Mesopotamia: Historical Relevance In Art and Culture

In seeking to explore the nature of our collective human existence, relevance and meaning can be ascribed in great depth when examining the roots of Mesopotamian culture.

Mesopotamia, whose name derives from the Greek words mesos, or middle, and potamoi, or river, translates literally into the “land between two rivers,” and it is within this fertile crescent of land nestled between the magnificent Tigris and Euphrates rivers that civilization originates. In this context, Mesopotamia is highly significant indicator of civilization as mankind evolves from one comprised primarily of nomadic hunter gatherers to that of a collusive community, members of society harnessing the incessant flow of available water sources to create irrigation systems for farming. This evolution of thought and ingenuity predicated the development of cities along the rivers in the region, cooperation amongst the people being paramount to the concept of civility.

Mesopotamian culture is representative of civilization in that it exemplifies those qualities which make us human. When considering the tremendous historical time frame that has elapsed from the movement of hominids off of the African continent two million years ago, Mesopotamia is revealed as a fascinating civilization that is unparalleled in the annals of recorded history for its significant contributions to our modern world. It is here beneath the dusty tels that archeologists uncover the wonder of the Mesopotamian people, while diverse and extensive written accounts give further credence as to the considerable relevance of this collective to our present day society.

During my recent visit to the Mesopotamian Gallery at the Oriental Institute in Chicago, I was first and foremost impressed by the boundlessness of historical data encased there. Immersed in the rush and minutiae of our daily lives, it is common to view ourselves as a macrocosm of sorts, the definitive representatives of a successful culture in which we emerge as triumphant. In viewing the artifacts of the Mesopotamian exhibit, however, it becomes readily evident that we are in fact the microcosm of a much greater whole, our society merely reflective of many thousands of years of acculturation in which we are essentially little more than beneficiaries of the contributions provided by our predecessors. This experience was humbling, in a sense, in that it aptly illustrated the richness inherent in historical artifacts, our individual achievements being wholly reliant upon all that has gone before.

In the midst of these artifacts, of particular interest to me was the scribe. As an avid reader, I regarded with curiosity the role of a scribe as an active contributor to the economy, employed by the government as administrative bureaucrats. I found it amazing that in the context of history, the written word originated only 5,000 years ago, its primary intent simply to provide a means of record keeping related to the movement of goods and services, workers, payment of wage, and tax collection. Scribes were compelled to record administrative matters in such exhausting detail that to date such records remain the most readily available and prolific indicators of Mesopotamian culture, enabling scholars to review and recreate the daily life experiences of this ancient world.

In addition to their bureaucratic responsibilities, scribes played a fundamental role in other key areas of Mesopotamian culture, and as such were held in high regard. Scribal training was comprehensive and unrelenting in its scope, with students required to memorize copious amounts of information and practice their acquired skill by copying data for countless hours per day. It is because of this extensive training that many scribes became teachers, doctors, and advisors to the king. It is to our tremendous benefit that the value of creative writing was eventually realized, the laborious efforts of the scribe now utilized not only for administrative purposes but rather to record the earliest literary and historical texts, the utilitarian function of recording the number of grain fed rams transferred from one party to another becoming secondary to the art form potentiated.

Beyond the scope of its original mundane heritage, writing developed into a rich literary tradition with texts that extolled the exploits of gods, kings, and heroes illuminating a society that valued its poetic traditions. These works included hymns, laments, proverbs, love poems, royal inscriptions, myths, and epic tales, the latter of which may have been written for the entertainment of the royal court. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one such tale, heralded as possibly the oldest recorded story known to man. Without the talent and dedication of the scribe to the written word as art, a tale such as this would have been lost and long forgotten.

As a culture rich not only in art but also in religious tradition, Mesopotamians embraced a myriad of gods and goddesses, often in an effort to harness the terrifying and unpredictable forces of nature while simultaneously protecting them from the demonic. Just as the Epic of Gilgamesh relays an early Sumerian version of a great flood story analogous to the historical account in the Book of Genesis, additional metaphors regarding the creation of man from mere clay to serve the gods as embraced in Mesopotamia is paralleled in Judeo Christian themes. While the Hebrew tradition credits Yahweh with breathing life into God’s servant Adam, so do the Sumerian’s believe that they were created to work that the god’s may be enabled to merely breathe in comparison.

While this perspective of man as a fearful servant forever striving to appease malevolent, capricious deities initially struck me as particularly archaic, I was compelled to respectfully reconsider my position when entering the area of the Oriental Institute Museum that housed the formidable Winged Bull of Khorsabad, or Lamassu. Standing sixteen feet high and weighing forty tons, I approached the sculpture with awe, trepidation, and reverence. Having attended the exhibit alone, I still could not help but wonder aloud into the empty space surrounding me when regarding its majestic presence.

“Oh my God,” I whispered as I reached out to touch the cool gray stone, “this is unbelievable.” In the shadow of this monument to ancient tradition, it was suddenly comprehensible why previous cultures embraced a polytheistic belief system, my own monotheistic, Judeo Christian heritage now seemingly simplistic in comparison. Looking up into the face of the Winged Bull of Khorsabad, I found myself transfixed, even mesmerized, as I momentarily considered the possibilities regarding its inherent divinity. This human headed bull, with a long curled beard, expressive eyes that communicated both power and wisdom, and horns symbolic of divinity, was entrusted with guarding the palace doorways at Khorsabad to "repulse the wicked." Standing in humility as I regarded his majestic strength, it is wholly conceivable that the Lamassu was entirely capable of such an assignment, and that he was also somehow aware of the compelling presence he maintains to this day.

This final artistic image of the Lamassu effectively summarizes my foray into the tremendous historical relevance that defines Mesopotamia, wherein I have developed a deep respect for the significant contributions made by a culture that remains eternally relevant, poignant, and fascinating.