Assyrian Artisans
Assyria was a very powerful empire that ruled for about 300 years. They first took control over the middle-east around 900 B.C, and reigned until about 600 B.C. They were considered one of the strongest empires in the world at the time, having kings that were known for their aggression and ambitions. Because of these kings want for more and their will to do so, they molded the society of Assyria into a very military styled type of life. These kings called on the men in Assyria to fight at any given time, and even the state offices were under rule of the military. Due to this very military orientated society, Assyria was able to win many battles resulting in an increase of power. Soon, this empire was essentially able to use scare tactics to take over neighboring city-states and civilizations. With all of this sieging going on, the Assyrian kings were able to obtain wealth to last several life times.
With all of these resources and riches now in the hands of the Assyrian kings, they had the ability to really grow and expand their culture. This is specifically shown in the artisans of the empire. These kings wanted a way to show how much power they had, and so they started the process of creating palaces. These palaces were grand in size and had spectacular beauty; they were the epicenter of the ancient Assyrian cities. During the inauguration of one specific palace, kalhu, built by Assurnasirpal II, was so grand that almost 70,000 people were invited to attend. This goes to show how much riches and resources these kings had and how big the palaces really were. In todays world, that would be equivalent to a modern day NFL game. To me, this is absolutely nuts that they would be able to coordinate and supply something such grand scale. It really goes to show their power and the complexity of how thy lived their lives.
Another aspect that these kings used their riches on was the increase of "glamifying" their cities. Most people, even myself, thought that all of the ancient artwork and palaces of the time were just made of the color of the material they were sculpted out of. However, as we discussed in class, these kings decided to start using their riches to decorate the walls, floors, ceilings and sculptures of their palaces. This was another way to display their power and wealth to everyone that was in the buildings. Unselfishly, they even decorated the cities that they resided in. They had massive gates and walls with bright colors and royal depictions covering them. This went to also show the cities wealth and power to all who entered.
In todays world, we also have many monuments to glorify, pay tribute to, and represent status of our society. In America, this can be seen in the Statue of Liberty, which ultimately stands as a universal symbol of freedom. We also have Mount Rushmore to pay tribute to our past great American leaders. These monuments can also be seen around the world such as with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Great Wall of China and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janiero.
Here is a digital reconstruction of the Northwest Palace in Nimrud, Assyria. Keep in mind the stone walls in this would be mostly colored with bright, royal colors.
Sources:
Dr. Senta German, "Assyrian art, an introduction," in Smarthistory, August 8, 2015, accessed February 23, 2018, https://smarthistory.org/assyrian-art-an-introduction/.
“Assyrian Empire: The Most Powerful Empire in the World.” History, HistoryOnTheNet, 25 May 2017, www.historyonthenet.com/assyrian-empire-the-most-powerful-empire-in-the-world/.
https://www.metmuseum.org/metmedia/video/collections/ancient-near-eastern-art/northwest-palace-nimrud
With all of these resources and riches now in the hands of the Assyrian kings, they had the ability to really grow and expand their culture. This is specifically shown in the artisans of the empire. These kings wanted a way to show how much power they had, and so they started the process of creating palaces. These palaces were grand in size and had spectacular beauty; they were the epicenter of the ancient Assyrian cities. During the inauguration of one specific palace, kalhu, built by Assurnasirpal II, was so grand that almost 70,000 people were invited to attend. This goes to show how much riches and resources these kings had and how big the palaces really were. In todays world, that would be equivalent to a modern day NFL game. To me, this is absolutely nuts that they would be able to coordinate and supply something such grand scale. It really goes to show their power and the complexity of how thy lived their lives.
Another aspect that these kings used their riches on was the increase of "glamifying" their cities. Most people, even myself, thought that all of the ancient artwork and palaces of the time were just made of the color of the material they were sculpted out of. However, as we discussed in class, these kings decided to start using their riches to decorate the walls, floors, ceilings and sculptures of their palaces. This was another way to display their power and wealth to everyone that was in the buildings. Unselfishly, they even decorated the cities that they resided in. They had massive gates and walls with bright colors and royal depictions covering them. This went to also show the cities wealth and power to all who entered.In todays world, we also have many monuments to glorify, pay tribute to, and represent status of our society. In America, this can be seen in the Statue of Liberty, which ultimately stands as a universal symbol of freedom. We also have Mount Rushmore to pay tribute to our past great American leaders. These monuments can also be seen around the world such as with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Great Wall of China and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janiero.
Here is a digital reconstruction of the Northwest Palace in Nimrud, Assyria. Keep in mind the stone walls in this would be mostly colored with bright, royal colors.
Sources:
Dr. Senta German, "Assyrian art, an introduction," in Smarthistory, August 8, 2015, accessed February 23, 2018, https://smarthistory.org/assyrian-art-an-introduction/.
“Assyrian Empire: The Most Powerful Empire in the World.” History, HistoryOnTheNet, 25 May 2017, www.historyonthenet.com/assyrian-empire-the-most-powerful-empire-in-the-world/.
https://www.metmuseum.org/metmedia/video/collections/ancient-near-eastern-art/northwest-palace-nimrud
This is one of the topics that caught my attention in class on Thursday as well because of how colorful and huge buildings were. When we think of ancient civilization we think of a lot of stone and grey color, but in all reality people such as the Assyrians used more color and art work than I think we do as a society now. I had no idea they constructed such large scale architecture. When I think of something huge my mind always goes straight to the pyramids in Egypt, but civilizations all over the world in ancient times were leaving their mark long have the pyramids were constructed.
ReplyDeleteI love the Mount Rushmore part! It refers back to an article that I did! I didn't realize how big and mighty the palaces were. Imagining all of the artwork in the palace all over the ceilings, walls, and floors would be gorgeous. What a powerful statement for the assyrians and warning to outsiders.
ReplyDeleteAs a designer I love seeing the geometric designs. The fact some of these large scale works were painted completely transforms our thinking of what artisans used to do. It must have takes extended amounts of time to do paintings or sculptures like that.
ReplyDelete