-range, the zigkurat, which was erected on several platforms. The reason for the occurrence of such a facility is not known, but it can be assumed that the attachment of the Sumerians to the sacred place was played here, the consequence of which was constant updatened density of raw churches. The updated temple was to be built on the place of old with the preservation of the former throne, so that the new platform was towering over the old, and during the life of the temple such an update was repeatedly happened, as a result of which the number of temple platforms increased to seven. There is, however, another reason for the construction of high multi-platform temples is the astral orientation of the Sumerian intelligence, the love of Sumer to the upper world as the carrier of the properties of the highest and unchanged order. The number of platforms (no more than seven) could symbolize the number of skies known to the superiments - from the first sky of Inanna to the seventh sky Ana. The best example of Zigkurat is the temple of Tsar III Dynasty Ur-Namma, perfectly preserved to the present day. A huge hill is still towering 20 meters. The top, relatively low tiers based on a huge truncated pyramid with a height of about 15 meters. Flat niches dismeasted the inclined surfaces and softened the impression of the massiveness of the building. The processions moved along a wide and long convergent stairs. Solid raw terraces were different colors: the bottom - black (bitumen coating), the medium tier is red (lining with burned brick) and the upper one. At a later time, when seven-story zikcurates began to build, yellow and blue ("lapisite") colors were introduced.
From Sumerian texts dedicated to the construction and sanctification of temples, we learn about the existence inside the temple of the orders of God, the goddess, their children and servants, about the "Umba pool", which kept sanctified water, about the courtyard for bringing victims, about a strictly thoughtful decor of the temple gate who were guarded by images of a lionogol eagle, snakes of idar-shaped monsters. Alas, with rare exceptions, nothing of this is no longer seen.
Accommodation for people was not so thoroughly thoughtfully. The development was carried out spontaneously, there were weak curves between the houses and narrow alleys and deadlocks. The houses were mostly rectangular in terms of, without windows, lit through doorways. The inner courtyard was required. Outside the house was surrounded by a globitate wall. In many buildings there were sewage. The settlement was usually applied outside the fortress wall that achieved a significant thickness. The first, according to legend, the settlement, an obsected wall (that is, in fact "the city"), was the ancient Uruk, who received the permanent epithet "Oruk fenced" in the Akkada epic.
The following for the importance and development of the appearance of Sumerian art was a glyptic - a carving on the seals of the cylindrical form. The shape of the cylinder, drilled through, is invented in the southern two-range. By the beginning of the IIIthellion, it becomes common, and cutters, improving their art, are placed on a small print plane quite complex compositions. Already at the first Sumerian seals, we see, in addition to traditional geometric ornaments, an attempt to tell about the surrounding life, be it beating a group of related nude people (possibly prisoners), or the construction of the temple, or the shepherd before the sacred herd of the goddess. In addition to the scenes of everyday life, there are images of the moon, stars, solar sockets and even two-level images: the symbols of astral deities are placed in the upper level, and in the lower - animal figures. Later there are scenes related to ritual and mythology. First of all, it is "Fries of fighting" - a composition depicting the scene of the battle of two heroes with a kind of monster. One of the heroes has a human appearance, the other is a mixture of an animal and savage. It is possible that we have one of the illustrations to the epic songs about the exploits of Gilgamesh and his servant Enkid. The image of a certain deity sitting on the throne in the roaster is also widely known. The circle of interpretations of this plot is quite wide - from the hypothesis of the journey of the lunar god in the sky to the hypothesis of traditional for the Sumerian gods of a ritual journey to the Father. A large mystery for researchers still remains the image of a bearded long-haired giant, holding a vessel from which two aquatic fluxes will overturn. This image was subsequently transformed into the image of the constellation Aquarius.
In the gliptic plot, the master avoided random poses, turns and gestures, but passed the most complete, overall characteristic of the image. Such a characteristic of the figure of a person turned out to be complete or three-quarters turn a shoulder, an image of feet and face in profile, anfasce eye. With such a vision, the river landscape was quite logically transmitted by wavy lines, the bird - in the profile, but with two wings, animals are also in profile, but with some details of the faca (eyes, horns).
Cylindrical seals of ancient two-frequencies are able to tell a lot not only art historian, but also the historian of society. On some of them, in addition to images, there are inscriptions consisting of three or four lines, which is reported on the print affiliation to a specific person (name), which is a "slave" of such a god (follows the name of God). Cylindrical print with the name of the owner was applied to any legal or administrative document, performing a personal signature function and testifying the high social status of the owner. People poor and unsubstantized were limited to the appointment of the fringe edge of their clothes or nail print.
Sumerian sculpture begins for us from the figurines from the jamet-scar - images of strange creatures with dallow-shaped heads and big eyes, something similar to amphibians. The appointment of these statuettes is still unknown, and the most common of hypotheses is their connection with the cult of fertility and reproduction. In addition, you can recall small sculptural figures of the animals of the same time, very expressive and exactly repeating nature. Much more characteristic of early Sumerian art deep relief, almost the burner. From the works of this kind, the earliest is, perhaps, the head of Inana Uukhskaya. The size of this head was slightly less human, flat cut off behind and had holes for mounting on the wall. It is possible that the figure of the goddess was depicted on the plane inside the temple, and the head performed in the direction of the praying, creating the effect of frightening caused by the exit of the goddess from his image into the world of people. Considering the head of Inanana, we see a big nose, a big mouth with thin lips, a small chin and a soccer, in which the huge eyes were once inlaid - a symbol of all-life, insight and wisdom. Soft, barely low-catching modeling, nasolabial lines are underlined, giving all the appearance of the goddess expression and somewhat gloomy.
Summer relief of the middle of the III Millennium was a small paletle or a plaque made of soft stone, built in honor of any solemn event: victory over the enemy, bookmarks of the temple. Sometimes such a relief was accompanied by an inscription. For him, as in the early Sumerian period, the horizontal membership of the plane, the regenerative narration, the allocation of the central figures of rulers or officials, and the size of them depended on the degree of public significance of the character. A typical example of such relief is the King of the city of Lagas Eanatuma (XXV century), built in honor of the victory over a hostile intelligence. One side of the stele occupies a large image of God Ningirsa, who holds a network in her hands with small figures of captive enemies in it. On the other side - a four-sedition story about the campaign of Eanatum. The narrative begins with a sad event - mourning the dead. Two subsequent registers depict the king at the head of the passenger-changed, and then heavy troops (perhaps this is due to the order of the type of troops in the battle). The upper scene (worse than the last) - the cereals over the empty field of the battle, disappearing the corpses of enemies. All relief figures may have been made by one stencil: the same triangles of individuals, horizontal rows of copies compressed in fists. According to the observation of V. K. Afanasyeva, the fists are much more than individuals - this technique is achieved by the impression of the numerous troops.
But back to the Sumerian sculpture. She is experiencing his genuine flourishing only after the Akkadian dynasty. From the time of the Lagasi ruler Gudea (Oc. 2123 died), which took place at the head of the city in three centuries after Enaatum, had a lot of its monumental statues made from Diorita. These statues sometimes reach the size of human growth. They depict a man in a round hat sitting with folded in a prayer posture. On the knees, he holds a plan of some kind of construction, and at the bottom and on the sides of the statue there is a clinical text. From the inscriptions on the statues, we learn that Gudea updates the main urban temple on the task of the Lagassky God Ningirsa and that these statues are put in the Schumer's temples at the point of the commemoration of the deceased ancestors - for their acts of Gudea, worthy of the everlasting feeding of the hypomine.
You can select two types of ruler statues: Some more squat, with somewhat shortened proportions, others are more slender and elegant. Some art historians believe that the difference in types is associated with the difference in handicraft technologies from Sumerians and Acca. In their opinion, the Acquages \u200b\u200bmore skillfully treated the stone, more accurately reproduced the proportions of the body; Suchmers were striving for stylization and conventionality because of the inability to work well on imported stone and accurately transmit nature. Recognizing the difference between the types of statues, you can hardly agree with these arguments. The Sumerian image is stylized and conditionally along its own function: the statue was put in the temple in order to pray for the person who set her, for the same purpose and was also intended. There is no shape as such - there is an impact of the figure, a prayer worship. There is no person as such - there is an expression: Big ears are a symbol of tireless attention to the advice of older, big eyes - a symbol of the close contemplation of invisible secrets. The magical requirements of the similarity of sculptural images with the original was not; The transmission of internal content was more important than the transmission of the form, and the form was developed only to the extent that answered this internal task ("Think about the sense, and the words will come"). The Akkadian art from the very beginning was devoted to the development of the form and in accordance with this could perform any borrowed plot in stone and clay. This is how it is possible to explain the difference between the Sumerian and Akkadian types of Gudea statues.
The jewelry art of Sumer is known mainly in the richest materials of the excavation of the cities of the city of Hurray (igdaisty, OK, OK. XXVI century). Creating decorative wreaths, dressing crowns, necklaces, bracelets, a variety of hairpins and suspensions, the masters used a combination of three colors: blue (lapis), red (carnelian) and yellow (gold). When performing its task, they have achieved such a sophistication and subtlety of forms, such an absolute expression of the functional purpose of the subject and such virtuosity in technical techniques that these products can be rightfully classified as jewelry masterpieces. In the same place, in the tomb cheers, a beautiful sculptural head of a bull with inlaid eyes and a lazurite beard was found - decorating one of the musical instruments. It is believed that in jewelry art and inlays of musical instruments, the masters were free from ideological supercount, and these monuments can be attributed to the manifestations of free creativity. Probably, it's still not. After all, an innocent bull, adorning the urvo harp, was a symbol of a stunning, frightening power and longitude of sound, which fully complies with communion ideas about the bull as a symbol of power and continuous reproduction.
Sumerian ideas about the beautiful, as already mentioned above, did not fit our. Sumerians could endorse the epitheet "Beautiful" (step)
etc.................

Suchumer culture is considered to be the first civilization on Earth. Approximately at the beginning of the third millennium BC, the tribes of nomads who inhabited in Asia are supposed to be formed on the lands of Meternrachia the first slaveholding states. Suchumer culture was formed, in which there were still strong remnants of the primitive community. Together with numerous fragmented states, the development and art of Sumerians began their development and the art, subsequently, the strongest impact on the art of all those existing after the peoples and states. The art of Sumer and Akkada, the peoples, who spent the two-frequency, was not only unique and distinctive, it was first, so his role in world history is impossible to overestimate.

Culture Sumer - First Fours

The first among others there were such Sumerian cities like Uruk and Lagash. It was they who became the first overtwit for the development of the Sumer culture. In the future, certain economic and political reasons forced small towns-states to unite into larger education. In most, these formations occurred with the help of military force, as evidenced by the few artifacts of Sumer.

In about the second half of the third millennium, it can be said that the culture of mankind, experienced a tangible race in its development, the cause of which was the formation of a single state on the lands of Members under the control of the king of Sargon I. The Akkada State formed was the interests of the slave owner. In those days, the Culture of Sumer literally depended on religion, and the main element of cultural life was the priesthood and the associated numerous celebrations. Faith and religion were worshiping the complex cult of gods and the deification of the ruling king. A significant role in the culture of the Sumer and their religion played the worship of the forces of nature, which was a remnant of a community cult of animals. The Schumer's Culture of the Akkadian era worked only that it received a consensus of religious figures, therefore it is not surprising that most of the ancient Sumerian samples of art are mythological legends and frescoes with images of the gods. Ancient masters, which was created by the Culture of Sumer, the gods were depicted in the form of animals, beasts and fantastic beings with wings, horns and other elements inherent in the inhabitants of fauna than people.

It was in this period that, in the period, the first features of ancient art began to be fixed, the first features of the ancient art began to form, the Culture of Sumer, who lived in the couluter in the Tiger River and Euphrates River. The ancient world was far from humanity inherent in modern people, he was far from what we draw in your imagination. That Culture Sumer, which really existed, relied on the unusual architecture of palace and temples of buildings, on jewelry, sculpture and painting, the main purpose of which was the glorification of the gods and the ruling king. Architecture, the culture of Sumer and their life caused by military doctrine of existing cities-states was exclusively fortified in nature, life was cruel and merciless to people, as evidenced by the remnants of urban structures, art of the ancient Suchmers, defensive walls, with prudent erected towers and remains of people, for thousands of years buried under the rubble.

The main material for the construction of cities and majestic structures in the interfluve was brick-raw, in more rare cases, burned brick. Culture Sumer developed a truly unique construction method, his main feature is that most of the ancient buildings were erected on artificial platforms. This unique trait of culture Sumer explains the need to isolation of residential, religious and any other buildings from flooding and dampness. Not to a lesser extent, the Sumerians moved the desire to show himself in front of the neighbors, making the construction visible from all sides. The windows of architectural samples of ancient art were embedded in the upper part of one of the walls and were so narrow that they barely passed the light. The culture of Sumer and the architecture developed in such a way that the main source of light in their buildings was often doorways and specially built holes on the ceiling. The main institutions of Sumerian culture were famous for their skill and an unusual approach, so, found and preserved in a good condition in the south of the facilities had an open and surprisingly large courtyard around which small buildings were grouped. Such a planning method was determined by the climatic conditions of the interfold, extended high temperatures. In the north part of the ancient state, which created the Culture of Sumer, the construction of a completely different layout was discovered. These were residential buildings and palace buildings, devoid of an open courtyard, their place occupied the covered central room. In some cases, the structures were two-story.

Sumerian culture and samples of art of the ancient people

A bright example of art inherent to the Sumerian people is an ancient temple architecture that developed in the cities of the third millennium BC. One of these temples that the Sumerian culture was built was a temple, and now ruins in El Obeida. The buildings devoted to the goddess of Ning Hursag fertility dates back to 2600 BC. According to the reconstructions, the temple was located on the hill, an artificial platform, folded from the ramble tiles. The walls according to traditions were divided with vertical protrusions, they were painted with black bitumen below. An architectural rhythm was present and in horizontal sections, however, it was achieved in completely different ways that she developed a Sumerian culture, for example, with the help of numerous horizontal sections.

It was in this temple for the first time a relief was applied and it was for him for the first time sculptures were created. Sumerian culture, the ancient masters created Lviv, located on the sides of the entrance. Sculptures were made of wood covered with a layer of bitumen and copper sheets of fine chasing. In addition to the eye, the language and other elements of the statue of the lion were inlaid colored stones that attached them a bright and memorable appearance.

Along the facial wall of the temple, in the niches between the protrusions, the bull figures were carved. Used a certain set of material and rarely changed its traditions. The upper part of the wall was decorated with three friezes, located at a short distance from each other. One of them was bas-relief and contained images of copper bulls, the other two were flat with a mosaic relief of white mother-of-pearl and black slate plates. The Sumerian culture with this contrast of materials was created a unique color gamut, echoing, both with the color of platforms and the stylist of the temple itself.

At one of the friezes of the temple, the scenes were depicted by the ordinary, household life of the resident of the ancient empire, perhaps they violence some cultural meaning or a Sumerian culture, creating them, pursued unknown to scientists. Another frieze contained an image of sacred birds and animals. Inlaid technique, first tested by ancient suneer, was also applied when creating a facade and column of the temple. Some of them were decorated with colored stones, sinks and mother-in-law, other - metal tiles, attached to nails.

Special attention and praise deserves copper bas-relief, located above the entrance to the temple. Sumerian culture was famous for enviable masters, however, here the ancient architects surpassed themselves. This bas-relief, in some places, which came into a rounded sculpture, contained an image of an eagle with a lion head, clawing deer. Similar images were found on the walls of several other ancient temples at once, which created a Sumerian culture in the third millennium area BC. An important feature of the relief above the entrance is almost the perfect symmetric heraldic composition, which later became a characteristic feature of the overseas relief.

Zikkurat was created by the Sumerian culture - a completely unique type of religious buildings, which occupied a marked place in the architecture of a number of ancient states and empires. Zikkurat was always built at the temple of the dominant local deity and was a high speed tower folded from raw bricks. At the top of the zigkurat, which was created by the Sumerian culture, a small building was located, called the "Housing of God". Sumerian people with enviable regularity built such structures that served as the sanctuary of the territorial gods, they were all the exclusion of the grandiose.

Art of Sumeres in Architecture

Better than other zigkurats in many times have been preserved in Urz. This zigarat / temple was erected in the 22-21 centuries to our era, more precisely during these centuries its reconstruction and completion was made. The art of Sumerians during the construction of this zigkurat and during its reconstruction showed itself to the maximum. Zigarat consisted of several, presumably three, massive towers, built one above one, formed wide terraces connected by stairs.

At the base of the zikcurate was a rectangle with the parties 65 and 43 meters, the walls reached 13 meters in height. The overall height of the construction created by the art of the Sumerians is 21 meters, which is equal to the modern average 5-7 storey house. The external zigkurat space was either absent in principle, or was specifically limited to a small room. All zikcurate towers in bang were different colors. The lower tower was the colors of black bitumen, the middle - red, the color of the natural brick, the top tower was white.

Art of Sumerov Chtilo its traditions developed for many centuries in ancient state. On the terrace, located on the top of Zikkurat (the dwelling of God), there were all sorts of ritual mysteries and religious celebrations were held. At the same time, the urgent zikkurat hour, as a unique sample art sample, served as a kind of observatories for ancient priests, who were part-time astronomers. The monumentality that the art of Sumerians developed was achieved with the help of simple forms and volumes, as well as the evidence of the proportions that created the impression of the grandiose structure and the majestic architecture. According to the impressions of the zigkurat, we compare with the pyramids in Egypt, by impressions, but not by proportions.

The art of the south side of the coupes, which were the cities of Lagash and the UR, was distinguished by the integrity of the structural blocks and a kind of interpretation of the need to use decorative elements. For the most part, the local sculpture is squat figures in which there is no neck and there is a clusky nose in combination with big eyes. The art of shifters of the northern part of the country (Hafadzh and Ashnunak settlement) was distinguished by the presence of more elongated proportions, detailed working out of parts and naturalism, bordering the madness; Ideal bodies and surprisingly strange noses and individuals as a whole as an example.

Special attention among other features that developed institutes of Sumerian Culture, deserves metalplastic and related types of craft products. The findings of metal products dated 26-27 centuries to our era, testify to class differentiation and the cult of the dead, which are coming to the art of the Sumerh Empire. Luxurious utensils decorated with colored stones, in some tombs borders on the poverty of other burials. Among the particularly valuable products found in the graves, the gold helmet of the king of the finest work is highlighted. The art of Sumerov created this most valuable sample and placed on the eternal rest in the grave of the ruler of the Mescalamdurg. The helmet reproduced a gold wig with the smallest inlays. No less valuable and gold dagger with filigree cutting scabs, discovered everything in the same tomb. In addition, in the tombs, animal, figures and other valuable products were found in the tombs. Some of them took the form of the bull, others are simple rings, earrings and beads.

Ancient in the history of the art of Sumer and Akkada

Numerous, however, all close samples of mosaic products were found in the combes of the city. The art of Sumer and Akkada made them in huge quantities. The most remarkable sample is the so-called "standard", such name archaeologists gave two oblong rectangular plates fortified in the tilt position. This "standard" was made, whom the culture of an ancient Sumer could be proud of, and covered with slices of lapis-lazuries against the background and sinks in the form of figures, as a result of which the most beautiful ornament is formed. The plates divided into several tiers according to the already established at that time, the traditions contained images, paintings, battles and battles, in which the glorified troops of his bang. The "Standard" of the art of Sumer and Akkada was made to glorify the ruling rulers who won such significant victories.

The most remarkable sample of the sculpture relief of the Sumer, what the art of Sumer and Akkada created, is Stela Eannatum, called "Stela Korshunov". This monument was built in honor of the victory of the ruler of the city of Lagush over his enemies and above the city of Umme in particular. It was made in about the 25th century to our era. Today, stele that creates culture of Sumerian civilizationIt has the kind of debris, however, even they give the opportunity to explore and determine the basic principles of monumental art and relief peculiar to superiments. The image of the stele is separated by several horizontal lines, along which the composition is constructed. Separate often drawn images are shown in the resulting belt, opening a visual story about certain events. What is noteworthy, the art of Sumer and Akkada created stele such that the heads of the depicted people are always or almost always located. The exception is only the heads of God and the king, who emphasize their divine origin and it is necessary to all.

Human figures on the image are exactly the same, they are static and often take the same position: legs and head are turned into profile, while the shoulders and eyes are in the FAS. On the front side of the "Steli Korshunov", which was created by the culture of Akkad and Sumer, there is an image of a large figure of the Supreme God of the city of Lagas, God holds a network with the enemies of the ruler of Eannatum collected in it. On the reverse side, which is logical, at the head of his troops, a great king is depicted, marking the corpses of fallen enemies. The inscription on the stele reveals the content, both the images themselves and in the whole role of the set, it describes the victory of the Lagas's troops and glorify the courage of the king, who personally commanded the army and directly involved in the battle.

Of particular importance for the culture representing art Sumer and Akkada, there are monuments of glyptics, carved stones, amulets and prints. These elements often act as aggregate gaps caused by the absence of such monumental architectural monuments. These glipettices are allowed to submit and simulate the stages of the development of the art of interfluve, and at the same time the most ancient state of the Sumerians. Images on cylinder seals are often distinguished by an outstanding skill of execution, which the early art of Sumer and Akkad, who developed for the first few centuries in the history of the state could not boast. They made from completely different stone rocks, some of the softer, others are made, on the contrary, from solid (carnelian, hematite and others), are the most valuable specimen of the skills of the first civilization on Earth. What are surprisingly all of them made with the help of the simplest devices, which gives them even greater importance.

Printing cylinders who created the culture of ancient suchmers are distinguished by a variety. The favorite plots of the ancient masters are myths about Hilgamesh, Hero Sumer, who possessed an incredible force, courage, smelling and dexterity. There are also other contents representing higher value for modern researchers, in particular those that narrate the events of the Great Flood described in single myths of the Sumerian people. Also, several seals were discovered by scientists, in which the history of the flight of the local hero was told on Orel to Heaven for special grass, able to resurrect people.

Prints, as well as, the culture of Sumer, is abounding with conventions. Schematic figures of people, animals and even gods, low image details, desire to cover the image with unnecessary, often stupid elements of the decor. In seals, reliefs, bas-reliefs and other samples of the ancient craft, artists try to adhere to a schematic location of the figures in which the heads of the depicted people are fixed at one level, and the bodies are located, if not in the same, then in similar positions. The exceptions are single art samples representing a particular value that first of all have begun to glorify the Great Gilgamesh. If it is probably one of the most popular those who developed Sumerian art, unfortunately, it reached our days in single specimens, which does not reduce the role and influence provided by the Sumerian people on the development of subsequent cultures.

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Art of Sumer (27-25 pc. BC)

At the beginning of 3 millennia BC The growth of class contradictions led to the formation of the first small slave-owned states in the two-range, in which the relics of primitive-communal system were still very strong. Initially, individual cities became such states (with surrounding rural settlements), usually located in the places of ancient temple centers. Between them, they walked in advanced war for the possession of the main irrigation channels, for the seizure of the best lands, slaves and livestock.

Previously, the Summer City-states of the UR, Uruk, Lagash, et al. In the future, economic reasons caused a tendency to combine into larger state entities, which was usually committed by military force. In the second half of 3 millennia, Akkad was raised in the north, the ruler of which Sargon I, united under his authority most of the two-frequencies, creating a single and powerful Sumero-Acca kingdom. The royal power, which represented the interests of the slave owner, especially with the time of Akkada, became despotic. The priesthood, which was one of the supports of an oldest despoty, developed a complex cult of gods, deified the power of the king. The worship of the forces of nature and the remnants of the cult of animals played a major role in the religion of peoples of the courage. The gods were depicted in the form of people, animals and fantastic beings of supernatural power: winged lions, bulls, etc.

During this period, the main features characteristic of the art of two-workers of the early workers of the Epoch are fixed. The architecture of palace buildings and temples decorated with works of sculpture and painting played the leading role. Conditioned by the military character of the Summer States, architecture was served, as evidenced by the remnants of numerous urban structures and defensive walls equipped with towers and well-fortified gates.

The main construction material of the buildings of the two-frequencies served as brick-raw, significantly less frequently burned brick. A constructive feature of monumental architecture was running from 4 millennia BC. The use of artificially erected platforms, which is due, perhaps the need to isolate the building from dampness of soil moistened with spills, and at the same time, probably, the desire to make the building visible from all sides. Another characteristic feature based on the same ancient tradition was the broken line of the wall formed by the protrusions. The windows, when they were made, were placed in the top of the wall and had the kind of narrow slots. The buildings were also covered through the doorway and the hole in the roof. The coatings were mostly flat, but the arch was known. Detected by excavations in the south Sumer residential buildings had an inner open courtyard, around which covered indoors were grouped. This planning, which corresponded to the country's climatic conditions, was based on both the palace buildings of southern two-frequencies. In the northern part of Sumer, houses were found, which instead of an open courtyard had a central room with overlapping. Residential homes were sometimes two-story, with deaf walls on the street, as it often happens and is still in the eastern cities.

About the ancient temple architecture of Sumerian cities 3 Millennium BC. give a representation of the ruins of the temple in El Obeid (2600 BC); Dedicated to the goddess of Ning Hursag fertility. According to the reconstruction (however, not indisputable), the temple was standing on a high platform (with an area of \u200b\u200b32 × 25 m), folded from tightly rammed clay. The walls of the platform and the sanctuary in accordance with the ancient-all-american tradition were dissected by vertical protrusions, but, in addition, the retaining walls of the platform were excreted at the bottom of the black bitumen, and at the top were whiten and thus stunned horizontally. The rhythm of vertical and horizontal sections was created, repeatedly on the walls of the sanctuary, but in a slightly different interpretation. Here, the vertical membership of the wall dispersed horizontally tapes of friezes.

For the first time in the decoration of the building, a round sculpture and relief were applied. The statues of Lviv on the sides of the entrance (the oldest attract sculpture) were made, like all other sculptural decorations of El Obeid, made of wood covered with a bitumen layer with copper-stacked sheets. Inlaid eyes and dried languages \u200b\u200bmade of colored stones, gave this sculpture bright colorful appearance.

Along the wall, in the niches between the protrusions stood very expressive copper figures of the coming bulls. Above the surface of the wall was decorated with three friezes, which were at some distance one from the other: the burning with the images of the lying bulls made from the copper and two with a flat mosaic relief laid out of a white pearl on black slate plates. Thus, a color gamut was created, echoing from the coloring platforms. On one of the friezes, the scenes of economic life were pretty pictured, perhaps who had cultural significance, on the other, the sacred birds and animals marching.

Inlaid technique was applied and when performing speakers on the facade. Some of them were

decorated with colored stones, pearl and sinks, other - metal plates attached to a wooden base with nails with loose hats.

With undoubted skill, a copper burner placed on the entrance to the sanctuary, passes in a round sculpture; It depicts a lionogola eagle, clawing deer. This composition repeated with small variants on a number of monuments of the middle of 3 millennia BC. (On a silver vase of the ruler of the EmTenen, the waters of stone and bitumen, etc.), was apparently the emblem of the Ning Girsu. A feature of the relief is quite clear, symmetric heraldic composition, which in the future became one of the characteristic features of the overseas relief.

Summerians were created zigkurat - a kind of cultric buildings, which took a prominent place in the architecture of the cities of Front Asia during the millennium. Zikkurat was built at the temple of the main local deity and represented a high stepped tower folded from raw bricks; A small structure, crowned building, was placed on the top of the zigcurate, is the so-called "dwelling of God."

Better than others has been preserved many times a tunable zigkurat in ure erected at 22-21 centuries BC. (reconstruction). It consisted of three massive towers, constructed one above the other and forming wide, possibly landscaped

terraces connected by stairs. The lower part had a rectangular base of 65 × 43 m, the walls reached 13m height. The total height of the building reached 21 m at one time (which is equal to the five-story building of our days). There was usually no indoor space in Zigkurat or it was minimized to one small room. Towers Zigarat Hurray were different colors: lower - black, bitumen, medium - red (natural baked brick color), top - white. On the upper terrace, where the "dwelling of God" was placed, religious mysteries took place; It may have served simultaneously with the provisional of priests-star. Monumentality that was achieved by massiveness, simplicity of forms and volumes, as well as the clarity of proportions, created the impression of greatness and power and was a distinctive feature of the zigkurat architecture. With its monumentality, Zigkurat resembles Egypt's pyramids.

Plastic Mid 3 Millennium BC characterized by the predominance of small sculptures, mainly religious purposes; Its execution is still quite primitive.

Despite a rather significant variety that are monuments of sculptures of various local centers of ancient Sumer, two main groups can be distinguished - one associated with the south, the other - with the north of the country.

For the extreme south of the two-frequencies (cities of the UR, Lagash, etc.) is characterized by almost complete absence of the stone block and a very total interpretation of parts. Collective shapes are predomined with almost absent neck, with a clusuit nose and big eyes. The proportions of the body are not respected. Sculptural monuments of the northern part of the southern two-frequencies (the cities of Ashnunak, Hafadj, etc.) are characterized by more elongated proportions, greater development of parts, desire for naturalistically accurately transmitting the external features of the model, although with highly exaggerated eyepads and exorbitantly large noses.

Summer sculpture is expressive in its own way. Especially clearly, she transmits humiliated Obolapiege or disaminated piety, so peculiar mainly to the statues of praying, which noble shudders devoted to their gods. There were certain, established with deep antiquity postures and gestures that can constantly see in reliefs and in round sculpture.

With great perfection in the ancient Sumer, the metalplastic was different. I other types of art craft. This is evidenced by the well-preserved funeral inventory of the so-called "tsarist tomb" of the 27-26th centuries. BC, open in ure. Finds in tombs talk about class differentiation in the ure of this pore and about the developed cult of the dead, associated with the usual human sacrifice, which had a massive character. Luxury utensils of tombs masterfully made of precious metals (gold and silver) and various stones (alabaster, Lyapis-azure, obsidian, etc.). Among the findings of the "royal tombs" are allocated with a golden helmet of the thinnest work from the tomb of the Mescalemdug ruler, a reproducing wig with the smallest details of an intricate hairstyle. It is very good gold dagger with a thin filigree work with the same tombs and other items affecting the variety of forms and grace of finishes. A special height reaches the art of gold business masters in the image of animals, which can be judged by the perfectly performed head of the bull, adorned, apparently, the decoup of harp. Generalized, but very correctly handed over the artist powerful, complete

life head bull; Well emphasized bloated, as if tremble nostrils of the animal. The head is incrouted: the eyes, beard and wool on the temperature are made of Lyapis-Lazuri, eye proteins from shells. An image, which is obeyable, is associated with the cult of animals and with the image of God Nannar, which was represented, judging by the descriptions of clinical texts, in the form of a "strong bull with azure beard".

In the tombs, the samples of mosaic art were also found, among which the best is the so-called "standard" (as archaeologists called it): two oblong rectangular plates, fortified in the inclined position like a steep duct roof made from a tree coated with a layer of asphalt with slices of Lyapis- Lazuri (background) and sinks (figures). This mosaic of Lapis-Lazuri, shells and carnelian forms a colorful ornament. Divided into tiers according to the current time

traditions in Summerian embossed compositions, these plates transmit patterns of battles and battles, narrate the triumph of the city's troops, about the captured slaves and Dani, about the flavoring of the winners. The subject of this "Standard", designed to glorify the military activities of the rulers, reflects the military nature of the state.

The best sample of the sculpture relief of Sumer is Stela Eannatum, called "Stel Korshunov". The monument was made in honor of the victory of the Eannatum ruler of the city of Lagas (25th century BC) over the neighboring city of Umm. The stele is preserved in the wreckage, however they make it possible to determine

the basic principles of the ancient Shumeful monumental relief. The image is divided by horizontal lines on the belt, along which the composition is built. Individual, often high-time episodes are deployed in these belts and create a visual story about events. Usually the heads of all depicted are on the same level. The exceptions are the images of the king and God, the figures of which were always made in a much larger scale. This technique emphasized the difference in the social position of the ones depicted and the leading figure of the composition was highlighted. Human figures are all exactly the same, they are static, their turn on the plane is conditional: the head and legs are turned into profile, while the eyes and shoulders are given in the FAS. It is possible that such a interpretation is explained (as in Egyptian images) to the desire to show the human figure so that it is perceived particularly visual. On the front side of the "Steli Korshunov" depicts a large figure of the Supreme God of the city of Lagas, holding the network in which the enemies of Eannatum on the turn of Stelnatum are depicted at the head of his Grozny troops marking the corpses of the defeated enemies. On one of the fragments of stele, flying peeps are carrying severe heads of enemy warriors. The inscription on the stele reveals the content of the images, describing the victory of the Lagasy troops and report that the defeated residents of Ummah pledged to pay tribute to the gods of Lagas.

High value for the history of the arts of the peoples of Front Asia has monuments of glyptics, that is, carved stones - printing and amulets. They often fill the gaps caused by the lack of monuments of monumental art, and allow it to fully present the artistic development of the art of two-frequencies. Images on front asia-cylinder seals (the usual form of front asia seals is cylindrical, on the rounded surface of which artists easily placed multifigure compositions.). They often differ in great skill of execution. Made from various rocks of stones, softer for the first half of 3 millennia BC. and more solid (chalcedony, carnelian, hematite, etc.) for the end 3, as well as 2 and 1 millennium BC Extremely primitive tools, these small works of art are sometimes genuine masterpieces.

Print cylinders related to the time of the Sumer are very diverse. The favorite plots are the mythological, most often associated with the Epos about Hilgamesh, the hero of the invincible strength and unsurpassed courage. There are seals with images on the themes of the myth about the flood, about the flight of the Hero of the Hero on the Eagle to the sky for the "Grass of Birth" and others. For Schumer's cylinder seals, the conditional, schematic transmission of the figures of people and animals, the ornamentality of the composition and the desire to fill the entire surface of the cylinder . As in monumental reliefs, artists strictly adhere to the location of the figures, in which all the heads are placed on the same level, which animals are often represented in the hind legs. A frequently occurring in the cylinders of the module of the struggle of Hilgamesh with predatory animals, which caused homicide homework, reflects the life interests of the ancient cattle breakers. The topic of the struggle of the Hero with animals was very common in the gliptic of anterior Asia and at the following time.

Art of Akkada (24 - 23 centuries. BC)

In 24 V. BC. The Semitic city of Akkad, which united under his authority most of the two-frequencies under his authority. The struggle for the association of the country stirred up broad masses of the population and had historically progressive importance, allowing you to organize a common irrigation network necessary for the development of the economy.

In the art of the Akkadian kingdom (24-23th centuries. BC) Restored realistic trends. One of the best works of this time is the victorious Stela of the king of Namsina. The stele of Naramxin height 2 m is made of red sandstone. She tells about the victory of Narasin over the mountain tribes. The new quality and important stylistic distinction of this stele from earlier monuments are the unity and clarity of the composition, which is particularly felt in comparison of this monument with the above-considered, similar to the topic of Eannatum. No more "belts", separated by the image. Successfully using the reception of diagonal construction, the artist shows the ascent of the troops on the mountain. The skillful location of the figures throughout the field of relief creates the impression of movement and space. A landscape appeared, which is the combining motive of the composition. The wave-like lines are shown rocks, several trees give an idea of \u200b\u200ba wooded area.

Realistic trends affected in the interpretation of human figures, and first of all it belongs to Naratsin. A short tunic (which is a new type of clothing) leaves a naked freely transmitted strong muscular body.

Well modified hands, legs, shoulders, the proportions of the body - much more correct than in the ancient Summerian images. Specively opposed in the composition that the broken enemy descending from the mountain, the broken enemy arrest and the total energies of the warriors of Narabrasin, rising to the mountain. The pose of a deadly wounded warrior was very correctly transferred, tipped over the impact of a spear,

piercing his neck. Anything like the art of two frequenses did not know before. A new feature is and transferring the scope of figures in the relief. Canonic remains, however, the turn of the shoulders in the profile image of the head and legs, as well as the conditional difference between the figures of the king and warriors.

New features acquire and a round sculpture, an example of which is found in Ninevia sculptural head of copper, conditionally called Sargon I - the founder of the Akkadian dynasty. Sharp, harsh realistic power in the transfer of a person who is granted live, expressive features, carefully executed

a rich helmet, resembling a "wig" of Mescalamdug, courage and at the same time, the fineness of execution brings it closer to this work with the work of the Akkadian masters, created by Steel by Naramsin.

In the Prints of the Akkad Time One of the main plots remains Hilgamesh and his feats. The same features that clearly performed in monumental relief determine the nature of these miniature reliefs. Without refusing to the symmetric location of the figures, the Akkada Master makes greater clarity and clarity into the composition, seek to naturally pass the movement. The bodies of people and animals are simulated volumetric, the muscles are emphasized. The composition introduced the elements of the landscape.

Art of Sumer (23-21 centners. BC)

In the second half of 3 millennia BC. (23-22 centuries) There was an invasion in the two-range of the Mountain tribe of Gutiyev, who won the Akkadian state. The power of the kings of Guteyev continued in two-range near the century. Less than others were injured from the conquest of the south cities of Sumer. The new flourishing, based on the expansion of foreign trade, is experiencing some ancient centers, especially Lagash, whose ruler, Gudea, who has reached, retained some independence. Communication with other peoples, familiarity with their culture was of great importance for the development of the art of this pore. This is also evidenced by monuments of art and monuments of writing - clinical texts, which are the best samples of the literary style of the ancient shoes. Gudea was especially famous for its construction activities and concern for the restoration of ancient structures. However, architectural monuments from this time reached this day very little. The high level of the Time Artistic Time Gouda is best indicated by monumental

sculpture. The statues of Gudea are preserved, wonderful design techniques. Most of them were devoted to the Deity and stood in the temples. This largely explains the traditional staticity and features of the canonical convention. At the same time, large changes in Summerian art clearly visible in the statues of Gudea, which perceived many progressive features of the Akkada time.

The best of the statues of Gudea depicting it to us sitting. In this sculpture, a combination of the ordinary block with a new feature is very brightly manifested in this sculpture with a new feature - a fine modeling of a naked body and the first, albeit a timid attempt to outline the folds of clothing. The lower part of the figure forms a single stone block with a seat, and clothes resembling a smooth case under which the body is completely not felt, is only a good field for inscriptions. The interpretation of the top of the statue is completely different. Well models strong

shoulders, chest and Hand Gudea. Soft fabric, blocked over the shoulder, slightly outlined folds falls at the elbow and the brush has a hand that is felt under the cloth. The transfer of a naked body and folds of clothing indicates a much more developed plastic feeling than it was before, and about significant skill of sculptors.

Especially remarkable head statues of Gouda. In the interpretation of the person there is a desire for the transfer of portrait traits. The outstanding cheekbones are emphasized, thick eyebrows, quadrangular chin with a snatch in the middle. However, in general, the appearance of a strong and volitional face of the young Gudea was generalized.

After the expulsion of Gutiev in 2132 BC. The dominion over the two-rest moves to the city. Urau where in it

time rules III dynasty cheers. Ur acts as a new, after Akkada, a disorder of the country, forming a powerful Sumero-Akkada State applying to world domination.

Probably, at the turn of the board of the Gudea and the time of government of the III dynasty, such a beautiful work of art, as a female head of white marble with eyes, inlaid lapis-azure, where the sculptor's desire to grace, to the plastic and soft transmission of forms, as well as There are also undoubted traits of realism in the interpretation of the eyes and hair. Full gentle charming face with an expressive view of blue eyes is a first-class example of Schoichesk art. The most numerous monuments of Time III Dynasty URA - print-cylinders - show, as in connection with the strengthening of the despoty, the development of the hierarchy and the establishment of a strictly defined pantheon of the deities are produced by common canons in art, glorifying the Divine Power of the King. In the future (which will find its most vivid expression in the Babylonian glipstik), the topics are narrowing and the handicraft followed by finished samples. In standard compositions, the same motive is repeated - the worship of the deity.

Look

39. Stela of Naram-Suene from SUZ. The victory of the king over Lullouble. Naram-Suen - King Akkada, Akkada and Sumer, "King of the four countries". (2237-2200 BC) at the top of the gods patrons, Naram-Sin, plunging the enemy and the second enemy prays about mercy, down - the army rising in the mountains. Unlike the Sumerian reliefs, the elements of the landscape (wood, mountain) are present here, the figures are not built into a row, but are arranged taking into account the terrain.

Dairy farm Temple - Decorative frieze of Ningursag Temple in Al-Uba with Imdugud and Deer (London, British Museum)

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