Art of the first cities : the third millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus ; [... in conjunction with the Exhibition Art of the First Cities: the Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Ar

New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003. — 540 pp. — (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series). — ISBN 1-58839-043-8.Our civilization is rooted in the forms and innovations of societies that flourished in the distant lands of Western Asia more than six thousand years ago. These earliest societies, established millennia before the Greco-Roman period, extended from Egypt to India. The earliest among them was the region known to the ancients as Mesopotamia, located between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers and occupying what is today Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey. In Mesopotamia arose the first cities, believed by their inhabitants to be the property of the gods, who granted kings the power to bring prosperity to the people. Here urban institutions were invented and evolved. The need to record and manage the distribution and receipt of goods led to the invention of writing, monumental architecture in the form of temples, and palaces were created, and the visual arts flowered in the service of religion and royalty. These extraordinary innovations profoundly affected surrounding areas in Anatolia, Syria-Levant, Iran, and the Gulf, and Mesopotamia was in turn influenced by its neighbors. As Mesopotamia turned to outlying lands for such rare and precious materials as lapis lazuli, carnelian, diorite, gold, silver, and ivory, these regions were linked by networks of trade that encouraged cultural exchange.This volume, which accompanies a major exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, explores the artistic achievements of the era of the first cities in both the Mesopotamian heartland and across the expanse of western Asia. More than fifty experts in the field have contributed entries on individual works of art and essays on a wide range of subjects. The first book that encompasses a study of the entire region during a single period, this publication break new ground in particular in its examination of trade and interconnections. In texts that will be of interest to both specialists and the general public, the social and historical context of the art of the first cities is explored. Many objects presented display the pure style of Mesopotamia, others from outlying regions adapt from them a corpus of forms and images, and still others embody vital regional styles. Included are reliefs celebrating the accomplishments of kings and the pastimes of the elite; votive statues representing royal and other privileged persons; animal sculptures; and spectacular jewelry, musical instruments, and games found in tombs where kings, queens, and their servants were buried.The volume opens with a focus on the cities of southern Mesopotamia, among them Uruk and Nippur; the cities of the north, Mari and Ebla; and the Akkadian Dynasty. Next follow sections devoted to art and interconnections from the Mediterranean to the Indus, in which Egypt, the Aegean and western Anatolia, the North Caucasus, the Gulf, Iran, and the Indus area are studied. Finally, a section on literature and legacy treats the invention of cuneiform writing and the heritage of Mesopotamian literature and ideas.More than five hundred reproductions of the works in the exhibition as well as comparative materials are included in the lavish illustrations, and landscape photographs offer a sense of place. Maps, a chronology, a bibliography, and an index are provided.__Director's Forward [i](Philippe de Montebello).__Acknowledgments __(Mahrukh Tarapor).__Acknowledgments __(Joan Aruz).__Chronology.Map.[/i]Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus __(Joan Aruz).__**Cities of the South.**Uruk and the Formation of the City __(Hans J. Nissen).__Art of the Early City-States __(Donald P. Hansen).____The Proto-Elamite Period (Holly Pittman).Fara (Joachim Marzahn).Excavations in the Diyala Region (Karen L. Wilson).Stone Sculpture Production (Jean-François de Lapérouse).Nippur (Jean M. Evans).Tello (Ancient Girsu) (Béatrice André-Salvini).Metalworking Techniques (Jean-François de Lapérouse).Al Ubaid (Paul Collins).Kish (Paul Collins).__The Royal Tombs of Ur __(Julian Reade).____The Tomb of Puabi (Paul Collins).The Great Death Pit at Ur (Julian Reade).__**Cities of the North.**Mari and the Syro-Mesopotamian World __(Jean-Claude Margueron).____The Treasure of Ur from Mari (Nadja Cholidis).__Ebla and the Early Urbanization of Syria __(Paolo Matthiae).____Tell Umm el-Marra (Glenn M. Schwartz).Tell Banat (Anne Porter and Thomas McClellan).__**The First Great Empire.**Art of the Akkadian Empire __(Donald P. Hansen).____Lost-Wax Casting (Jean-François de Lapérouse).Tell Mozan (Ancient Urkesh) (Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati).Tell Brak in the Akkadian Period (Jean M. Evans).__**From the Mediterranean to the Indus.**Art and Interconnections in the Third Millennium B.C. __(Joan Aruz).__Egypt and the Near East in the Third Millennium B.C. __(James P. Allen).__The Aegean and Western Anatolia: Social Forms and Cultural Relationships __(Chris Reinholdt).____The Early Bronze Age Jewelry Hoard from Kolonna, Aigina (Claus Reinholdt).Troy (Eleni Drakaki).Poliochni and the Civilization of the Northeastern Aegean (Lena Papazoglou-Manioudaki).__The Central Anatolian Plateau: The Tombs of Alaca Höyük __(Oscar White Muscarella).__The North Caucasus __(Elena Izbitser).____The Maikop (Oshad) Kurgan (Yuri Piotrovsky).Novosvobodnaya (Yuri Piotrovsky).Susa: Beyond the Zagros Mountains (Paul Collins).__The Gulf: Dilmun and Magan __(D.T. Potts).____Copper Alloys and Metal Sources (Jean-François de Lapérouse).Tell Abraq (Paul Collins).The Island of Tarut (Paul Collins)."Intercultural Style" Carved Chlorite Objects (Joan Aruz).__Pathways Across Eurasia __(Maurizio Tosi and C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky).____Altyn-depe (Yuri Piotrovsky).Gonur-depe (Elisabetta Valtz Fino).__The Indus Civilization __(Jonathan Mark Kenoyer).____Baluchistan (Paul Collins).Cities of the Indus Valley (Jonathan Mark Kenoyer).Beads of the Indus Valley (Jonathan Mark Kenoyer).__**The Dynasties of Lagash and Ur.**Approaching the Divine: Mesopotamian Art at the End of the Third Millennium B.C. __(Jean M. Evans).____The Rediscovery of Gudea Statuary in the Hellenistic Period (Béatrice André-Salvini).__**Literature and Legacy.**The Earliest Scholastic Tradition __(Piotr Michalowski).____Uruk and the World of Gilgamesh (Beate Salje).__The Mesopotamian Legacy: Origins of the Genesis Tradition __(Ira Spar).____Appendix: Problems of Third Millennium B.C. Chronology (Julian Reade).__ New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003. — 540 pp. — (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series). — ISBN 1-58839-043-8. Our civilization is rooted in the forms and innovations of societies that flourished in the distant lands of Western Asia more than six thousand years ago. These earliest societies, established millennia before the Greco-Roman period, extended from Egypt to India. The earliest among them was the region known to the ancients as Mesopotamia, located between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers and occupying what is today Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey. In Mesopotamia arose the first cities, believed by their inhabitants to be the property of the gods, who granted kings the power to bring prosperity to the people. Here urban institutions were invented and evolved. The need to record and manage the distribution and receipt of goods led to the invention of writing, monumental architecture in the form of temples, and palaces were created, and the visual arts flowered in the service of religion and royalty. These extraordinary innovations profoundly affected surrounding areas in Anatolia, Syria-Levant, Iran, and the Gulf, and Mesopotamia was in turn influenced by its neighbors. As Mesopotamia turned to outlying lands for such rare and precious materials as lapis lazuli, carnelian, diorite, gold, silver, and ivory, these regions were linked by networks of trade that encouraged cultural exchange. This volume, which accompanies a major exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, explores the artistic achievements of the era of the first cities in both the Mesopotamian heartland and across the expanse of western Asia. More than fifty experts in the field have contributed entries on individual works of art and essays on a wide range of subjects. The first book that encompasses a study of the entire region during a single period, this publication break new ground in particular in its examination of trade and interconnections. In texts that will be of interest to both specialists and the general public, the social and historical context of the art of the first cities is explored. Many objects presented display the pure style of Mesopotamia, others from outlying regions adapt from them a corpus of forms and images, and still others embody vital regional styles. Included are reliefs celebrating the accomplishments of kings and the pastimes of the elite; votive statues representing royal and other privileged persons; animal sculptures; and spectacular jewelry, musical instruments, and games found in tombs where kings, queens, and their servants were buried. The volume opens with a focus on the cities of southern Mesopotamia, among them Uruk and Nippur; the cities of the north, Mari and Ebla; and the Akkadian Dynasty. Next follow sections devoted to art and interconnections from the Mediterranean to the Indus, in which Egypt, the Aegean and western Anatolia, the North Caucasus, the Gulf, Iran, and the Indus area are studied. Finally, a section on literature and legacy treats the invention of cuneiform writing and the heritage of Mesopotamian literature and ideas. More than five hundred reproductions of the works in the exhibition as well as comparative materials are included in the lavish illustrations, and landscape photographs offer a sense of place. Maps, a chronology, a bibliography, and an index are provided. Director's Forward [i](Philippe de Montebello). Acknowledgments (Mahrukh Tarapor). Acknowledgments (Joan Aruz). Chronology. Map.[/i] Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus (Joan Aruz). Cities of the South. Uruk and the Formation of the City (Hans J. Nissen). Art of the Early City-States (Donald P. Hansen). The Proto-Elamite Period (Holly Pittman). Fara (Joachim Marzahn). Excavations in the Diyala Region (Karen L. Wilson). Stone Sculpture Production (Jean-François de Lapérouse). Nippur (Jean M. Evans). Tello (Ancient Girsu) (Béatrice André-Salvini). Metalworking Techniques (Jean-François de Lapérouse). Al Ubaid (Paul Collins). Kish (Paul Collins). The Royal Tombs of Ur (Julian Reade). The Tomb of Puabi (Paul Collins). The Great Death Pit at Ur (Julian Reade). Cities of the North. Mari and the Syro-Mesopotamian World (Jean-Claude Margueron). The Treasure of Ur from Mari (Nadja Cholidis). Ebla and the Early Urbanization of Syria (Paolo Matthiae). Tell Umm el-Marra (Glenn M. Schwartz). Tell Banat (Anne Porter and Thomas McClellan). The First Great Empire. Art of the Akkadian Empire (Donald P. Hansen). Lost-Wax Casting (Jean-François de Lapérouse). Tell Mozan (Ancient Urkesh) (Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati). Tell Brak in the Akkadian Period (Jean M. Evans). From the Mediterranean to the Indus. Art and Interconnections in the Third Millennium B.C. (Joan Aruz). Egypt and the Near East in the Third Millennium B.C. (James P. Allen). The Aegean and Western Anatolia: Social Forms and Cultural Relationships (Chris Reinholdt). The Early Bronze Age Jewelry Hoard from Kolonna, Aigina (Claus Reinholdt). Troy (Eleni Drakaki). Poliochni and the Civilization of the Northeastern Aegean (Lena Papazoglou-Manioudaki). The Central Anatolian Plateau: The Tombs of Alaca Höyük (Oscar White Muscarella). The North Caucasus (Elena Izbitser). The Maikop (Oshad) Kurgan (Yuri Piotrovsky). Novosvobodnaya (Yuri Piotrovsky). Susa: Beyond the Zagros Mountains (Paul Collins). The Gulf: Dilmun and Magan (D.T. Potts). Copper Alloys and Metal Sources (Jean-François de Lapérouse). Tell Abraq (Paul Collins). The Island of Tarut (Paul Collins). "Intercultural Style" Carved Chlorite Objects (Joan Aruz). Pathways Across Eurasia (Maurizio Tosi and C.C. Lamberg-Karlovsky). Altyn-depe (Yuri Piotrovsky). Gonur-depe (Elisabetta Valtz Fino). The Indus Civilization (Jonathan Mark Kenoyer). Baluchistan (Paul Collins). Cities of the Indus Valley (Jonathan Mark Kenoyer). Beads of the Indus Valley (Jonathan Mark Kenoyer). The Dynasties of Lagash and Ur. Approaching the Divine: Mesopotamian Art at the End of the Third Millennium B.C. (Jean M. Evans). The Rediscovery of Gudea Statuary in the Hellenistic Period (Béatrice André-Salvini). Literature and Legacy. The Earliest Scholastic Tradition (Piotr Michalowski). Uruk and the World of Gilgamesh (Beate Salje). The Mesopotamian Legacy: Origins of the Genesis Tradition (Ira Spar). Appendix: Problems of Third Millennium B.C. Chronology (Julian Reade). Catalog of an exhibition being held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 8 to Aug. 17, 2003.Our civilization is rooted in the forms and innovations of societies that flourished in the distant lands of Western Asia more than six thousand years ago. These earliest societies, established millennia before the Greco-Roman period, extended from Egypt to India. The earliest among them was the region known to the ancients as Mesopotamia, located between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers and occupying what is today Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey. In Mesopotamia arose the first cities, believed by their inhabitants to be the property of the gods, who granted kings the power to bring prosperity to the people. Here urban institutions were invented and evolved. The need to record and manage the distribution and receipt of goods led to the invention of writing, monumental architecture in the form of temples, and palaces were created, and the visual arts flowered in the service of religion and royalty. These extraordinary innovations profoundly affected surrounding areas in Anatolia, Syria-Levant, Iran, and the Gulf, and Mesopotamia was in turn influenced by its neighbors. As Mesopotamia turned to outlying lands for such rare and precious materials as lapis lazuli, carnelian, diorite, gold, silver, and ivory, these regions were linked by networks of trade that encouraged cultural exchange.This volume, which accompanies a major exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, explores the artistic achievements of the era of the first cities in both the Mesopotamian heartland and across the expanse of western Asia. More than fifty experts in the field have contributed entries on individual works of art and essays on a wide range of subjects. The first book that encompasses a study of the entire region during a single period, this publication break new ground in particular in its examination of trade and interconnections. In texts that Our civilization is rooted in the forms and innovations of societies that flourished more than six thousand years ago in distant lands of western Asia, extending from Egypt to India. The earliest of these societies was in the region known to the ancients as Mesopotamia, which occupies what is today Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey. In Mesopotamia arose the first cities, and here urban institutions were invented and evolved. Writing was invented, monumental architecture in the form of temples and palaces were created, and the visual arts flowered in the service of religion and royalty. These extraordinary innovations profoundly affected surrounding areas in Anatolia, Syria-Levant, Iran, and the Gulf. Mesopotamia was influenced in turn by these outlying regions, for as networks of trade emerged they encouraged cultural exchange. This publication explores the artistic achievements of the era of the first cities in both the Mesopotamian heartland and across the expanse of western Asia. More than fifty experts in the field have contributed entries on individual works of art and essays covering a wide range of subjects. Among the objects presented are many that display the pure style of Mesopotamia, others from outlying regions that adapt from Mesopotamian models a corpus of forms and images, and still others that embody vital regional styles. Included are reliefs celebrating the accomplishments of kings and the pastimes of the elite; votive statues representing royal and other privileged persons; animal sculptures; and spectacular jewelry, musical instruments, and games found in tombs where kings, queens, and their servants were buried. -- Metropolitan Museum of Art website "This handsomely illustrated book highlights one of the most important and creative periods in the history of art: a time marked by the appearance of the city states of the Sumerians, the citadel of Troy, the splendid royal tombs at Ur, and the monumental cities at Mohenjodaro and Harappa. The volume examines the cultural achievements of these first urban societies, placing them in a historical context. Topics covered include the emergence of the first city states, the birth of written language, and trade and cultural interconnections between the ancient Near East and outlying areas. More than five hundred works of art, including sculpture, jewelry, vessels, weapons, cylinder seals, and tablets executed in a wide variety of materials such as stone, metal, clay, ivory, and semiprecious stones are included. The insightful texts are written by leading scholars in the field"--Publisher's description This substantial catalogue presents essays, illustrated with color plates of works from the exhibition, by an international group of art historians, anthropologists, historians, archaeologists, and specialists in Near Eastern languages. The catalogue, which is oversized at 9.5x12", accompanies an exhibition held in 2003 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The essays that fill the catalogue consider topics that include the formation of the city of Uruk, art of the early city-states, art of the Akkadian dynasty, Egypt and the Near East in the 3rd millennium B.C., Troy, the tomb of Alaca Höyük, the north Causcasus, the Indus civilization, the earliest scholastic tradition, and the origins of the Genesis tradition. The volume is heavily illustrated in color plates of superb quality. Distributed by Yale U. Press under ISBN 0-300-09883-9. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR An examination of the cultural achievements of the first urban societies, placed in a historical context. More than 500 works of art, including sculpture, jewellery, vessels and weapons, executed in a variety of materials such as stone, metal, clay, ivory and semiprecious stones, are included.