Three feet high and weighing 600lb intact, this was the Sacred Vase of Warka, regarded by experts as
one of the most precious of all the treasures taken during looting
that shocked the world in the chaos following the fall of Baghdad. Broken in antiquity and stuck together, it was once again in pieces.
What is the meaning of the Warka Vase?
The Warka Vase as a whole
depicts a religious ceremony in which offerings are being presented to Inanna, the Sumerian goddess
. The lowest register of the vase depicts crops along a wavy line. These crops will be given to the goddess. The wavy line is most likely an early depiction of water.
What is the Warka vase made out of?
The vase, made of
alabaster
and standing over three feet high (just about a meter) and weighing some 600 pounds (about 270 kg), was discovered in 1934 by German excavators working at Uruk in a ritual deposit (a burial undertaken as part of a ritual) in the temple of Inanna, the goddess of love, fertility, and war and …
Where does the Warka Vase come from?
The Warka Vase or Uruk vase is a slim carved alabaster vessel found
in the temple complex of the Sumerian goddess Inanna in the ruins of the ancient city of Uruk
, located in the modern Al Muthanna Governorate, in southern Iraq.
Was the Warka Vase returned in perfect condition?
The Warka Vase, a 5,000-year-old Mesopotamian artifact that was part of the Iraqi National Museum collection and feared lost forever in looting during the war, was
returned unceremoniously today in the trunk of a car
.
What does the Warka Vase reflect about the culture that made it?
The Warka Vase from Uruk (modern Warka) is the first great work of narrative relief sculpture known. Its
depiction of a religious ceremony honoring the Sumerian goddess Inanna
incorporates all of the pictorial conventions that would dominate narrative art for the next 2,000 years.
What register are the gods located on the Uruk vase?
Warka Vase [
Middle Register
]
Who made the Warka Head?
The Mask of Warka was discovered on 22 February 1939 by the expedition of the German Archaeological Institute, led by
Dr A. Nöldeke
, in the city of Uruk south of modern Baghdad. The Mask was found in the Eanna (or Ianna) district of the city — so named for the goddess Inanna to whom the temples are dedicated.
Where is ancient Mesopotamia now?
The word “mesopotamia” is formed from the ancient words “meso,” meaning between or in the middle of, and “potamos,” meaning river. Situated in the fertile valleys between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the region is now home to
modern-day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Syria
. Map of Mesopotamia.
How old is Sumeria?
| Sumer General location on a modern map, and main cities of Sumer with ancient coastline. The coastline was nearly reaching Ur in ancient times. | Geographical range Mesopotamia, Near East, Middle East | Period Late Neolithic, Middle Bronze Age | Dates c. 4500 – c. 1900 BC | Preceded by Ubaid period |
|---|
Why was Warka vase made?
The vase, made of alabaster and standing over three feet high (just about a meter) and weighing some 600 pounds (about 270 kg), was discovered in 1934 by
German
excavators working at Uruk in a ritual deposit (a burial undertaken as part of a ritual) in the temple of Inanna, the goddess of love, fertility, and war and …
Where is Uruk located?
| Location Al -Warka, Muthanna Governorate, Iraq | Region Mesopotamia | Coordinates 31°19′27′′N 45°38′14′′ECoordinates: 31°19′27′′N 45°38′14′′E | Type Settlement | History |
|---|
Is Inanna an Ishtar?
Ishtar is the Akkadian counterpart of the West Semitic goddess Astarte. Inanna, an important goddess in the Sumerian pantheon, came to be identified with Ishtar, but it
is uncertain whether
Inanna is also of Semitic origin or whether, as is more likely, her similarity to Ishtar caused the two to be identified.
Why is the Warka Head admired all over the world?
This is a world famous piece of. sculpture, admired for
the delicate modeling of the woman’s mouth, chin and
.
cheeks
. And it was modelled in a hard stone that would have been imported.
What direction should the ritual vase of Inannabe read from?
Author argues that the registers should be read from
the bottom to the top
(similar to the “reading” of the Warka Vase”).
Who is the husband of Inanna?
Dumuzid (later known as Tammuz)
, the god of shepherds, is usually described as Inanna’s husband, but according to some interpretations Inanna’s loyalty to him is questionable; in the myth of her descent into the Underworld, she abandons Dumuzid and permits the galla demons to drag him down into the underworld as her …
