What is the art of carving in the Two Rivers Valley?

The art of carving in the Valley of the Two Rivers has its origins in Sumer, where as early as 4000 B.C.E., statuary was produced with a distinctive national character. Sumerian carvings of various shapes, both in the round and in relief, were religious in character and served different religious functions within the temples. A famous relief plaster vase, 90 centimeters high, with three rows of beautifully carved figures, was found in the temple of Eanata at Uruk in 3000 BC, discovered at the site of Varka. In the top row is the goddess Inanna, to whom all Sumerians were dedicated and who was the most popular goddess, and the statue shows a nude priest offering her a basket of fruit. Below Inanna are a number of minor gods, standing on model temples and some animals. The second row shows nude priests holding offerings. In the third row are animals and plants, representing her two "spheres".

The establishment of the kingdom of Akkad brought about an artistic leap that enriched the Sumerian language of childish modeling, and a brief "Sumerian cultural renaissance". An example of this is the sculpted bronze head excavated in Nineveh, which is believed to be that of Sargon I, the founder of the Akkadian dynasty. The statue's facial molding is concise and realistic, and the decorative technique of the beard and hair is unique and powerful, which is a step forward on the basis of Sumerian stone sculpture.

There is very little sculpture left from the Babylonian period. The statue of the goddess "holding a vase of liquid" found in Mali is basically a traditional treatment in terms of style: the goddess is holding a stone vase from which liquid symbolizing a good harvest flows, and the water motifs and clothing motifs are integrated. A head of an emperor carved in black anthophyllite found in the Susa Mountains is very similar to the image of the emperor on the Hammurabi Codex tablet: the head is crowned with a crown, and the long stone carving is partially brilliantly displayed. The beard is woven into a regular pattern, and the eyebrows and eye sockets are stylized in keeping with the ancient traditions of the Sumerian-Akkadian period, with the two eyebrows joined to form a dull semicircle. This head is assumed to be a portrait of Hammurabi. There is also a bronze figurine with a gilded face and hands, which shows the image of a supplicant with a pious attitude and a moving demeanor.

The lion-headed eagle and the twin deer. What this odd beast in the center actually symbolizes is still unknown. The restored Ishtar Gate. Neatly arranged on both sides are reliefs of various animals. The art of bas-relief is almost as old as Babylon, and bas-reliefs of some kind of subject have been found in the temples of various cities. The reliefs are engraved on square limestone slabs, and from the fact that there is a gap in the center of the slabs, it is assumed that the slabs were made to be fastened in a certain place or to be hung on religious vessels in the temple. The themes engraved on these slabs are mainly to celebrate the achievements and celebrations of the owner of the stone for the gods and goddesses, or to record the history of the army's advancement and victory over the neighboring countries.

The Anatom Pillar, known as the "Vulture Monument," is an outstanding example of Akkadian bas-relief. This monument celebrates the victory of Anathem, the ruler of the city-state of Rajash, over the neighboring city-state of Uma. The monument is also a border boundary stone, inscribed with a contract between the conqueror and the conquered. From the image on the upper level of the monolith, King Anathem can be clearly seen leading his army to battle, followed by a row of soldiers in square columns. The soldiers are wearing battle helmets and holding spears, and are covered by a wall of large shields. The next level shows the king standing on a chariot, throwing his spear and directing his soldiers to fight the enemy. The back of the tablet depicts a scene symbolically attributing victory to Ninjirsu, son of Enlil, the god of war, who has gathered his captives in a net guarded by the image of the lion-headed eagle Imdugud. A break in the stela depicts flying vultures carrying the severed heads of enemy soldiers. The inscription on the stela reveals the content of the image, which recounts the victory of the army of Ragash and declares that the defeated inhabitants of Ummah must offer tribute to the god of Ragash. This bas-relief reflects the basic principles of Sumerian monumental bas-reliefs, with its rounded, powerful blade and the beginning of a break with the religious mysticism of the Sumerian period, which focused on secularized realism.

The Assyrian palace of linden wood relief due to various reasons, preserved ancient Babylonian relief works of art, a very small number. From these works of art, it is clear that the Babylonians did not create anything new, they merely accepted the Sumerian-Akkadian tradition to some extent. The Code of Hammurabi can also be regarded as a work of art in relief, which is carved on a black basalt pillar, more than 2 meters high, the upper part of the relief, the lower part of the text. The relief depicts King Hammurabi standing in front of the sun god Shamash to receive the Code. The majesty of the sun god and the king's humility form a strong contrast, the whole scene is full of religious piety and seriousness. There is another kind of terracotta reliefs in this period. One of the best of these is a panel depicting the nude goddess Lilith and the lion and owl that support her.

By the Assyrian period, the art of relief sculpture was becoming more and more perfect, representing the highest achievement of Mesopotamian art. Relief sculpture was quite developed during the Assyrian period, but round sculpture is rarely found. The most famous sculpture is the "guardian deity with a human head and a winged lion's body" at the entrance of the palace of Khorsabad. The monster has a human head, a lion body, hooves like a bull, a double-layered crown, and a long beard. In order to show the monster as both static and dynamic at the same time, the sculptor made an original carving of five legs for the monster. In this way, from the front, it is standing; and from the side, it is walking. The whole statue gives an imposing impression, worthy of being the guardian of the palace of Khorsabad. The giant human-headed lion Ur military flag guarding the Assyrian palace Localized Assyrian art is best known for its palace reliefs. It often has a real beauty and expresses the greatest original achievements made by the Assyrians. Assyrian sculpture is less religious and its subjects, usually kings, are highly realistic. Most of the works show the king on parade, at rest, receiving tribute, leading his army in battle, hunting for distraction, etc., but almost never seen performing priestly functions. Monsters, demigods, and heroes are also depicted, while gods are conspicuously absent (except on rock carvings) or reduced to symbols, such as a spear stuck on an altar or a winged disk in the sky. In general, Assyrian sculptors seem to have been among the first in history to make an attempt to "humanize" art by removing its prehistoric witchcraft or religious connotations. Assyrian bas-reliefs are extremely realistic in their representation of thrilling and tense scenes of war, hunting, and so on, and are filled with an atmosphere of intense tension.

A seal and the marks it left behind "Assyrian Imperial War" relief, showing the king of Assyria Barnabas led the soldiers to attack a castle scene: the sands on the chariot rushed, corpses everywhere, a tragic scene. King Barnabas of Assyria, standing on the chariot, is shooting arrows at the enemy, and the soldiers are ferociously rushing towards the enemy line. The enemy troops in the castle were still resisting and were shooting at the Assyrian army with a dense barrage of bows and arrows. The king's horse, which was driving the chariot, was wounded and fell down, but the king was still calmly directing the battle. The whole bas-relief adopts the technique of scattered perspective, the composition is magnificent, all kinds of props, clothes and buildings are carved very fine. The relief is also engraved with text, recording the historical background of the war.