The stele of the vultures

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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. The Historical Face in which King Eannatum leads his army and tramples his enemies underfoot.

The stele of the vultures

Partially reconstructed from several fragments found in the remains of the Sumerian city of Girsu, this stele of vultures is the oldest known historiographic document. A long inscription in the Sumerian language recounts the recurring conflict between the neighboring city-states of Lagash and Umma and then the victory of Eannatum, king of Lagash. His triumph is illustrated with a wealth of detail by the remarkable bas-relief decor that covers both sides. The narrative of the military campaign against Umma is dramatically illustrated by figurative representations, carved in the field of the stele according to a traditional arrangement in registers. They offer here the particularity of being distributed on each of the two sides according to their symbolic perspective. One of the faces is thus devoted to the "historical" dimension and the other to the "mythological" dimension, the first one accounting for the action of men and the second of the intervention of the gods. Human determination and divine protection are thus combined to lead to victory. Buy your tickets for monuments, museums, and attractions through our partner Tiqets, at the best price and skip the line. Louvre Don't miss anything. Buy your tickets and skip the line. Stele of Vultures Partially reconstructed from several fragments found in the remains of the Sumerian city of Girsu, this stele of vultures is the oldest known historiographic document.

Sargon II. Ningirsu the semen of Eanatum in the womb he did implant. Ebih II.

The Vulture Stele. Before giving a translation of the Vulture Stele, it is a good idea to begin with a translation of the "Eannatum Boulder. The Eannatum Boulder , in the Louvre Museum. Photograph courtesy of Trevor Eccles. The inscriptions on the Eannatum Boulder. The same inscriptions occur on other boulders.

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 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.

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Kish trembled before him. Buy your tickets for monuments, museums, and attractions through our partner Tiqets, at the best price and skip the line Buy your tickets. Before Eanatum, the one nominated by Ningirsu, all the lands trembled. Limestone, circa BC, Sumerian archaic dynasties. According to the inscriptions, Ningirsu came to Eannatum in a dream and told him to commence the war with Umma, assuring him of victory. This licensing tag was added to this file as part of the GFDL licensing update. To the right of the advancing army, soldiers of Umma, shown in much smaller size, tumble or flee. They are led by none other than King Eanatum himself. The inscriptions on the stele are badly preserved. Tayma Stele. There are different scenes on either side. In front of him, a cow is tethered to a pole while a naked priest standing on a pile of dead animal bodies performs a libation ritual on two plants spouting from vases. Weight with Crescent Moon.

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. First of all: when and where?

In the year that the king of Akshak rose up, Eanatum, the one nominated by Ningirsu, from the Antasura of Ningirsu Zuzu, the king of Akshak, all the way back to Akshak he smote, and he obliterated it. The second register shows soldiers marching with shouldered spears behind the king, who is riding a chariot and holding a spear. Stele of the vultures Eannatum on a charriot. Cylinder of Gudea. On the front of the stele is the war god Ningirsu holding a net full of captives. It is dated circa BC, and dedicated in Girsu. The Flood. Tello , Iraq. 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. Stele of Vultures mythological side. The second register shows soldiers marching with shouldered spears behind the king, who is riding a chariot and holding a spear. Note the shields and helmets. Stele of the vultures war. Adobe Photoshop CC Windows.