Ur was one of the first cities in Mesopotamia. The Royal Standard of Ur was discovered at the Royal Cemetery of this important Sumerian city. The artifact has four panels decorated with art which not only provides valuable insights into Mesopotamian art but also informs us about the life during the times. The object was created around 2,600 BCE during the Early Dynastic period in Sumer. The Royal Standard of Ur is one of the most famous examples of Sumerian art. Here is an overview of the discovery, description and analysis of this important Mesopotamian artwork.
Table of Contents
The Key Questions
The Sumerians were not the first residents of Mesopotamia. It is not known from where they came and who they replaced. They are believed to have been permanently settled in the region by middle of 6th millennia BCE. Their civilization was the first major civilization to develop in Mesopotamia. It flourished from before 4,000 BCE to around 2,340 BCE.
Sumer is among the first complex societies to develop in the world, along with Indus Valley and Egypt. It is responsible for many firsts in the history of mankind. These include the first city-state of Uruk; the first organized religion; the first known written language, cuneiform; the first irrigation system; and the first wheeled vehicles.
S1 – Sumerian Art Overview
S2 – Discovery
The Royal Cemetery of Ur is located in south of present-day Iraq. In 1928, it was first unearthed in an excavation led by British archaeologist Sir C. Leonard Woolley. In one of the tombs, Woolley discovered a spectacular box inlaid with many figures. This box was resting against the shoulder of the remains of a man.
Woolley assumed that the man was a standard bearer who carried the artifact on a pole in battle. The box thus became known as The Royal Standard of Ur. However, modern scholars believe that the artifact was actually the sound box of an ancient, stringed musical instrument; and not a standard carried on top of a pole. The name Royal Standard of Ur is thus a misnomer.
S3 – Description
The Royal Standard of Ur has four panels. The two main panels on the larger sides are known as the War Panel and the Peace Panel. They depict a military victory and a feast showcasing the king as a capable military leader and a benefactor of the people. Both the panels are divided into three horizontal sections. The scenes in these sections are supposed to be read from bottom to top.
In the War Panel, the bottom tier shows charioteers advancing from the left. They are pulled by wild asses and ride over enemy bodies. The middle tier shows infantry soldiers in cloaks and helmets carrying spears and escorting prisoners of war, identified by their lack of clothing and armor. In the top tier, the soldiers present the prisoners of war to a central figure, identified as the king by his larger size.
The bottom two tiers of the Peace Panel show parade of men bringing booty to the banquet. The top section depicts a scene after the feast has started. The figures are seated, and they raise their goblets in their right hands, perhaps to celebrate victory or to thank the Gods. A musician entertains them, and servants are shown attending to them. The king, identified by his larger size and elaborate tufted skirt, is depicted at the far left.
S4 – Analysis
The two panels of the Royal Standard of Ur depict the dual nature of kingship in ancient Sumer. The king is both the warrior who leads in battle and the priest who intermediates with the gods. As mentioned before, he is depicted larger than the other figures. This technique is known as hieratic scale and is a prominent feature of Sumerian art.
More scholarly attention has been given to the War side of the artwork. However, it is the peace panel which reveals more about Sumerian society. Its images suggest that by the Early Dynastic period in Mesopotamia, a stratified class system had been built around a central ruler. Apart from leading the military, he had economic and theocratic roles as well. This shows an early shift to an internally organized, interdependent society in Mesopotamia.
The scenes depicted in the panels have a static quality despite being filled with action. The figures depicted are isolated and they rarely overlap. This technique of separation from others is known as staccato. Combined with the contrasting-colored materials, it allows the narrative presented in the panels to be easily discernible, even from a distance.
Another important aspect is that how the artist has captured the effect of movement. In the human figures, it has been accomplished by changing the gait of the figures as they move from left to right. Similarly, the onagers first walk, then trot and finally break into a gallop. The ruthlessness of the Sumerian army has been shown through the chariots trampling over bloodied enemy corpses.
The mosaic design of the Royal Standard of Ur uses shell, lapis lazuli, and red limestone. The dark background has been accomplished using small pieces of lapis lazuli; pale shell has been used for the figures of the men and onagers; and red limestone for the chariots and other decorative details.
S5 – Mesopotamia Art Purpose
Main Sources
S2: –
Farthing, Stephen. “ART: The Whole Story”. Thames & Hudson. pp22,23.
S3: –
Janson, H. W., Davies, Penelope J. E. “Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition”. pp27, 28.
Farthing, Stephen. “ART: The Whole Story”. Thames & Hudson. pp22,23.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp95, 97.
S4: –
Janson, H. W., Davies, Penelope J. E. “Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition”. pp27, 28.
Farthing, Stephen. “ART: The Whole Story”. Thames & Hudson. pp23.
(2016). “Standard of Ur and A Story of Social Organization”. The President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp95, 97.