The Head of Akkadian Ruler is a famous sculpture from ancient Mesopotamia. It was created between 2250 and 2200 BCE during the Akkadian period in Mesopotamian art. The bronze statue was discovered in 1931 during an excavation sponsored by the British Museum. There is general consensus that the statue represents Mesopotamian royalty and that it was part of a full-scale figure. The statue is an example of the classical Akkadian style with naturalism and detailing. Here is an overview of this famous sculpture including its discovery, description, analysis and more.
Table of Contents
The Key Questions
Akkad was a region in Mesopotamia in what is now central Iraq. The early inhabitants of this region spoke a language known as Akkadian, from which they get their name. To the south of Akkad was the region of Sumer, the earliest known civilization in Mesopotamia. While Akkadian is a Semitic language, Sumerians spoke a non-Semitic language.
Sargon was the ruler of Akkad from around 2334 to 2279 BCE. He and his descendants established control over a large part of the ancient Near Eastern world. They brought together the Akkadian and Sumerian speakers under one rule to establish the Akkadian Empire. With its capital at Akkad, the empire governed a large region across Mesopotamia to Anatolia, Arabia, Iran, and as far west as Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. It lasted from 2,334 to 2,193 BCE.
S1 – Akkadian Art Overview
S2 – Discovery
The Head of Akkadian Ruler was found in 1931 at the Temple of Ishtar in Nineveh, an ancient Mesopotamian city. Nineveh now lies in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. The excavation was conducted by the British Museum. It was led by British archaeologists Dr. R. Campbell Thompson and R. W. Hamilton. The sculpture is dated to between 2250 and 2200 BCE.
S3 – Description
The Head of Akkadian Ruler represents Mesopotamian royalty. However, it is not possible to identify the ruler depicted. Likely candidates are Manishtushu and Naramsin, the son and grandson of the famous Sargon of Akkad. The sculpture has been intentionally damaged. In all probability, it had precious stones for eyes and was part of a full-scale figure of the king, in its original form.
The statue is intended to be viewed from the front, giving it an eternal appearance. The head and the hair have been sculpted in an abstract style. This contrasts with the smoothness of the lips and face, which are finely modeled with exact proportions and naturalistic detail.
Symmetry and simplicity have been used by its ancient creator to denote control and order. The hair of the statue have been arranged as a Sumerian king. This elaborate hairstyle used for kingship is in keeping with older artworks suggesting continuity in Mesopotamian image-making. The hairstyle is held in place by a flat diadem placed at the forehead.
S4 – Analysis
The Head of Akkadian Ruler has been created during the fully developed phase of Akkadian art. This is often referred to as the classic Akkadian style. The naturalism used by Akkadian artists in representation is evident in the artwork. This is combined with the detailed play of pattern.
The creator of the statue has displayed great skill in the hollow casting method, evident in the intricate and precise patterning of hair and beard. Cast metal was mostly used for weaponry at the time. The control of the technology demonstrated by the sculptor in this magnificent artwork is remarkable.
S5 – Mesopotamia Art Purpose
Main Sources
S2:-
Mallowan, M.E.L. (Apr 12, 2016). “The Bronze Head of the Akkadian Period From Nineveh”. Cambridge University Press.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp117.
S3:-
Janson, H. W., Davies, Penelope J. E. “Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition”. pp30.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp118.
S4:-
Janson, H. W., Davies, Penelope J. E. “Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition”. pp30.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp118.