Art and Archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia: an introduction
Because this is our more bookish oriented forum, I decided to post this material here. Basically, it is the outline of a course on the Art and archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia given by Dr. Paul Collins, my archaeologist friend, at the British Museum for four weeks, all Thursdays at the BM last year (2000). No, I didn´t take it, but got the outline and the references used by him. Here they go:
This course explores through slide lectures and gallery work the archaeological evidence for the extraordinary literary and scientific achievements of ancient Iraq. From the first settlements and early writing to Sumer and the empires of Babylon and Assyrian.
6 May - Pre-history 9000-3000 Before Common Era
am - The agricultural revolution
pm - The rise of civilization
13 May - Third Millennium
am - The Early Dynastic Period
pm - The First Empires
20 May - 2nd Millennium
am - Assyria and Babylon
pm - From Egypt to Babylonia
27 May - 1st Millennium
am - The Neo-Assyrian Empire
pm - The end of Mesopotamia
Reading list:
Collon, Dominique 1995. Ancient Near Eastern Art, British Museum Press.
Crawford, H. 1991. Sumer and Sumerians. Cambridge University Press.
Curtis, J and Reade, J. 1995 Art and Empire. British Museum.
Postgate, J.N. 1992 Early Mesopotamia. Routledge.
Roaf, M 1990. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia. Facts on File.
Just for your information and ... to tidy up another almost non-useless sheet of paper off my shelves!
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia: an introduct
Thanks so much for posting this, Lish!!
This artist loves it when the topic of art comes up in any discussion. Plus, I've always wanted to try my hand at some archaeological digs... although I've heard that 99% of the time the work is pure drudgery of digging, finding nothing, enduring the hot sun, etc... and then there's the golden 1% when you find something of interest and it makes up for all the hard work...
I've looked at a couple works on Sumerian art but it seems that the same images show up in each one... Queen Puabi's headdress, the Ram in the thicket, the bull-headed lyre (no, it's not a stubborn lyre ) and a number of cylinder seals. What I would love to find is a work with extensive pictorial documentation of different cylinder seals and other artifacts. Any recommendations? I picked up Black & Green's Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia planning to scan in most of the images and do some digital manipulation of them, bring them to life in color, etc. The more I can find to build my collection of Sumerian/Mesopotamian images the better!!
Here's wishing stability and peace to Iraq and her people so that archaeological research may continue... One can only imagine how many thousands of tablets and other artifacts are still waiting to be discovered that will continue to build our knowledge of our Mesopotamian ancestors!!
Re: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia: an introduct
Will try to keep the refs on art books updated for you!!! I did start a post on a classic by Henri Frankfort, but... well, things happened and I ended up not doing a thing in Gateways yesterday, different from what I had planned...
I lost a fantastic book on Sumerian Art written by André Gide, the renowned French writer, two years ago: hard back, odd-sized and an antiques piece. I went to have a look at it everyday, for its price was ... sighs 273 sterling pounds in a bookshop close to the British Museum. Someone with an excellent taste and more cash than me got it.... snif snif
tonight I will post the whole ref on the book by Frankfort.
cyberhugs,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia: an introduct
Here is a very good reference:
Frankfort, Henri. The Art and architecture of the Ancient Orient, Yale University Press and Pelican History of Art, New Haven and London, Fourth Edition 1970, updated.
I luv Professor Frankfort but... red-faced... haven´t studied this book as yet!
love, light and laughter,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia: an introduct
Thanks for the Frankfort citation, Lish. I checked out the used book search engine and there are *lots* of copies of this out there, with a wide range of prices, of course!
The Andre Gide, on the other hand, I haven't found at all. He appears to have been a very prolific writer in his time! (I had never heard of him before... though he does appear to be in the realm of of many major master writers... lit was not one of my strong subjects *giggle*
Could you give me the whole title of this work and perhaps I'll have better luck searching for it. I didn't see anything that looked like it even in a complete bib of his works that I scanned.
Thanks again for all the food for thought and references!
Re: Art and Archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia: an introduct
André Gide´s book was in French, so it was probably Arte Suméričnne or something along these lines. The point was that the book was a rare publication of a fancy French Accademy or School. It was unique in all aspects and I was truly going to get it... but on the last day of my trip and... someone took it first!!!
I like to think that such a precious book ended up in the right hands... not mine... this time (Lish surely being extra hopeful for the future )
There is a fave short story which says that "objects of power never really fall unto wrong hands..." The way my broches and my Dumuzi ring keep coming back to me... I believe in this statement...
Yeah, I have a Dumuzi ring as well... Got it when I finish the Dumuzi text in Gateways. Gifts of love should be either a) given or b) be of precious material. This is a gold ring, stylish... my Dumuzi ring!!! Wear it all the time...
Love to you,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
paul collins
Could someone please send me Paul Collins' email address or forward mine (charles.tardy@usm.edu) to him? I would like to arrange for Paul to speak again to a group of my students and am hopeful I can reach him via e-mail. Your help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Charles Tardy
Re: paul collins
Hello hello and welcome to our Gateways2Babylon board! Here is Lishtar and... are you talking about Dr. Paul Collins, who does Gallery Talks at the British Museum? If it is him, I can send you his old email from two years back. I did not have the chance to see him speak at the BM this year. Will send you Paul´s address privately if we are talking about the same person.
I am very concerned about privacy issues. We are quite visible here, so a bit of caution is very allright...
No, I am not talking about the board members... Dear New Friend, you can see by visiting the Hello and Welcome thread that we have GREAT people here...
I am delighted you like Paul´s talks. Always thought he was going to be famous Always told him not to forget me by then too...
Welcome to our group and I hope we are talking about the same very special archaeologist.
Love, light and laughter,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: paul collins
Will send you privately the addresses I have of Paul Collins. You can also ring the British Museum and check whether he is giving any lecture. This is what I normally do to locate him when I go to London.
best wishes,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Basically, it is the outline of a course on the Art and archaeology of Ancient Mesopotamia given by Dr. Paul Collins, my archaeologist friend, at the British Museum for four weeks, all Thursdays at the BM last year (2000). No, I didn´t take it, but got the outline and the references used by him. Here they go:
) and a number of cylinder seals. What I would love to find is a work with extensive pictorial documentation of different cylinder seals and other artifacts. Any recommendations? I picked up Black & Green's Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia planning to scan in most of the images and do some digital manipulation of them, bring them to life in color, etc. The more I can find to build my collection of Sumerian/Mesopotamian images the better!! 
I did start a post on a classic by Henri Frankfort, but... well, things happened and I ended up not doing a thing in Gateways yesterday, different from what I had planned...
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