Marcella Borgenicht Mr. Majewski
History 7
19 October 2015
Mesopotamian Jewelry
In ancient civilizations, Jewelry had an extensive impact on people’s lives. Specifically, jewelry from the land between the rivers, Mesopotamia, played a significant role in mesopotamian culture. The roles jewelry played in people’s lives are exemplified by all of the effort to incorporate intricate designs and the usage of quality materials. All of the characteristics of their work makes the jewelry created during the mesopotamian time period centerpieces of the ancient society (Dissecting Mesopotamian Jewelry). Jewelry was worn by both men and women and it was so important that Queen Puabi was buried with all of her adornments(. Her gravesite as well as Nimrud’s
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Jewelry in ancient mesopotamia was used in most aspects of their lives for a variety of different reasons, therefore making it a universal ornament that can be used equally by both men and women.
Jewelry from the Mesopotamian time period contained precious materials intricately crafted into beautiful ornaments to adorn royalty or the rich with, impacting their society as well as a multitiude of today’s culture within our communities.. Pieces found during excavations displayed their skilled craftsmenship in incorperating metal such as copper, gold, and silver into their work(Sumer). Around 4,000 years ago, jewelers in Mesopotamia began to craft jewelry(Ancient Mesopotamia Jewellery, par. 2). The semiprecios stones: Agate, lapis lazuli, carnelian, and jasper were displayed in their work(Ancient Mesopotamia Jewellery, par. 7). Pieces of jewelry not only served as a wealth status but were also given as wedding gifts(Dissecting Mesopotamian Jewelry, pars. 6-9).Citizens of Mesopotamia offered jewelry to gods at temples as well being buried with it in hopes of going to the afterlife(Dissecting Mesopotamian Jewelry, par.13). They also decorated statues of gods with jewelry, as it was a spiritual and magical tool for Mesopotamians(Dissecting
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Body adornments included but are not limited to intricate crowns, ornate neckpieces, necklaces, pins, bracelets and earrings.Mesopotamians decorated themselves with an immense amount of adornments due to the fact that they simply enjoyed it. Men wore earrings. necklaces, armlets, bracelets, headband and pectoral pieces. WOmen wore simiar ornaments as well as headdresses decorated with floral designs, gold hoop or cresent earrings, chocker nechlaces, belts, pins, and rings(Dissecting Mesopotamian Jewelry, par. 17). When the royal tombs of Ur and then tombs in Nimrud were excavated an nourmus amound of Jewelry was found. The three lavish tombs at Nimrud contained around 1,500 pieces of jewelry. In the royal tombs of Ur, 17 tombs were discovered and excavated finding plenty more jewelry(Dissecting Mesopotamian Jewelry, par. 7). The tombs of Ur had been overlooked by the Scythians and Medes, who raided and stole possesions of the nimrud palace.while they missed the tombs in 612 BC, later on Sir Austen Henry Layard in 1848 rediscovered them but didn’t disterb the pieces. Finally, in 1988 and archiologist named Muzahim mahmud observed some tile flooring that appeared to have been dug up, but repositioned. Nimruds gold was on display for a short period of time due to Saddam Hussein’s innvasion of Kuwait in the year, 1990. The jewelry was then hidden in the basebent of the central bank to prevent the pieces from being
Imagine a world without the wheel. Picture a world without math. Now, without knowing time. Well, these are some of the many contributions that the Mesopotamians made to society.
The Eastern Woodland people also made jewelry such as gorgets, armbands, earrings, and necklaces. The gorgets were created with pendants with two holes in them from shell, slate or shale stone. They were strung with lacing and worn around the neck. Armbands were typically made of metal such as copper. They also made them out of bones. Metal armbands could be simple, narrow bands or stamped and decorated. They were also made of beaded leather strips or finger woven wool. Earrings were simple metal hoops with beads or pendants dangling from them. This type of jewelry was also worn in piercings through the septum of their noses. Necklaces were made from a wide variety of materials. Pendants were made from bone, shell, stone and metal. Beads made from shell, stone, metal, wood and glass were strung in single or multiple strands. More intricate necklaces were made by stringing bear claws or bird claws. Overall, the Eastern Woodlands people made many items to help them with their everyday lives and I think that they were very talented and creative for being able to make these items such as the jewelry and all the
... use of foreign artistic motifs by the developing elite of the Nagada III period, but do not see Mesopotamian inspiration as a prime catalyst in Egypt’s developing complexity. The motivations behind contact between late Predynastic Egypt and Mesopotamia remain uncertain but may have included the trade for gold that occurred in the desert regions east of southern Egypt.
Before the beginning of history, people from across the land gradually developed numerous cultures, each unique in some ways while the same time having features in common. Mesopotamia and Egypt are important to the history of the world because of religious, social, political and economic development. Mesopotamia was the first civilization, which was around 3000 B.C., and all other countries evolved from it. Mesopotamia emerged from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The soil was rich and agriculture was plentiful. The Semitic nomads occupied the land around Akkad. The Sumerians established the city-states. Villages became urban centers. Because of the formation of the city-states everything flourished. However, Mesopotamian agriculture lacked stones; therefore mud brick became their major building block. Their diet consisted of fish from the rivers. The rivers were flooded frequently destroyed the cities. Mesopotamians made their living from crops and pottery.
When analyzing ancient civilization and how it began, there are many elements and aspects that should be considered. Questions such as how did civilization begin? What lead to its creation? Where did it begin, and why in that particular location? Many of these questions can be examined and answered by researching what many believe is the world’s earliest civilization, Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this region was chosen and supported one of the world’s first civilizations. This area was settled over 10,000 years ago by a group of people known as the Sumerians (Cunningham & Reich, 2010).
Jewelry has been worn by people in almost every civilization around the globe in every century. These accessories can often tell a lot about a civilization. One can especially compare the jewelry of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to get an accurate idea of the time period and how people's customs evolved within that area and that time. Jewelry in ancient times were very similar in that they were often made of identical materials, showed status of the people living within a society and the sophistication of the civilization itself; however, the way the jewelry was produced and complexity of the design changed with time.
Jewels are ornamental object people wear that are usually made of precious metals and stones, although some not so valuable materials are used as well. Among the jewelry items people wear it is possible to find hair ornaments, earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, among others. People of both sexes wear jewels in almost all human cultures, countries and regions. As several specialized publications report, it seems that humans tend to adorn themselves, although in rare cases they also wear jewels by sense of shame (for example, to cover nipples). Throughout history, jewels have also served as a form of artistic expression, a symbol of wealth, as a protection amulet, among others. In turn, the term jewelry includes jewels
...or historical records and scribing. In this manner, each section showcased the idea of purpose behind each Egyptian artifact; while all items are very ornate and artful, this separation proves the Egyptians lack of embodying “art” so much as embellished items of practicality and function.
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt are a factor of the evolution of civilizations in present-day. Though, it wouldn’t occur if both of these ancient civilizations didn’t develop into successful ones. There are three similar components that led Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia to become prosperous. These are the locations, their way of life, and their beliefs. All of these elements will be explored more thoroughly throughout this essay.
The struggle for women to play an important role in history can be traced from the ancient Mesopotamians to the 1900’s. There has been a continuous battle for women to gain equal rights and to be treated equally in all aspects of life. The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest recorded account of the roles of women and their importance in a functional society. Women have been viewed as anything from goddesses to unwanted servants throughout history, regardless of a variety of changes in rulers, religions, and simply time periods. The Epic of Gilgamesh might lead one to consider the roles of women a small and insignificant part compared to the man 's role. In fact, three women; Shamhat, Ishtar, and Siduri, were able to create and maintain a civilized Mesopotamian society with using their uniqueness of their body, mind, and spirit.
Many people are familiar with the pyramids and tombs of Ancient Egypt, yet not as many know about the different types of art created by the lower classes. Documentaries, movies, and television shows rarely mention the more standard art that was created, that didn’t take years of hard labor to create. This art can be compared to the drawings that many people make today, as a hobby to do in their freetime. The only difference is that the Egyptians made art for more practical purposes, and rarely for fun. You would likely find a lot of these pieces in plebian burial sites, or packed away in museum storage. Though they lack the renown of the pyramids and tombs, the different styles and types of art created by the Ancient Egyptians have just as much value as the larger accomplishments, but for different reasons.
We learn about ancient civilizations through literature, artifacts, and stories passed down from generation to generation. The Mesopotamian civilization is one of earth's earliest civilizations, and it's also one we know very little about. We can gather information about these people's way life, beliefs, and geographical location. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a literary work from this time period, shows us several important pieces of information that helps us understand this ancient civilization. This epic shows us the Mesopotamian peoples belief system, their views on death, and their description of the after life.
Jewelry was also a reward to people for outstanding services to the community. The jewelry was hanged out by the king. The king would lean out of windows and drops bracelets or collars to the nobles waiting respectfully below.
Due to this, women wore amulets during and after childbirth to drive away what they believe is a god that steals baby after birth. To Mesopotamians, the recording was very important to them. They need to write everything down. Which led to the presence of their own system of writing which was called the cuneiform. So there is an existence of schools which were attached to temples but only boys are privileged to go to school. In school, students need to do a perfect job or they are beaten up as a punishment. Also, the existence of the Code of Hammurabi became a guide to the Mesopotamians on what not to do in order to avoid punishments as stated in the book (Brien and Fin, 2012).
However, it is fascinating to know that a body of a mummy has never been found in any pyramid, nor contain any body parts that had been identified with certainty as those of a pharaoh or queen. Now, what happens when the very sole reason of the construction of these pyramids are not found? Theories circulate and different functions of these structures are invented, such as being astronomical observatories, guidance for alien space craft, power plants and whatnot (Orcutt,