#neo Sumerian cylinder seals

[bingqiv]

ignore me i’m crying at the british museum because of cylinder seals

[whencyclopedia]

The Myth of Etana

The Myth of Etana is the story of the Sumerian antediluvian King of Kish who ascends to heaven on an eagle to request the Plant of Birth from the gods so that he might have a son. Etana is named as the first king of Kish in the Sumerian King List (composed c. 2100 BCE) which claims he reigned early in the 3rd millenium BCE. According to the Sumerian King List, Etana was known as "he who stabilized the lands" after the gods had created order out of chaos and established the concepts of kingship and government among humanity. Etana was, therefore, a well-known and highly respected figure and would have been chosen as the central character for precisely this reason. A central message of the myth is that one should trust in the gods and Etana, a great king, would have been chosen by the unknown author as the best exemplar in conveying that message.

Central Message

That the myth is very old is attested to by cylinder seals depicting Etana on the eagle's back which date from the reign of Sargon of Akkad (2334-2279 BCE). The British Museum has among its holdings a fragment of The Myth of Etana from King Assurbanipal's library at Ninevah, dating from the 7th century but, as G.S. Kirk points out:

The Neo-Assyrian version from Ashurbanipal's library happens to be the most surviving text, but where it overlaps with an Old Babylonian version of a thousand years earlier it corresponds with it very closely, sometimes word for word. A short Middle Assyrian fragment maintains the same accuracy. (25)

The story contains many motifs seen in myths of every culture: a great city created by the gods, a search for a worthy ruler, talking animals, broken oaths, divine intervention and a quest which brings the hero to the land of the gods (this one involving an eagle of mythic proportions). The myth may have been intended, as suggested by R. McRoberts, to convey a political message regarding kingship:

When this story is placed in the context of the First Dynasty of Kish, and its exceptional rule of twenty three consecutive kings, it can be seen as more than a tale of fantasy. Earlier dynasties in the King Lists show only a few kings ruling in succession. It is possible that the success of the First Dynasty of Kish could be owed in part to a new tradition of passing the monarchy on to a male heir of the previous king. The myth of Etana served as a colorful reminder that it was the king's duty to go to any lengths, or heights as the case may be, to produce that heir. (40)

While McRoberts' observation is certainly valid, the duty of the king was not only to his people but to the gods who had not only given him life but placed him in his position. According to Sumerian belief (and Mesopotamian belief in general), the gods had created humanity as co-workers to maintain order and keep the forces of chaos in check. The king was responsible to both the gods and his subjects to make sure the gods' will was followed. He could not perform this task if he had no faith in the gods himself and so the myth, in addition to its many other themes, would have emphasized Etana's faith in the gods even when it seems his prayers have not been answered.

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[blueiscoool]

A Large Collection of Near Eastern Cylinder Seals, and other Near Eastern objects Circa 4000-500 B.C.

including Jemdet Nasr, Uruk, Sumerian, Neo-Babylonian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Mitannian, engraved in lapis lazuli, serpentine, hematite, marble, and other stones, comprising a wide variety of subjects, as well as several Bactrian bronze stamp seals.

[clairesulos]

Judgment of the Bird-Man

Judgment of the Bird-Man

Akkadian cylinder seals depicting the Judgment of the Bird-Man have often been viewed in light of later texts, such as the Neo-Sumerian Ninurta’s Pride and Punishment and the Akkadian OB/SB Epic of Anzu. These mythological narratives portrayed the Anzu/bird-man as a divine thief, conquered by the warrior god Ninurta—though the stories differed on whether he stole the Tablet of Destines from…

[dwollsadventures]

Of all the Mesopotamian gods and monsters, Tiamat is the most well-known. Mostly because she is both a god and a monster. In the Akkadian religion Tiamat was originally a primordial figure, a goddess symbolizing salt water. In the beginning of the cosmos the salt water of Tiamat mixed with the freshwater of Apsu (an event actually seen in the Persian Gulf). There the two sat and slept, basking in each other's presence. There was no Earth, no Heaven, no light. Only a dark, warm swirling of water, reminiscent of both the beginning of the universe and the womb. Among the pair's offspring was Lahmu and Lahamu, who went on to give rise to the new generation of gods, the earthly and heavenly ones. Apsu planned to kill his children, as gods of the Near East are wont to do, but was slain before he could carry out the theocide. In revenge Tiamat rose up, birthed a legion of monsters (see all previous entries), and sought to carry out Apsu's original plan. In her possession she had the Tablet of Destinies, which granted the holder dominion over the cosmos, a clay "crown" of the divine right to rule. Tiamat was a terrible force to reckon with. The earthly and heavenly gods needed a hero to save them. So they called upon Anu. Or was it Enlil? No, it was Marduk! Marduk came as slew Tiamat with a club in a gruesome fashion. Her armies were summarily bound and shackled to his feet. Forevermore they would serve his as the demons and monsters of the new age. For, after the battle, Marduk took the Tablet of Destinies and Tiamat's body to make the Earth as we know it. Ribs became the firmament of heaven and earth, eyes became the gushing Tigris and Euphrates, and her coiled tail became the Milky Way. Despite being called a primordial goddess, Tiamat was probably never worshipped. She has her origins with the older Sumerian goddess Nammu. Nammu filled a very similar role to the Sumerians but never as a monstrous figure. Salt water is their connecting force, which the combined Mesopotamian religion considered both instrumental to the formation of life, as well as dangerous and terrible. Freshwater, apsu, was considered life-giving and sacred, a whole ocean of it was said to lie beneath the earth to supply it with life. Saltwater meanwhile was complementary but less inviting. It can't be drunk and it kills crops, it does not serve humanity. The life that comes from it is similar: numerous and terrifying demons. Tiamat's name is literally derived from tāmtu, meaning sea. A similar concept sharing the same origin can be found in the "tehom" of genesis. 

Several recurring themes show up in Tiamat's story: that of the father of the gods looking to slay the new generation, the primordial being slayed and divided up to make the earth, but arguably the most famous, that of the god-hero slaying the primordial serpent. A theme known as "Chaoskampf" in German. Here the serpent represents /chaos/: the shapeless buildings blocks of the universe, the wide expanse of the uninhabitable cosmos, every part of the world too harsh and dangerous for humanity to survive in. As the ocean incarnate Tiamat is a perfect example of this chaos. But is she a serpent? It's a little unclear. In the Enuma Elish her form is specified once and is ambiguous. She has "a tail, a thigh, lower parts, a belly, an udder, ribs, a neck, a head, a skull, eyes, nostrils, a mouth, lips, viscera, a heart, arteries, and blood". Which... isn't all that descriptive. Excluding the udder, all those things can be found in nearly every land mammal and most reptiles. The inclusion of the udder, however, leads me to believe Tiamat is a cow. Or possibly a goat. Kidding aside (although... her being a primordial cow who brings forth saltwater from her udders wouldn't be that out of pocket for comparative mythology...), the shape most given to Tiamat is that of a serpent. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any definitive depictions of her. The one most identified with her, a cylinder seal from the Neo-Assyrian period, depicts a classical usumgallu, but does not offer any positive indication that it is indeed Tiamat. Because of how unclear the description from the text is, it's unlikely the mystery will have a satisfying conclusion. In keeping with every other appearance of the chaoskampf theme and her offspring, it's probably that she assumed a serpentine form and that it was in some way a combination of many different animals as well. Though slain like a common wyvern, Tiamat remains at the forefront of the Mesopotamian religion in the modern world. Though the sea is dangerous and merciless, and the things that dwell within it are plentiful and scary, it was from it that life sprung from all those eons ago. Without Tiamat, Marduk would not exist, nor would the demons of the mountain and forest and sea, nor would I or any of you reading this. She may never have been worshipped as a proper goddess in her heyday, but she at least deserves our thanks for that most universal of gifts, life.

-- And here she is! I've drawn Tiamat once before in 2018 as part of a school project about Chaoskampf, but never her serpentine form. Unsurprisingly, it gave me a bunch of trouble. How do you draw something as huge and complex as a primordial serpent? My idea was to use a sea serpent as the base and have all the other demons represented as parts. A sort of big monster that's constantly changing, made up of the parts of all the others animals and monsters. You can sort of see her sea serpent head is based on a pike's. My initial idea was to make it in two versions as a gif, one with her "goddess" form colored in, the next with her monstrous form colored in. But it sucked. So I'd rather give the central piece the spotlight and leave the details of the sea serpent up to your imagination. 

This has been a very fun, albeit slow series. Almost the most research done for a single series of anything I've done here. What's next? Probably not another long-form series, at least for a while. The actual first installment of TDG Acronym Pending is what I theoretically should be focusing on, but we'll see. Got to figure out the title before though... Have a safe holidays.

[archaicwonder]

Old Babylonian Lama Figurine, 2000-1750 BC

Copper alloy figurine of a deity, probably lama, with original stone inlays.

Lama was a Sumerian name for a female protective deity. In Neo-Sumerian, Old Babylonian, Kassite and Neo-Babylonian art, lama was depicted as a woman in a long flounced robe with one or both hands raised in supplication to a major god. They were supposed to protect temples and palaces against evil and chaos. They were invoked to intercede with the gods and provide protection to those who asked for it. They often appear on cylinder seals from Mesopotamia.

[wrightergirl]

Chapter Four

This week's reading of chapter four was quite fascinating due to the extensive knowledge that spread or was happening simultaneously across several dynasties and regions. The Ancient Near East discussed wars, leaders, and works of art from the Neolithic Era. Some of the major dynasties that ruled were Uruk, Sumerian, Akkadian, Neo Sumerian, Old Babylonian, Assyrian, Neo Babylonian, Hittie, Scythian, and Achaemenid Persia. Each of these dynasties shared one thing in common, the use of art to worship gods. Additionally many pieces of art were used to suggest the hierarchy of Kings as being close to the gods.

I was impressed to read about cylinder seals that were developed in the Uruk period as I have used them myself. Of course I called them polymer clay stamps and not cylinder seals. When I took a ceramics class my sophomore and senior years, after we made slabs of clay, we would roll clay stamps across the pliable material to give it a design. The fact that they were originally used to mark ownership and to keep inventories or accounts and to legalize documents was more surprising than it should have been. I previously believed that these tools were simply used as decorative or aesthetic tools. I believe this portrays how far society has delved into an age of convenience, that we have and use object simply for beauty and not functionality.

Additionally, I was amazed to learn that this  previously utilitarian act actually had a large contribution to pushing mankind toward writing. If I had know this information previously, I feel I would have appreciated the tools used in my ceramics classes to a whole new degree.

Another thing that intrigued me about this chapter was The Law Code of Hammurabi. I had heard about an eye for an eye scenario and that some cultures used it; however, I never thought it would be so extreme that a builder would be killed if a house fell on its owner. What was absolutely most shocking was the measurement of guilt by a person's buoyancy.

Lastly, or rather the last thing on my topic agenda, is the enhanced knowledge and capability of these ancient civilizations. They built such architecture as Isher Gate, Lion Gate, and Ziggurats and yet I feel as if modern society doesn't give them enough credit. Similar to the Pyramids, we are just recently rediscovering the techniques of how to create these wonders due to the loss of knowledge before writing became conventional. Additionally, much like people today, they worshiped religious figures and built great works of art to praise them. Some of the best, in my opinion, are the Kneeling Bull, because of its merging of bull and human likenesses, and the Statues from the Abu Temple, due not only to their aesthetic beauty but in their relation to society today in hierarchical proportions. Mesopotamians, aligning with today's society, followed a quite similar hierarchical pattern. The rich, or in their case kings, being given special or better treatment than the poor. Which is where I’ll stop before getting into politics.