This stone slab depicts a man who appears to be traversing a mound of people. This appears to show him as a victorious ruler. Not only is he literally standing above everyone else, but he is also standing on some of the individuals. This definitely portrays him as a victorious ruler. Moreover, he appears to have weapons in his hand, which further demonstrates that he conquered areas during his reign not simply by peaceful words, but rather it suggests that he conquered and acquired his position by force. Also, to note is that it is possible that he was skilled with these weapons as well. The battle axe, spear, bow and arrow all required a different approach when actually wielding them. The bow and arrow can show that he was very skilled with agility, dexterity, and hand-eye- coordination. The battle axe is definitely a weapon that requires strength to wield and could express that he wasn’t just an individual who appeared to be powerful, but actually possessed incredible strength as well. The spear could describe that he had wisdom and intelligence and that he wasn’t just someone who was capable of ruling by brute force.
Furthermore, the other individuals are not as well dressed as Naram-Sin. Though they have some detail they are not given nearly the amount of detail that Naram-Sin has. Also, some of the individuals below have a similar head dress as Naram-Sin, however, Naram-Sin has horns on his head piece. To me it appears that they are followers of him, but the ones he is standing on seem to have different head pieces. They appear to be long cone shaped head pieces. Also, the individual that is shown as being submissive also has a long head piece. It is possible that the artist was showing that he was a ruler that was known throughout the land and not to be challenged.
In addition, he is made to be larger than anyone in the picture. He is nearly the same size as the mountain that has what appears to be the sun above it! Now whether this was true or not I do not know unfortunately. Nevertheless, it gives a sense of hieratic scale on the slab. The artist actually does this in a few ways. One way they show hierarchy scales on the slab is by his position, which is above everyone else. Another way they show this is by making him stand out as an individual by being larger than everyone else. Whether you look away from the slab and look at it again or look at the slab for the first time your eyes are immediately drawn to him. I think the artist did a great job of making him stand out when there is so much more filled space on the slab. Even in comparison to his followers and challengers his body composition is by far greater than anyone’s on the slab! He has broad shoulders and a lot more muscular detail than the other individuals. In addition to his physique he is the only person in the entire art piece with a beard. As seen on the head of a man known as Akkadian Ruler there appears to be some importance with the beard. There isn’t as much detail placed on it as with the Akkadian ruler however, the fact that he is the only one with one says much.
I think that the artist really did a great job during that time to give an understandable representation of how mighty Naram-Sin was believed to be during his reign.
You have some good ideas. What about the vertical orientation of the stele? Do you think that power is conveyed because the stele is "pointing" upward? I also think that the scale of the stele (which is over six feet tall) can convey power, too.
ReplyDelete-Prof. Bowen
I think the beard is an interesting point. It obviously has some significance since the ruler is the only figure that has one. Perhaps it shows age or wisdom or maybe it shows that he is far more masculine than the rest.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of a woman before Cleopatra who made herself Pharaoh of Egypt. Her son, who was the one in line for the throne, was very young so she took the crown for herself. In surviving pictures of her she wears a false beard. This is a powerful symbol of kingship; apparently at least as much as the crown and scepter. This queen of Egypt was later deposed by her son and he erased every image of her and her name that could be found (a few survived). Those who oppose a ruler are merely rungs on their own ladder of greatness- some more literally than others.
ReplyDeleteYour point on his mastery of weapons is interesting. The fact that he may have possessed all those skills portrays him as unbeatable. I also found it interesting that the ruler is the only one that appears to have a beard; that has to mean something.
ReplyDelete