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.
What is the significance of the Warka Vase?
The subject matter of the Warka Vase is the presentation of offerings to the goddess Inanna, a ritual enactment that may be associated with the idea of the Sacred Marriage, that is , the union of a God or a Goddess and a mortal, usually the ruler or a member of the ruling family; or the enactment of a marriage between ...
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.
Who made the mask of Warka?
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.
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 .
Where is the Warka Vase located?
The Warka Vase, One of the Earliest Surviving Works of Narrative Relief Sculpture, Looted in the Iraq War. , located in the modern Al Muthanna Governorate, in southern Iraq .
What style is the Warka Vase?
The Vase of Warka (also called Uruk Vase) is one of the earliest surviving examples of narrative art . It was excavated (in fragments) by a German excavation team in a temple complex dedicated to the goddess Inanna at the city of Uruk (in southern Iraq) in 1933-1934 CE. It is about 1 meter tall.
What register are the gods located on the Uruk vase?
Warka Vase [ Middle Register ]
What is the most famous Sumerian work of literature?
The origins and development of this, the world’s oldest literary tradition, remain a mystery. It was written in the Cuneiform script on clay tablets. Some of the best-known works of Sumerian literature are epics of ancient kings (Vanstiphout 2003), proverbs and wisdom (Alster 2005), and love poetry (Sefati 1998).
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”).
How was the mask of Warka made?
It is made of marble and is about 20 cm tall. The eyes may have been inlaid with shells and lapis lazuli. The head might have been part of a large cult statue or it was attached to a wall. It may represent the Sumerian goddess Inanna (Akkadian Ishtar).
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 ...
Why Warka Head is a world famous sculpture?
1. The Mask of Warka is unique in that it is the first accurate depiction of the human face . Previous attempts, like the Tell Brak Head, were not anatomically accurate, and featured exaggerated noses and ears.
Was the Warka Vase ever found?
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 ...
Who receives offerings on the Warka Vase?
The Sumerians were pioneers in so many areas, especially in the field of art. The Warka Vase, named after the place it was found (it was found in Uruk, modern-day Warka in Iraq), depicting the presentation of offerings to Sumerian goddess Inanna, is one fine example.
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.
