Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus

by Joan Aruz (Editor)

This handsomely illustrated book highlights one of the most important and creative periods in the history of a time marked by the appearance of the city states of the Sumerians, the citadel of Troy, the splendid royal tombs at Ur, and the monumental cities at Mohenjodaro and Harappa. The volume examines the cultural achievements of these first urban societies, placing them in a historical context. Topics covered include the emergence of the first city states, the birth of written language, and trade and cultural interconnections between the ancient Near East and outlying areas. More than five hundred works of art, including sculpture, jewelry, vessels, weapons, cylinder seals, and tablets executed in a wide variety of materials such as stone, metal, clay, ivory, and semiprecious stones are included. The insightful texts are written by leading scholars in the field.

Genres: Art, History, Archaeology, Nonfiction, Prehistory

564 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

Joan Aruz is curator emerita, Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 3 out of 5]

This may be the catalog for an exhibition at the MET, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY (2003), but it is also a pretty good introduction to some of the earliest civilizations. The entire area of Ancient Mesopotamia in particular is extensively depicted, even literally, but the Nile Valley is limited to just 1 contribution (agreed, Ancient Egypt was not really an urban society, certainly not in the 3rd millennium BCE). What was new to me was the attention given to the Intercultural Style, which was recognizable between 2600 and 2200 BCE – especially in pottery – in the wide region of the Near East. At first glance, the article about the Central Asian routes seemed very innovative to me; the authors point out the importance of the settlements in this area “like stepping-stones they connected the Near East with the heartland of Asia”, but they clearly seem to have gone wrong by presenting the urbanization in that area as being as extensive as in Mesopotamia; as yet there is no archaeological evidence for this. By the way: this book is completely downloadable, see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpubl...
More in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

[Sense of History]

This catalog contains many interesting contributions and excellent illustrations, although there are also a few lesser ones. I limit myself here to the remarkable introduction by Joan Aruz (one of the editors of this publication). It aptly describes the characteristics of the earliest artistic developments (i.e. in the 3rd millennium BCE). During this period, the artistic conventions were developed that would be followed up and into Classical Greece: human figures depicted frontally or in profile, usually quite static, with a fairly high degree of idealization. Gods are also depicted in human (sometimes anthropomorphic) form with their own attributes (such as crowns with horns). Rulers are depicted in scenes of war, hunting or ritual ceremonies. Lions and bulls are used as animal symbols of power and fertility. And art is primarily focused on the desire to control destructive forces, maintain order and prosperity. Almost all we cherish today from the visual arts of Mesopotamia and the Nile valley corresponds to this type of expression. Well done.

[Lulu]

Reproduction of drawing on a pottery vessel found in Shahr-i Sokhta, Iran. Late half of 3rd Millennium B.C. In five pictures of a goat as it steps toward a tree, climbs up it, eats the leaves and comes down. This picture is one of earliest examples of artist's attempt to show motion in means of animation. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/...