What is art? There is no a precise definition, but one thing is certain: a piece of art is a reflection of the
epoch when it was created. What can ancient masterpieces tell us about people who made them? Let
us take a look at several works of art from Sumer and ancient Egypt and try to answer the question.
The palette of king Narmer was created at about 3000 b. It was made according to strict standards of
Egyptian art. First, as we can see, representatives of Egyptian elite are much bigger than commoners,
and Pharaoh is the biggest figure in the picture. Second, torsos of Pharaoh and high- class Egyptians
are shown in frontal view, while heads and legs in profile. Only bodies of commoners are pictured in
different positions. Dead enemies are seen from above, for example. Third, the surface of the palette is
divided into several levels, and each person, with the exception of some commoners, stays on the line
that symbolizes the ground (Janson and Janson, 33).
There are many animals in the picture. A falcon and a bull represent gods. Interestingly, the falcon that
holds a tether has a human hand. The role of the animals with long, snake-like necks is unclear. In
general, the palette makes an impression of power, stability, and order.
The palette is dedicated to a victory over Lower Egypt. On the one side of the palette, we can see king
Narmer killing an enemy. Interestingly, the Narmer’s adversary is the only figure on the palette that is as
big as Narmer. This man can be a defeated king of Lower Egypt, and Narmer is performing a
ceremonial killing. According to Janson and Janson, this ritual takes place on a holy ground. That is why
Narmer is barefooted, and his assistant is holding king’s sandals. Actually, on the other side of the
palette Pharaoh is barefooted too. Perhaps, he is still on a holy ground. Anyway, the picture should not
be understood literally.
There is another interesting detail. Conquerors (Pharaoh, a sandal bearer, and a man walking after
standard-carriers) and people representing Lower Egypt have different facial figures. Pharaoh and his
people have noses on the same line with foreheads (I would say Roman noses), while faces of the
defeated (“a head […] that grows […] from the soil” (Janson and Janson, 32), a man that is about to be
killed by the Pharaoh, dead warriors in the lower compartment of the palette, and a figure trampled by
the bull) are noticeably different. Can they be representatives of different ethnic group? Can’t they be
Jews who will be freed by Moses later? However, at least one of Namer’s soldiers (a standard- bearer
that is the second one from the left) has the same facial characteristics as the conquered.
Picture on a sound box of a harp from Ur, shows us artistic techniques of Sumerians. There are some
obvious similarities with Egyptian style. First of all, the characters are placed in different levels and stay
on the lines representing the ground. Some figures, a scorpion- man on a bottom level, for example, are
pictured in exactly Egyptian way: head and legs are in profile, and torso is in front view.
Sumerian picture, however, is much livelier then Namer’s palette. The figures in the picture are shown in
motion. There is no that strict order that we can see on the Egyptian palette.
Most figures on the picture are animals and monsters, but unlike animals from Egyptian palette, they do
not look like gods. These creatures more look like a population of some mysterious land; they are
shown performing regular human chores. From a modern point of view, it seems that they are having a
good time. In the upper compartment of the picture, we can see a human figure embracing two bulls with
human heads. They look like three good friends. Moreover, they can be brothers because their faces
are very similar. It seems that they are drunk and supporting each other. In the second level, a lion is
caring a pot and a cup. On the third level, we can see animals playing musical instrument, and there is
a goat caring two glasses in the bottom compartment. Most animals have human hands, and a dog (at
least, it looks like one) in the second level has some cloth on and a knife under the belt. Unlike Egyptian
palette that intends to show everlasting order and power of a Pharaoh, the Sumerian picture seems to
celebrate the pleasure of live.
Egyptian sculptures followed a strict canon too. The main principal of the canon is a cubic system.
According to the system, parts of the body should be strictly proportional. “[The sculptures] are rigidly
frontal, and strive forward with the left foot” (Janson and Janson, 36). Sculpture of king Menkaure and
his wife is a great example of Egyptian canonical art.
The bodies of a man and a woman are perfect. Their muscles are relaxed. The figures slightly stepped
forward with the left foot. The man made a longer step than a woman. The queen holds her husband by
the arm and embraces him. Her embracement looks like a gesture of protection. It seems that a woman
tries to stop the king and shield him from something. It looks almost like a mother guarding her son.
Feet and ankles of the figures are made very roughly; perhaps, artists did not have necessary tools at
that time. On the other hand, it could be a part of the canon.
The purpose of a sculptor, probably, was not to make the statues look like real people, but rather to
create a “vessel” for immortal ka (Janson and Janson). And this vessel should be as beautiful as
possible.
The statue of Guidea from Lagash, is an example of Sumerian sculpture. We can see some similarities
with Egiptian monuments. The figure of Guidea is frontal, and he looks strictly forward. This is, perhaps,
the only similarities I can see.
The main difference, in my opinion, body parts of the statue are not proportional. The hands of the
sculpture are very long. It seems that Guidea would reach the ground without bending his knees. The
man has strong, muscular arms. But this is not graceful strength of king Menkaure; Guidea’s arms are
arms of a workingman. Gudea’s statue is symbolic; he is holding a pot from which two streams flows. We
can see a lot of fish in the streams. It shows the importance of the water in Sumerian society.
I think that the artist who made the statue did not try to idealize Guidea’s appearance. Guidea was a
man and not a deity, so he did not have to look ideally handsome.
Great civilizations of Sumer and Egypt disappeared many centuries ago, but we should never forget
where we all came from. We should remember that our civilization was born in those countries. And,
perhaps, if we learned to appreciate our past, some day, we would be able to appreciate our present.
Free essay