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Course: Ancient Mediterranean + Europe > Unit 2
Lesson 6: Babylonian- Babylonia, an introduction
- Ancient Babylon: excavations, restorations and modern tourism
- The Babylonian mind
- The Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi
- Hammurabi: The king who made the four quarters of the earth obedient
- Law Code of Hammurabi
- Ishtar gate and Processional Way
- Ishtar Gate
- Map of the world
- Towers of Babel
- The "Queen of the Night" relief
- Kassite Art: Unfinished Kudurru
- Neo-Babylonian
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Kassite Art: Unfinished Kudurru
By Dr. Senta German
Artistic exchange
For art, this meant an easy exchange of ideas and techniques, and surviving texts reflect the development of “” of craftsmen, such as jewelers, scribes and architects.
Babylonia at this time was held by the Kassites, originally from the Zagros mountains to the north, who sought to imitate Mesopotamian styles of art. Kudurru (boundary markers) are the only significant remains of the Kassites, many of which show Kassite gods and activities translated into the visual style of Mesopotamia.
Combining cultures
This Kudurru, considered unfinished because it lacks an inscription, would have marked the boundary of a plot of land, and probably would have listed the owner and even the person to whom the land was leased.
Although an object made and intended for Kassite use, it bears Babylonian style and imagery, especially the multiple strips or registers of characters and the stately procession of gods and lions.
The Kassites eventually succumbed in the general collapse of Mesopotamia around 1200 B.C.E. This regional collapse affected states as far away as mainland Greece, and as great as Egypt. This is a period characterized by famine, widespread political instability, roving mercenaries and, most likely, plague. It is often referred to as the first Dark Ages.
Additional resources
Read a chapter in our textbook, Reframing Art History, about rethinking how we approach the art of the Ancient Near East.
Essay by Dr. Senta German
Want to join the conversation?
- What is the purpose of adding inscriptions to the Kudurru's (with the name of the owner of the land) if the majority of the people would have been illiterate?(13 votes)
- That's a great question. Inscriptions can of course function in one way for those that can read but hold another sort of authority for those that cannot. The illiterate might well know what a marker says even if they themselves can't actually read it.(11 votes)
- About how tall is the average Kudurru? Also, the "Unfinished" Kudurru in the picture looks like it is made of clay. Is it really, or is it carved stone?(3 votes)
- It is limestone and you might get a better sense of the scale by looking at my photos of it in my Flickr group: https://www.flickr.com/photos/profzucker/(6 votes)
- If the Babylonians, Kassites and others used horned hats to indicate divinity, what did they think or feel about animals who actually did have horns?(3 votes)
- I'm guessing here but...the animal sacrifices depicted on various objects from the period usually show horned animals being led to slaughter. If horned animals had a status by virtue of being horned then it makes sense to sacrifice them, as that would please the gods more than the sacrifice of a non horned animal. Like I say, just guessing. Next stop my book of creation mythologies from around the world.(3 votes)
- Where do they find all of these sculptures?(2 votes)
- What might be the causes of the first Dark Ages?(1 vote)
- The collapse of one society leading to lack of stability of others. Without the cooperation of others there was a lawless, wanton period of poor production of necessary food and shelter, basic human needs.(1 vote)
- Why did they say this twice? "For art, this meant an easy exchange of ideas and techniques, and surviving texts reflect the development of “guilds” of craftsmen, such as jewelers, scribes and architects." Did they just mess up, or was that supposed to be there twice because it's really important?(1 vote)
- From the author:I thought that had been corrected. Thanks for pointing this out. It is now fixed.(1 vote)
- Is this the Kudurru I spotted in the Louvre during my last visit?(1 vote)
- What is the purpose of adding inscriptions to the Kudurru's with the name of the owner of the land) if the majority of the people would have been illiterate(1 vote)
- Yes. The majority of the people were illiterate. The inscriptions weren't for "the majority of the people", they were for judges that had authority to settle disputes about ownership.(1 vote)
- It is my understanding that ancient people were much better at remembering, sagas told and retold in the community circle then we are today due to many distractions.(1 vote)
- Mostly due to the sheer amount of data that e encounter on a daily basis, rather than "distractions" - information overload.(1 vote)
- How can they say what might have helped collapse Mesopotimia?(1 vote)
- You'll learn more about it in the Khan Academy unit on Ancient Mesopotamia, which can be found here: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/world-history-beginnings#ancient-mesopotamia(1 vote)