The stele of the vultures

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The stele was erected to celebrate the victory of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash, ruled by Eanatum, over its rival Umma. While only fragments have survived, it originally must have been approximately cm tall, cm wide, and 11 cm thick. It was carved out of a single limestone slab. There are different scenes on either side. The scenes on one side have been interpreted as historical or terrestrial, while the other side is thought to be mythological or divine. Both are connected to Eanatum, but only the historical side need interest us here, because it affords some interesting information with regards to the history of warfare. The historical side of the stele is divided into four registers or panels, which we must presumably read from top to bottom.

The stele of the vultures

It shows various battle and religious scenes and is named after the vultures that can be seen in one of these scenes. The stele was originally carved out of a single slab of limestone , but only seven fragments are known to have survived up to the present day. The fragments were found at Tello ancient Girsu in southern Iraq in the late 19th century and are now on display in the Louvre. The stele was erected as a monument to the victory of king Eannatum of Lagash over Ush, king of Umma. The stele is not complete; only seven fragments are known today. The first three fragments were found during excavations in the early s by the French archaeologist Ernest de Sarzec at the archaeological site of Tello , ancient Girsu, in what is today southern Iraq. Another three fragments came to light during the excavations of — A seventh fragment, which was later determined to be part of the Stele of the Vultures and thought to have come from Tello, was acquired on the antiquities market by the British Museum in While two initial requests to hand this fragment over to the Louvre were denied by the British Museum, it was eventually given to them in so that it could be incorporated in the reconstructed stele together with the other fragments. Thureau-Dangin in The complete monument, as reconstructed and now in display in the Louvre, would have been 1.

Stele of Vultures detail 01a. His name in heaven and earth.

The Stele of Vultures is an ancient limestone carving, consisting of seven fragments found in what is now Southern Iraq in the s. His triumph is depicted in a wealth of detail in the remarkable reliefs covering the two faces of the stele. The Mythological Face of the Stele of Vultures. This side of the stele shows the divine intervention that brings Eannatum victory. Here, we see Ningirsu, the tutelary deity of the city-state of Lagash, holding the enemy in a giant net.

It shows various battle and religious scenes and is named after the vultures that can be seen in one of these scenes. The stele was originally carved out of a single slab of limestone , but only seven fragments are known to have survived up to the present day. The fragments were found at Tello ancient Girsu in southern Iraq in the late 19th century and are now on display in the Louvre. The stele was erected as a monument to the victory of king Eannatum of Lagash over Ush, king of Umma. The stele is not complete; only seven fragments are known today. The first three fragments were found during excavations in the early s by the French archaeologist Ernest de Sarzec at the archaeological site of Tello , ancient Girsu, in what is today southern Iraq. Another three fragments came to light during the excavations of — A seventh fragment, which was later determined to be part of the Stele of the Vultures and thought to have come from Tello, was acquired on the antiquities market by the British Museum in While two initial requests to hand this fragment over to the Louvre were denied by the British Museum, it was eventually given to them in so that it could be incorporated in the reconstructed stele together with the other fragments. Thureau-Dangin in

The stele of the vultures

Not on view. Among the earliest written documents from Mesopotamia are records of land sales or grants, often carved in stone with associated images, perhaps for public display. The Sumerian inscription on this stele records a transaction involving three fields, three houses, and some livestock. Ushumgal, a priest of the god Shara, and his daughter are the central figures of the transaction, but because of the archaic script, it is not clear whether Ushumgal is buying, selling, or granting these properties. The smaller figures along the sides very likely represent witnesses to the transaction. In addition to their importance to understanding the development of writing, these early land documents provide evidence that land could be privately owned in early Mesopotamia, although a significant proportion was still owned by the gods and managed by their temples. While this development is not surprising from a modern point of view, in antiquity it represented a momentous conceptual and cultural shift. Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. As part of the Met's Open Access policy , you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes. This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left.

Frederique bros

Department of Near Eastern Antiquities of the Louvre. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. The baskets probably contained earth, used to bury the pile of corpses. The historical side is divided into four horizontal registers. Letter from Biridiya. Arua he obliterated. Model Shrine. Eanatum, given strength by Ningirsu, the dam of the Good Like Lumma canal with gur-measures containing 2 UL each of bitumen he built. After all, they are fellow Sumerians. The Art of Seals. Further reading A. Lion of the Heart of the Princely Way, Ningirsu, in his own voice he made a claim? Department of Mesopotamian antiquities, Richelieu, ground floor, room 1a.

H i everyone and welcome back to Exploring Art, this is Alessandro and today we are going to discover one of the most important artifacts of the Sumerian art: the Stele of the Vultures. If you missed the previous episode of the series you can click here.

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1. Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia: Early Periods. In the third register, Eannatum presides over the funeral rites of the men. Captions English Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents. In the second register, Eannatum's soldiers attack in a phalanx formation, trampling the bodies of their enemies. Stele of Vultures detail 03 reverse. Stele of Vultures detail 01b. Stele of Vultures historical side. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2. Both are connected to Eanatum, but only the historical side need interest us here, because it affords some interesting information with regards to the history of warfare. Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia: Early Periods. Tools Tools. On the right, enemy bodies pile up before the onslaught of Eannatum's army while the enemies who are still alive run away in full retreat.