Symbolism And Perceptions In Ancient Mesopotamian And Persian Art

Art, itself, has a strong relationship with ways of perception and symbolism. There is always some type of symbolic meaning and perception in regards to art. In chapter 2 of the book, Art Through the Ages, it talks about Ancient Mesopotamia and Persian art. Art from this specific region is intriguing. From seeing different works of art of different kings in this area, like the head of the statue of Sargon the Great, an Akkadian Ruler and the carving of a hunting relief that includes Ashurbanipal, shows exactly how Mesopotamia city-states and Persia were ruled and what characteristics a great king should have. Likewise, from seeing different works of art of animals and other objects, like the Achaemenid Rhyton and also part of the Ashurbanipal hunting relief, shows how these things were perceived in Mesopotamia and Persia. Art from Ancient Mesopotamia and Persia provide ways of perception and symbolism.

It was not until around 2300 - 2200 BCE that Mesopotamian city-states began utilizing the political system of an absolute monarchy. The first Mesopotamian ruler, Sargon of Akkad, was made ruler around 2340 BCE. With him as king, he united many territories under his ruling and was a successful king. It was also around this time of this political shift that there was also a shift in artistic representation. The creation of royal portraits began to come into effect during the Akkadian period to glorify rulers. The bronze portrait of the Akkadian ruler, Sargon the Great, is one of the first royal portraits. The head of the Akkadian ruler, Sargon of Akkad, is all that remains from the statue that was made of him. The statue toppled over due to the sacking of the city in 612 BCE by vandals. The vandals not only made the statue topple over, they also mutilated the statue by gouging out the eyes, breaking the lower part of the beard, and cutting off the ears of the Akkadian ruler. Although the head has been severely damaged, it still holds meaning. The amount of detail that went into creating this work of art, not only shows the skills of the artist, it also shows that the king was a good and well respected king. Despite being damaged, the portrait still shows the king’s “majestic serenity, dignity, and authority”. He is still being used as an example of a good king today because of these characteristics. But, although the king was liked by many, the result of the statue itself being damaged and vandalized shows that he was also disliked by many.

During the reign of Ashurbanipal, one of the greatest kings of Assyria, there was an artist who carved a hunting relief for him. This carving shows the image of Ashurbanipal and a couple unidentifiable persons hunting lions on his royal chariot in a large enclosed arena/controlled environment to ensure the safety of the king. In the image, there are also many lifeless bodies of lions lying on the ground with arrows in them. With having a controlled environment, the king was able to know his surroundings and his safety in comparison to being in the wild and not knowing his surroundings and the increase of risk of receiving an injury from these lions. In regards to perception, the lions could be seen as the protagonists of this heroic tragedy. Although the artist most likely only had the intention of glorifying Ashurbanipal as a ruler by showing himself and others defeating these wild beasts, there is also the perception that the lions are considered to be possessing courage and nobility. This is most likely because the lions are not giving up on trying to kill the king. The image shows one lion, despite having two arrows in its body, lunging itself at the king in a desperate attempt to harm him. This work carving was made to show the people of Assyria that Ashurbanipal was, at the time, a man that could handle taking on the king of beasts. He wanted to be perceived as a tough and fearless king because he fought off these lions. To him, it does not matter that these lions were in a controlled environment. What mattered to him was that he was able to defeat these wild beasts in order to send a message to anyone doubting him. Kings during this time only wanted to have authority, respect, and wealth. As shown in this carving, a king will do anything to gain respect from the society he is governing, even if that means putting his life at risk. The Achaemenid Dynasty, in which the first Persian Empire was under, played a big role in how art was created in this area. The Achaemenid Dynasty began at around 550 BC and ended around 330 BC. This empire was heavily influenced by wealth and warfare/military control. When it comes to representation, there were seals and also other elite objects that had some type of war/military influence.

Art played a major role in showing off status and wealth during this dynasty, as showing off status and wealth was the one of the best ways to show off the amount of power and the role played in the political system. The Achaemenid Rhyton was a piece of art that held a lot of wealth. This piece was excavated from Ecbatana, which had a reputation for being wealthy during this era. The architecture of Ecbatana is also quite fascinating. The roofs were once covered with silver tiles but were later covered with gold and silver plates after Alexander of Macedon and Darius looted the gold and silver that was collected in the citadel of Persepolis. The use of gold in architecture and objects, like the Achaemenid Rhyton, was used as an example in how gold was beginning to increase in significance during the Achaemenid Empire. The Achaemenid Rhyton, which was “a vessel used to drink a liquid or to pour a liquid from in a ceremonial rite”, was said to be created around 500 BC. The rhyton was made out of gold, which was used as the currency at the time. This was used in royal courts, most likely for the reason of showing off a high status. When it comes to symbolism, the rhyton was made into the shape of a lion. The lion, even in other pieces of art, has always been a symbol of nobility, power, and courage. Lions were also seen on Persian coins. The use of animal shapes with rhytons were a part of a tradition that dates all the way back to the Iron Age. This comes to show that in order to have any type of power in this dynasty/empire, one needs to possess wealth.