Ann Kordas; Ryan J. Lynch; Brooke Nelson; Julie Tatlock

A picture of a mosaic-covered piece of art is shown. It is divided into three rows, each showing a red, gold, and black scene on a background of dark blue tiles. The top row shows, from the left, a person dressed in a robe with a helmet on his head. He holds an axe in his right hand. He holds the reins to a red and gold chariot in front of him with large decorated wheels. Four horses with red ribbons adorning their neck walk in front of the chariot in a row. A short person in a waistcloth and weapon over his shoulder stands in front of the horses under their heads. Four men in front of him are dressed as the first man in a long robe, hold axes and walking sticks in their hands, and face to the right, each getting taller in height. The image of the man furthest right is very faded. He holds a tall stick in his hand and faces eleven people standing facing him. The images are in various states of fading, but most can be seen wearing robes, some are naked, and none wear shoes. The middle row shows eight soldiers with long robes, capes with black dots all over, and helmets facing to the right and holding long sticks in their hands. Two faded figures stand to the right watching the soldier in front of them hold a long knife over a faded fallen person. The next person holds a long stick and robes in his hands over a person with their arms crossed, lying on the ground. The five people after are naked and walking, facing back and forth with their arms hanging at their sides. Some are very faded. In front of them, three soldiers facing to the right walk with a sword at their sides, the middle one only showing his bottom half. The last row shows a soldier in a short robe and helmet, facing right, standing in the upper portion of the row. In front of him are four red and cold chariots, each led by four horses with ribbons around their necks. The first chariot has one rider and the other three have two riders each, all soldiers with robes and helmets and sporting weapons. Under the horses in the second, third, and fourth chariot, there is a naked body lying on the ground and one shown falling in front of the third chariot. The images become more faded as they go to the right. The outline of the rows is made up of square red, white, and yellow pale colors and blue tiles. — Figure 3.1 The Art of Ur. This intricately ornamented box of mosaic-covered wood was found in a royal tomb in the ancient city of Ur. It dates from about 2550 BCE and exhibits several markers of this era’s civilizations, such as a hierarchical society (as the scenes illustrate) and the presence of wealth, leisure, and specialized skills needed to make such an elaborate decorative object. (credit: modification of work "Standard of Ur" by Unknown/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)

Chapter Outline

Introduction

The land of Sumer, in today’s southern Iraq, was home to some of the largest early cities in human history. In one of these ancient settlements, Ur, a beautiful wooden box was laid in a royal tomb in about 2550 BCE (Figure 3.1). It measures roughly nine by twenty inches (a little bigger than a laptop) and is inlaid with elaborate mosaic figures and borders composed of bits of red limestone, lapis lazuli, and marine shell. This kind of specialized craftsmanship was a hallmark of societies that no longer depended on hunting and gathering for food but rather produced crops capable of sustaining large populations. In turn, they gained enough time and prosperity for some members to focus on artisanal crafts.

The box indicates at least three important things about the civilization that produced it. First, a highly skilled artisan constructed the box and created the mosaics, indicating the presence of specialization of labor. Second, the mosaics show someone who is presumably the king at the center of the top row, directing the soldiers below. These power dynamics suggest new social hierarchies. Finally, the soldiers all appear smaller in the scene than the king, symbolically reflecting their subordinate position and telling us that social stratification had come into existence. All these developments took place gradually over time, bringing slow but enduring change to the lives of the people in Ur and those who lived nearby. Similar changes occurred in the world’s other ancient cities.