Babylon-Assyrian culture, culture of the peoples inhabited in antiquity in the 4-1th thousand to n. er, Mesopotamia - Tiger Tiger and Euphrates (the territory of modern Iraq), - Suchmers and Acca, Babylonian and Assyrians who created large states - Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia and Assyria, is characterized by a relatively high level of science, literature and art, on the one hand, and the predominance of religious ideology - on the other.
The material culture of the peoples of the ancient two-frequencies was at a relatively high level. However, stone tools came out completely from use only at the beginning of the 3rd militant. BC. e. In metallurgy in the middle of the 3rd thousand. Casting, forging, chasing, making gold and silver wire, filigree were known. The main building material was raw and, less often, burned brick; It was known, but the arch, the drainage system, etc. was applied. Later, noticeable progress in the technique begins. Military equipment is improved - the wheel arousal (from the beginning of the 2nd thousand), the armor of copper bleaks (from the middle of the 2nd thousand), horse archer, a sword, fortified military camps, siege tools - Taranians are built, stone and flooded bridges are built (on leather burues). In 1st thousand to n. e. In Assyria and Babylonia, iron implements appear, in the craft - also a diamond drill, approximately at the turn of the 2nd and 1st thousand to n. e. A new irrigation technique appears: a waterfront wheel (silent), and "infinite" rope with leather buckets (Cher), in 7th century. BC e. In Assyria, the first stone aqueduct is being built.
Babylonian mathematicians widespreadly created by the sixteen position of the pilot account; Based on this system, various computing tables were compiled: divisions and multiplication of numbers, squares and cubes of numbers and their roots (square and cubic) and more. Babylonians solved square equations, knew the "Pythagore's theorem" and had methods for finding all sorts of "Pythagoras" numbers (more than a thousand years before Pythagora); In addition to planimetric tasks, stereometric, associated with the definition of the volume of various kinds of spaces, bodies, were widely practiced the drawing of plans of fields, localities, individual buildings, but usually not scale.
Large success reached Babylonian in the field of chemistry, which, of course, is purely applied. From the 2nd thousand to n. e. Numerous bronze making recipes are preserved, glazes are known and multicolored watering on ceramics.
The attempt to summarize geographical representations is the "World Map", where the land is depicted in the form of a plane crossed by rivers with a tiger and Euphrates running away from northern Gor., and surrounded by the World Ocean, on the surface of which she, apparently, was thinking floating. The ocean seemed to be surrounded by the "dam of heaven," on which several (three or seven) heavenly arches restned; Under Earth, the underworld ("Great Mountain"). But the geographical horizon of the Babylonian merchants-practitioners was much wider (to the 1st thousand - from Spain to India).
A major step forwarded at this time also medicine. Surgical operations included amputations, splicing fractures, removal of Belm with eyes, etc. In medical texts that have come down from the 2nd half of the 2nd thousand to n. e. and the 1st half of the 1st thousand to n. e., parts of the human body have already been reduced to an anatomical system. Some diseases and appropriate drugs were also systematized.
Astrology began to develop from records of astronomical and meteorological observations (only in 1 thousand to n. E.) And astronomy. Planets were allocated, which, as opposed to stationary stars compared with quietly grazing sheep, were called "Bibbu", "goats". Each Planet received its special name (except Mercury, called "Bibbu", that is, the planet): Venus - Dilbat, Jupiter - Mulubabbar ("Star-Sun"), Mars - "Slabatana" and Saturn - Cayman . At the same time, the observations of the movements of the planets began; In particular, texts are preserved on the study of the movement of Venus. Relatively high development Astronomy was apparently due to the needs of the lunar calendar. Initially, each city of the city had an independent calendar, but after the elevation of Babylon, the calendar adopted in Babylon became common to the whole country. The year consisted of 12 lunar months, which had 29 or 30 days (the synodic month, or the period of shift of the Moon phases is approximately 29 days). Due to the fact that the sunny year is longer than the lunar for 11 days, from time to time to eliminate this inconsistency, an additional month was introduced. Already up to the middle of the 2nd thousand to n. e. Constellations were described, the records of heliacal sunrises were listed, etc. Starting from the middle of the 1st thousand to n. e. The solid rules for the insertion of leap months are established, computational astronomy develops intensively, texts are preserved, where for a certain year (or sequence of years), the positions of the moon (or planets) are indicated at certain time intervals. The great merit of Babylonian astronomers was the discovery of Sarosa - the time interval, after which the solar and lunar eclipses are repeated in the same sequence.
With the basics of Babylonian science, neighboring peoples - Elamites, Hurrites, Hettites, Phoenicians were familiar. The contribution to her Assyria was insignificant, however, most of the Babylonian scientific essays reached us from the Assyrian libraries of 12-7 centuries. BC e. Ancient Greek science perceived some achievements of Babylonian science (apparently, not directly, but through the candy and small Asia), but the Babylonian astronomy, apparently, had a direct impact on the ancient Greek.
The Sumero-Babylonian system of measures and weights was based on a number of metrological systems of ancient ancient ancient Asia, and a six-month-to-one positioning system has reached our time: it is this system that is used now when they are operated by degrees (or clock), minutes and seconds.
An example of a kind of historical concept, the desire of history as science can be the presentation of historical events in the form of a "list of kings", starting from the moment when "royalism came down from the sky," and stretched continuously from the oldest to the later kings. This list was compiled about 2100 BC. e. To justify the idea of \u200b\u200bthe absoluteness of the royal power.
To the first essays of a scientific nature in ancient two-frequency, the lists of signs of the letter - first picturesque, and then developed from them - clinp - and lists of terms recorded with such signs. Such lists were first compiled about 3000 BC. e. Later, in connection with the practical need, certain knowledge was accumulated in the field of philology. So, due to the fact that the Sumerian language came out of living use, and the household was Akkadsky, the benefits were created to study Sumerovsky as the language of religion and schools - lists of words and special terms of various kinds, including botanical, zoological, mineralogical and T .P.; At the beginning of the 2nd thousand. Suchumer-Akkada general and terminological dictionaries appeared, even attempts to draw up etymological dictionaries; Later, a multilingual dictionaries, for example, Sumero-Akto-Western-Khurritsky, Sumero-Akcado-Hett, and the like were also partially outside the two-frequencies. Created benefits on grammar.
In the 1st half of the 3rd militant. BC e. The literature of the peoples of the twoness was exclusively oral. It is precisely to this period that the sumeric epic songs that have come down to us in the records of 19-18 explosives are likely. BC e. Song cycle about heroes of Uruk - Enmerkar, Lugalband, Hilgamesh, etc. - contains some realistic details. Mythological character is carrying songs about Smeaker Lugalbanda, about IWA GOGNISI INNIN AND DR. Archaichery has a cult epic song about the descent of the goddess Innin in the underworld. To later times, it is obviously etiological epic songs dedicated to the Golden Age, the origin of cultural inventions.
Of Assyria almost did not reach independent literary monuments. Immissory poems, hymns and prayers in the Babylonian genres were written; Some of them are written by the king ashurbanipal. An independent genre of Assyrian literature are royal annals. Some of them written by rhythmic prose, alive and colorfully draw pictures of battles: a letter to Nobushalimshun to God about the campaign of Sargon II in 714 don. e. against urants. After the fall of Assyria at the end of the 7th century. BC e. In the literature, nothing significant was created. Monuments of the old Babylonian, and in part and the Sumerian, mainly cult, literature corresponded up to 1 century. BC e. On Live Aramaic language. With the exception of annals, chronicles, predictions, etc., the entire literature of the peoples of the ancient two-frequencies is a poetic.
IN artistic culture Ancient Miraan important place is occupied by plastic arts of the tribes and peoples of Mesopotamia of the 4-1th thousand to n. e. In Mesopotamia, as in ancient Egypt, many forms of architecture, sculptures, synthesis of arts, images of a person and the surrounding world characteristic of the next epochs are initially developed.
The most ancient artistic monuments of Mesopotamia (molded culture vessels from clay with a painted rhythmiz geometric pattern and stylized images of birds, animals and people; figurines from clay) rise to 5-4 cm. e. From the middle of the 4th thousand to n. e. A pottery circle appears, the construction of churches (rectangular in the plan "White Temple" in Uruk on a high raw platform), walls that are sometimes decorated with a geometric mosaic pattern from multicolored clay "nails". During the period of the Gemdet-Nasre (the end of the 4th - the beginning of the 3rd thousand to N. E.) It receives the development of a round sculpture (carefully simulated female head from Uruk with strict generalized features, the beginning of the 3rd militant. BC. Er , Iraqi Museum, Baghdad), develop the principles of the Mesopotamian sculptural relief (Vessel from Uruk with tiers of flat-elded friezes, where rhythmically alternating genre scenes, processions of people and animals, Iraqi Museum, Baghdad), blooms the art of glyptics (carved cylindrical prints with plot scenes, marked freedom of composition and movement transmission).
During the formation of state cities (the beginning of the 3rd thousand to n. E.) In art, the features of conventions and canonism are growing. In the era of the elevation of Sumer, the strengthening of the royal power and the influence of priesthood determines the leading role of the temple architecture. The desire to approve the power of the deity is embodied in the majestic geometric simplicity of architectural masses. Rectangular in terms of temples were constructed from raw bricks on bulk platforms that were protected by buildings from dampness. The walls shaped with rectangular protrusions and niches (the so-called oval temple in Hafadja, the beginning of the 3rd militant. BC. Er - 22 V. BC. E.). A type of multistage tower-zikcurate with the "Housing of God" upstairs is rising to Earnednastic Temple Army. Zigarat in ure (22-21 centuries BC) consisted of one to another three truncated pyramids: the terraces of zigarate were combined with outer stairs, tiers were painted in different colors.
Small plastic Sumera (figurines praying from stone and bronze) was characterized by schematics and absentianess of forms. On frozen faces with sharply protruding noses, huge, embedded with colored stones of the eyes were distinguished. Images on reliefs are flat and static: head and legs are usually depicted in profile, eyes and shoulders - in the FAS; The figures of God and the king are highlighted in size (stone stele of the Eannatum - the ruler of Lagasha, or the so-called stele of Korshunov, with the tousingly located military scenes, about 2500 BC. e., Louvre, Paris). The so-called Standard from Hurray is similar to style - mosaic from shells and Lazuritis with scenes of battles and triumphs (about 2600, British Museum, London). Golden items from the "royal" tomb cheers - an ornamented helmet, diadem and a dagger with a filigree work sheath, full of lively expressiveness of a bull head (decorated with the harp) from gold and lazurite. Superformance and ornamentality of forms are characterized by carved seals.
The few preserved monuments of the Mesopotamia Association period under the rule of the Akkad dynasty (24-22 centuries to n. E.) Reflect the strengthening of the ruler of the lord. When preserving conditional techniques in reliefs, a desire for greater freedom of composition appears in reliefs, to the compositions of the figures, the appearance of the surrounding nature (the stone stele of the king of Narabrasin with battle scenes, Louvre, Paris, cylindrical prints with hunting scenes - all 23 centuries. BC. E.), In a round sculpture - the desire for portrait of the traits (the bronze head of the ruler from Ninevei, 23 V. BC, Iraqi Museum, Baghdad). High perfection reaches the technique of artistic processing of bronze - casting, chasens, engraving. The traditions of the art of Akkada are preserved in the portrait art of Lagasha (statue of the ruler Gudea, 22 V. BC, E., Louvre, Paris) .5
In the united state of the III of the Dynasty of Hurray (end of 22-21 centuries. BC), in the conditions of a priest bureaucratic regime, in art workshops were created mainly reliefs with canonical scenes of worship of deities, characterized by dry forms. From the elevation period of Babylon (18 V. BC), some monuments were preserved: a diorite stele with the arch of the laws of King Hammurapi, decorated in the upper part of the relief with the image of the king in a prayer posture before God Shamash (Louvre, Paris); Palace murals in Marie with cult scenes and images of the gods, etc.
A new stage in the development of the art of Mesopotamia is associated with the elevation of Assyria. Assyrian art itself is in 2 thousand to n. e. Under the influence of cultures of Akkad and Hittites (Reliefs of the Palace in the city of Kar-Tukukult-Ninurta, 13 V. BC.). The flowering of the art of Assyria coincides with the time of the greatest power and military expansion of the Assyrian state (9-7 centuries. BC). Its main topics are wars, the glorification of the winning kings. The Palaces of the Kings of Assyria, included in the regular planning of cities, were rectangular in terms of the citadel on a bulk terrace, with numerous premises that were grouped around asymmetrically located open courtyards. The front arched gate-portals flanked towers with monumental figures of gyuders-keepers (in the form of winged bulls from the head of a person) at the base. Palace complexes included rectangular temples and zikcurates (Sargon II Palace in District Cherrun, modern Horsabad, 712-707 BC. Er). In the decoration of the palaces, reliefs from limestone and alabastra played images of mythological creatures, scenes of war and hunting, court life. Rare monuments of round sculpture of Assyria, closely associated with architecture, are characterized by monumentality, solemnity, sacrifices and absentia of the masses (statue of ashursyrpal II, 9 century. BC, British Museum, London). The heyday reached applied art - the release of cylindrical seals, artistic weaving, bone carving and a wood processing.
After the fall of Assyria (Kon. 7th century BC), a short-term flourishing is again experiencing the art of Babylon (7-6 centuries to n. E., The so-called Novo Babylonian period). The ensemble of the city of Babylon with a complex system of fortifications, wide direct roads of the processions, the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, the Esagil Temple Complex and the 90-meter Zigarath of EtoMenanka.
As a result of the conquest of the Babylon of the Power of Ahemenides (539 BC) and its entry into the state of Seleucidov (the end of 4V. BC. E.) In the Babylonian culture, the influence of Persian is manifested in Babylonian culture, and later than Hellenistic art. In turn, Babylonian art affected the development of the art of Iran and Parfia.
Art of Assyria, Babylon and Persia
Assyria. Early Assyrian art is an image of kings. Winged bulls - Heavenly patrons of kings, combining birds, man and bull. Solid grades of stone - a symbol of the eternity of the royal power.
Reliefs. Lion hunting is one of the main motives of the late Assyrian art. Images are naturalistic and anatomic. Long belt reliefs stretched at the level of human growth through the halls of Assyrian palaces. The highest development Assyrian relief was reached in 7th century. BC, during the reign of Tsar Assyria Ashurbanipal (668 - 626 BC). The content of the images remained the same: they all glorified the king and explained the phenomena of the life of Lord. The central place in the reliefs, who adorned the Palace of Ashurbanipal in Ninevei, occupied battle scenes, telling about the military victories of the Assyrian king; Numerous scenes of royal hunting. The motives become very diverse. In the visual art, the features of realism are significantly enhanced. All compositions are very dynamic.
In a round sculpture, Assyrian masters have not reached such perfection, as in the relief. Assyrian statues are not a few. The pictures are usually given in strictly frontal rates, they are closed in long clothes, hiding body shape under a carefully ornamented suit.
In Assyrian glipstik 1 millennium BC. Scenes of religious content occupy a much larger place than in palace reliefs. But stylistically images on seal-cylinders are close to monumental reliefs and differ from the Sumero-Akkada glipetch with great skill of execution, fine modeling of figures and thorough transmission of parts.
The culture of Babylon, which absorbed the ancient traditions reached a high height.
Monuments visual arts Ancient Babylonus reached us very little. Judging by them, the Babylonian artists did not create anything fundamentally new, having learned only to some extent techniques of the Time of the Gouda and III Dynasty Hur. The best of the preserved works of the Babylonian art is the relief, the crowd of the laws of the laws of the king Hammurapi (1792 - 1750 BC) is the famous legislative compilation. At Stele Hammurapi, God is submitted on the throne; The king is worth taking the rod and the magic circle - the symbols of power. The figure of the king is less than the figure of God, the image is filled with canonical stiffness and solemnity.
By the time Hammurapi include monuments of the Marie State, which was in Eufrat, above Babylon. Wall murals found in the palace (scenes of the collection of dates, cult and triumphal scenes) are the only descendants of the monuments of the ancient-vile painting. Sketchful compositions, they are interesting for the comparative wealth of paints. Statuettes were found in Marie, despite disproportionateness and stiffness very expressively transmitting pious concentrations.
Soon after the death of Hammurapi, Babylon was conquered by Cassites, who ruled there for almost six hundred years (18 - 12 centuries. BC). The art of this period is not enough. The borderline passage stones are preserved with reliefs, usually repeating the composition of Hammurapi stele composition. In the sculpture, the tradition of Babylon continued to live for a long time. A peculiar feature inherent in the Cassic time was introduced into architecture as decorative element Monumental clay sculpture (Temple of Kararangeas in Uruk, the second half of the 15th century BC).
Persian art. Cities are built on the platform. The end of the platform is decorated with relief depicting warriors. Monotonicity, the same figure feature of the discipline of warriors. And of course their huge quantity. Persian art brings the idea of \u200b\u200ba total organization to the limit. Burns to the Babylonian technique - mosaic.
Details Category: Fine Arts and Architecture of Ancient Peoples Published on 12/28/2015 16:09 Views: 8273Talking about the art of the two of these ancient civilizations will begin with geography and history.
Mesopotamia - The historical and geographical region in the Middle East, located in the valley of two great rivers: Tiger and Euphrates. Currently, Mesopotamia land includes Iraq, Northeastern Syria, Peripherals Turkey and Iran.
Map Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is the birthplace of one of the great and ancient civilizations In the history of mankind - ancient Mesopotamia.
Ancient Mesopotamia existed in the Middle East C of the middle of IV thousand BC. e. On October 12, 539 BC e. ("Fall of Babylon"). IN different time Here were the kingdoms of Sumer, Akkada, Babylonia and Assyria.
From IV thousand to n. e. And before the XIII century. n. e. There were largest cities and urban agglomerations. In the ancient world, Babylon was synonymous with a world city. Mesopotamia flourished with Assyrian and Babylonian dominion, then under Arab domination. From the time of the appearance of Sumerians and before the fall of the Novovavilon kingdom, 10% of the population of the entire Earth lived in the territory of the Mesopotam Lowland. Meternrech (ancient Mesopotamia) refer to one of the oldest foci of civilization in the IV-III thousand BC. e., who has formed ancient cities-states: Sumerian cities of Kish, Uruk (Biblical Erech), Ur, Lagash, Umma, Semitic city of Akshak, Amorean / Schumerian city of Lars, as well as States Akkad, Assyria and early II thousand to n. e. - Babylonia. In the future, the territory of Mesopotamia was part of Assyria (IX-VII centuries. BC. E.), Novovavilon kingdom (VII-VI centuries. BC. E.).
The first written documents belong to the Sumerians. Thus, the story in his own sense began in the Sumer and, perhaps, was created by Sumer.
Assyria - an ancient state in the northern interfluve (on the territory of modern Iraq). Assyria existed almost 2 thousand years since the XXIV century BC. e. and before its destruction in the VII century BC. e. Midwi and Babylonia. The Novoassian Power is considered the first empire in the history of mankind.
Assyrian Empire
Babylonia (The Babylonian kingdom) is an ancient kingdom in the south of Mesopotamia (the territory of modern Iraq), which emerged at the beginning of the II thousand to n. e. and lost independence in 539 BC. e. The capital of the kingdom was the city of Babylon, through which it was called. The Semitic people of Amorea, the founders of Babylonia, inherited the culture of the previous kingdoms of Meternrech - Sumer and Akkada. State language Babylonia was a written Semitic Akkadian language, and the removal did not refer to him for a long time retained as a cult.
Babylon - One of the cities of ancient Mesopotamia. Important Political, Economic and Cultural Center Ancient Mira, one of the largest cities in the history of mankind, "First Megapolis". Ruins of Babylon are located at the outskirts of the modern city of El Hill (Iraq).
View of Babylon from the former Saddam Hussein Saddam Palace (2003)
The highest rise of economic and cultural life Babylon is associated with the era of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (VI century BC. E.).
In the second half of the IV century. BC e. He was the capital of the Power of Alexander Macedonsky, later was located as part of the state of Seleucidov, Parfia, Rome. With III century. BC e. Gradually came to decline.
Architecture and art of Babylon
In the first half of the II millennium BC e. The most significant cultural area was the southern half of the two-frequencies, that is, the area of \u200b\u200bSumer and Akkada, united under the primacy of Babylon in the King Hammurapi (1792-1750 BC.).
The city of Babylon was at one time the center of world importance. But in connection with the events of the following epochs, almost nothing left, or, it is better to say, very little remained. Monuments of the visual arts reached our time, too, very little.
The idea of \u200b\u200bthe art of Babylon gives excavations of the modern city of Marie, many valuable artistic monuments have been preserved here.
The ruins of the city and the Grand Palace of the ruler of the city of Zamri-Lima are opened here, many valuable artistic monuments.
Lamry Lima Palace
Wimerry Lim was the king of Marie. Here he built the palace, look at which came even from neighboring states. This palace occupied an area over 2.5 hectares, he had more than 260 premises. The walls of the palace had up to 5 m in height. The palace found a huge archive of clinical documents on Sumerian, Akkadian and Hurrites.
The Palace Plan is typical for two frequencies: large yards around which various rooms are located. The palace included the front and living rooms, the sanctuary, the palace school of scribes, the kitchen and pantry.
In some premises of the palace, parts of wall paintings are preserved - contour drawings, painted blue, dark red and black colors. Themes of wall paintings are cult scenes. All murals are distinguished by a strict symmetrical composition.
Found forms for loaf or cheeses with figures of animals and humans. In these little reliefs there is a desire to portray the landscape in the traditions of Akkada art.
In the successors of Hammurapi, the power of Babylon weakened. Gradually, the desired independence of the two-frequency field began to disappear. After 100 years, Babylon captured Cassites (ancient tribes from West Iran), which formed the III Babylonian dynasty and rules around the six hundred years (XVIII-XII centuries before and. Er). In culturally, Cassites stood much lower than Babylonian.
After 612 BC If, when the King of Babylonia was taken by the capital of Assyria Ninevia, the championship again and for the last time passed to the city of Babylon, who, while maintaining political and economic importance, acquired the role of the largest trade and craft center of Front Asia.
The art of the new Babylon was mainly decorative. Most often, real and fantastic sacred animals, plants, ornaments were depicted. Almost no longer found plots similar to the plots of Assyrian reliefs and paintings are military scenes of palace life.
After the death of Nebuchadnezzar II, the political and economic power of Babylon begins to fall. In 538 BC e. Babylon was conquered by the Persian King Kirome II and is attached to the Iranian state of the achemenides.
Nebuchadnezzar (604-562 BC) conducted a conquest policy and significantly expanded the boundaries of the state. He carried out a grand temple, defensive and irrigation construction.
Zikkurat - multistage cult facility in ancient Mesopotamia and Elama, typical of Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Elam architectures.
Zigitarate is a tower from the parallelepipeds or truncated pyramids from 3 from the Sumerians to 7 in Babylonians who did not have the interior (the sanctuary was in the upper volume). The terraces of zigkurat, painted in different colors, were connected by stairs or ramps, the walls were shaped with rectangular niches. There were many rooms inside the walls where priests and workers were lived.
Zigarat in ure.
Next to the step tower-zikkurat, a temple was usually located, which was not a prayer structure, and the housing of God. Suchmers, and then Assyrians with Babylonians, worshiped their gods on the tops of the mountains. Zikcrats made of raw bricks, strengthened cane layers, were faced with burned bricks outside. The rains and winds destroyed these structures, so they were periodically repaired. Babylonian zikcurates were already seven-step and stained in the symbolic colors of the planets.
Reconstruction of EtoMenanka
Emethenanka - Zigarat in ancient Babylon. When the initial construction of this tower was carried out, it is unknown, but it already existed during the Board of Hammurapi (1792-1750 BC). The tower collapsed and reconstructed several times. The latter and largest reconstruction, which turned the tower into the highest structure of ancient Babylon, was during the Novovavilon Kingdom.
ETEMENANKS - Estimated prototype of the Babylonian Tower.
Babylonian tower
This is the legendary tower, which is devoted to the biblical legend of Genesis (Gen. 11: 1-9). According to this legend, after the World Flood, humanity was represented by one people who spent in the same language. From the east, people came to Earth Sennar (in the lower course of the Tiger and Euphrates), where they decided to build the city of Babylon and the tower to Heaven to "make a name to themselves." The construction of the tower was interrupted by God who created new languages \u200b\u200bfor different peopleWhat was why they stopped understanding each other, could not continue the construction of the city and the tower and scattered throughout the land. Thus, the story of the Babylonian Tower explains the emergence of various languages \u200b\u200bafter the Flood.
Peter Bruegel Senior "Babylonian Tower" (1563)
Palace Nebuchadnezzar II.
As a result of the excavation, the remains of two palaces of King Nebuchadnezzar II were opened, which were located on artificial platforms. The premises were around open courtyards. The front wall of the throne room of one of the palaces was lined with glazed bricks with images on the dark-blue background of a number of slender columns with golden-yellow trunks and twisting on two sides by spiral curls (waves) of the capitals, between which the lotus garlands were hung, and above was a frieze (framing Decorative composition) from white-yellow palmmes (floral ornament) and turquoise-blue rhombuses. The impression of a light fence, transit colors.
« Hanging gardens Semiramids. " Color engraving of the Dutch artist XVI century. Marten Van Chemskerka (in the background - Babylonian tower)
In the summer palace, there were once the famous "hanging gardens of semiramides" (one of the seven wonders of the world), that is, green plantings on artificial terraces supported by crops. Through the channels, wells and other devices, water was served from Euphrates for watering these plantations.
Dusty and noisy Babylon did not please the queen that grown in the mountainous and green mussels. To console her, Nebuchadnezzar II and ordered to build a hanging gardens.
Architecture and art of Assyria
The highest development The art of Assyria received in I thousand BC. If, when Assidia turned into a strong slave-owned state, subordinate to himself as a result of the grunge wars almost all the front Asia.
Certain requirements were presented to art: to glorify the acts of the king and the military power of Assyria.
The art of Assyria I thousand BC. e. There was a more secular purpose, although it was associated with religion.
Architecture
The leading genus of art in Assyria was architecture. Here they were built not only temples, but also palace complexes, fortresses. The most well-preserved and permanent reconstruction of the structures refer to the time of the reign of the kings of Ashurnasirapala II (884-859. BC), Sargon II (722-705 BC) and Ashurbanpala (668-633 n. er).
Assyrian palaces were huge complexes with official, residential and economic premises, grouped around the courtyards. Rooms corridor, narrow, the walls are decorated with reliefs and paintings.
A classic example of Assyrian architecture is the Palace VIII century. BC e. Tsar Sargon II in Dokurkina (modern Horsabad). The palace was built on the artificial terrace, some of the palace performed for the city wall. The complex of the Palace included a sanctuary with a tower-zigkurat from seven ledges.
Zigarat - a multistage cult structure typical of Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Elam architectures.
The entrances overlapped with arches, and figures were placed on the sides of the Arch - the attractive sculptures in the form of lions and bulls with human heads and wings performed in the relief technique turned into a round sculpture. The reception-image of five legs was used to see the "guards" of the gate at the same time alone, and in motion.
Columns with stone bases and wooden trunks were used as bearing supports.
Sargon II with noble
In the scenery of the Palace of Sargon II, tiles were used - glazed bricks with a bright multicolor watering.
Sculpture
The sculpture prevailed relief. A round sculpture in the art of Assyria is a big role played.
Winged bull with human head found during excavations (Louvre)
From the time of Ashurnasirapal II reached the wonderful Alebaster front statue of the Ashursirapal II (London, the British Museum, the height of 1.06 m), depicting the king in the form of a supreme priest. It was installed in the temple, in the cult niche, and was an object of worship. The image of the king is idealized.
Ashurenasirapal II on the throne
Flat reliefs with the image of the battles and the royal hunt are preserved in the Ashurnacure Palace. They represent a whole panorama of battle and hunting scenes.
Wall paintings
Painting decorated some rooms. For example, in the Palace of Sargon II, the processions in which the king was accompanied by its approximate and warriors were depicted.
Ritual meeting of the Assyrian Tsar Ashurnasirapala II after successful hunting (Louvre)
The paintings were performed on a white lime coating, which was superimposed on a raw wall on a layer of clay mixed with chopped straw. First, the black paint was applied contours of images, and then paints were imposed: red-brown, blue, black and white, sometimes pink and blue. Coloring conditional, plane, without shadows.
In the reality of the existence of ancient Babylon, scientists believed with difficulty and not immediately. Certificates and opinions of the ancient scientists and philosophers, such as Herodota or Strabo, were not perceived seriously in the fifties of the nineteenth century, since it was considered that they, like children, love to exaggerate.
Indeed, according to Herodota alignments, the circumference of the wall, hailing Babylon, was almost ninety kilometers! And although such ancient philosophers like dioderters or Strabo were significantly less "generous" (they wrote that the Babylon walls have only 70 kilometers long), did not believe them. After all, even the capital of Great Britain, London, with its two millionth population in the middle of the nineteenth century had a circle less than 40 kilometers!
Walls of ancient Babylon
If the story is valid, then far from always. Because the "Walls Babylon" is not listed (and never have been listed) on the department of "seven wonders of the world." And, in fact, why? After all, these walls are one of the greatest riddles of the ancient world.
We have already mentioned that the "Wall Babel" had a length of about 70 kilometers. Well, well, what can be said about their height and thickness? Judge for yourself: according to the most modest estimates, the height of the "walls of the Babylonian" was at least 22 meters!
Almost the same height has a 9-storey house of modern buildings! Under the height of the walls were their thickness. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the archaeologist Robert Raddway, who seriously took up the excavation of ancient Babylon, was able to evaluate this parameter.
The reconstruction of them gave the following result: The first belt of the walls had a thickness of seven meters, the second is about eight meters, and finally the third - three and a half meters. In addition, every 45 meters raised mighty towers, which had a base of 9 minutes 9 meters. It is difficult to say now what they were height ... But after all, not lower than the walls?
This is where the riddles begin and secrets are beginning ... In fact, how many bricks need to build a construction, the total volume of which is determined by 12 million cubic meters?
It was found that the first row of the walls was built from an unreleased brick, which for this grand goal it took, as they believed, more than a billion pieces! But the second and third row of walls, for the construction of which burned brick was used, they demanded 2.5 billion bricks! This fact is currently set for sure.
In this regard, the next question arises, where they took an ancient Babelonian needed for firing such a number of bricks the number of firewood?
Surely in a flanned interfluve? .. The researchers believe that the construction of "walls of the Babylonian" would be completely unrealistic business without the participation of the priestly collegium of Babylon. It is not in vain considered the oldest among the dedicated East! ..
Maybe they used for firing bricks some devices that were based on analogues of solar hubs? ..
But is it really possible?
It is now officially recognized that double glass lenses were known in Mesopotamia no later than the eighth century to our era! With their help mined fire, collecting the sun's rays at one point. It is also known that already in the fifth century BC, copper mirrors made in the form of a paraboloid were used in Elad. Similar devices to this day are one of the most efficient solar energy concentrators.
We take into account the fact that in 1973 a group of Greek physicists under the leadership of Ionna Sakkas conducted a kind of "investigative experiment." 70 people went out on a clear day to the seashore, holding a 1.5 meter in a polished copper shield? 1.5 meters. They simultaneously sent solar bunnies from the shields on the layout of an ancient Roman ship. After a few seconds, he broke out!
Thus, for the priests of Babylon, the problem of firing bricks without burning the breathtaking amount of firewood, which, besides, it was still unexplored. The priests of the ancient Babylon coped with problems and more difficult. The firing was exposed not only bricks. As it turned out, the entire colossal area of \u200b\u200bthe outer surface of the Babylonian walls was covered with ... the glazied tiles of blue and green shades containing images of lions and amazing dragons, which for several decades of archaeologists and historians have been disputing for several decades!
Of course, it is impossible to deny that it could be applied and some other, a completely unknown way of firing! In any case, today this mystery remained undisclosed. Mentions on this score are not in the clini heritage of the ancients.
