This book examines the sculptures created during the Early Dynastic period (2900–2350 BC) of Sumer, a region corresponding to present-day southern Iraq. Featured almost exclusively in temple complexes, some 550 Early Dynastic stone statues of human figures carved in an abstract style have survived. Chronicling the intellectual history of ancient Near Eastern art history and archaeology at the intersection of sculpture and aesthetics, this book argues that the early modern reception of Sumer still influences ideas about these sculptures. Engaging also with the archaeology of the Early Dynastic temple, the book ultimately considers what a stone statue of a human figure has signified, both in modern times and in antiquity.
Les mer
Examines both the early modern reception and the ancient context of the Sumerian temple sculptures created during the Early Dynastic period.
1. Sumerian origins, 1850–1930: making the body visible; 2. Art history, ethnography, and beautiful sculpture; 3. Seeing the divine: sanctuary, sculpture, and display; 4. The Early Dynastic life of sculpture; 5. Becoming temple sculpture: the Asmar hoard; 6. Gender and identity in Early Dynastic temple statues; Conclusion: materiality, abstraction, and Early Dynastic sculpture.
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'Evans' study of Sumerian statues in the Early Dynastic Period gives new arguments and ideas on a long interpretation of material, with a very interesting new perspective that is based on the importance of the archaeological contexts where statues have been recovered and, possibly, lived.' Davide Nadali, Bibliotheca Orientalis
Les mer
Examines both the early modern reception and the ancient context of the Sumerian temple sculptures created during the Early Dynastic period.

Produktdetaljer

ISBN
9781107017399
Publisert
2012-10-08
Utgiver
Vendor
Cambridge University Press
Vekt
790 gr
Høyde
260 mm
Bredde
182 mm
Dybde
15 mm
Aldersnivå
P, 06
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Innbundet
Antall sider
287

Forfatter

Biographical note

Jean M. Evans is a Research Associate at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. She has been the recipient of fellowships from the J. Paul Getty Foundation, the American Academic Research Institute of Iraq and the Warburg Institute of the University of London. She was the co-organizer of the international exhibition Beyond Babylon: Art, Trade, and Diplomacy in the Second Millennium B.C. and co-editor of its corresponding publication.