I.

Introduction

Mesopotamian Art and Architecture, the art and architecture of the ancient Middle Eastern civilizations that developed in the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers from prehistoric times but chiefly spanning the period from about 3500 bc to the 6th century bc. The lower parts of the Mesopotamian region encompassed a fertile plain, and it was here that the first cities of the ancient world developed, together with royalty and priesthood that each demanded imposing palaces and temples, decorated with wall paintings, inlays, bas-reliefs, and statues. The major basic building material in Mesopotamia was mudbrick, made from local clay. This clay also was used for their terracotta pottery and sculpture, and writing tablets. Few wooden artefacts have survived. Basalt, sandstone, diorite, and alabaster were used for sculpture. Metals such as bronze, copper, gold, and silver, as well as shells and precious stones, were used for the finest sculpture and inlays. Stones of all kinds—including lapis lazuli, jasper, cornelian, alabaster, haematite, serpentine, and steatite—were used for cylinder seals. Stone was scarce in the region, however, and certain types had to be imported.

The art of Mesopotamia encompasses a 4,000-year tradition that, in style and iconography, is ostensibly homogeneous. It was in fact created and sustained by waves of invading peoples who differed ethnically and linguistically from one another. Each of these groups made its own contribution to the art of Mesopotamia until the Persian conquest in the 6th century bc. The first dominant people to control the region and shape its art were the Sumerians, a non-Semitic people, followed by the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians, all of whom were Semitic. Just as Mesopotamian political control and artistic influences spread to neighbouring cultures, at times reaching as far as the Syro-Palestinian coast, so techniques and motifs from outlying areas had an impact on Mesopotamian centres. Moreover, as other peoples invaded the region, their art was shaped by native Mesopotamian traditions.