Art of the Middle East, Research Paper Example

Head of an Akkadian Ruler–Sargon the Great

According to Joshua J. Mark, the exact location of the ancient city of Akkad is not presently known; archeologists and Middle Eastern historians are also unsure as to how the city of Akkad came to prominence and power. But sometime around 2300 B.C.E., the city of Akkad was the “seat of the Akkadian Empire which ruled over a vast expanse of the region” known as Mesopotamia, often referred to as the Cradle of Civilization and the Land Between the Two Rivers where the first city-states came into existence. Geographically, it is known that the city of Akkad occupied the western banks of the Euphrates River and was not too distant from the great and mighty city of Babylon, now in present-day Iraq (“Sargon of Akkad”).

The city itself was allegedly built by Sargon the Great who ruled as an absolute monarch between 2334 and 2279 B.C.E. and helped to unify the entire Mesopotamian area (generally the valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers) by creating standards and laws that eventually were adopted by other city-states in Mesopotamia. Thus, many archeologists and Middle Eastern historians currently believe that Sargon the Great “created the first multinational empire in the world” (Mark, “Sargon of Akkad”) by introducing the new concept of royal or kingly power which mandated absolute loyalty and fidelity to the monarchy rather than the city-state and its political systems.

Biographically, Sargon the Great was the “illegitimate son of a temple priestess of the goddess Innana” and as revealed on several intact cuneiform clay tablets found in the vicinity of Akkad, was “set adrift in a basket on the Euphrates River where he was found by Akki” who possibly lived in the Kingdom of Kish. Sargon later became the king of Kish by overthrowing Lugalzagesi of Uruk and conquering Kish itself which led to the founding of the city of Akkad. As legend has it, Sargon became an honored figure in Mesopotamia and was seen as the “greatest man who had ever lived, celebrated in glorious tales” handed down in the later Persian Empire (Mark, “Royal Portrait Head–Head of Sargon the Great”).

Artistically, when Sargon became king of the Akkadian Empire, a new period of artistic representation commenced which focused primarily upon depicting kings and other royal figures as the undisputed rulers of the earth. Known as the Head of an Akkadian Ruler and several other titles, the royal image of Sargon was possibly one of the first of its kind to present the image in bronze of a royal person (“Royal Portrait Head–Head of Sargon the Great”). This form of artistic representation of royalty was meant to symbolically represent the power of the individual and often as in this work of art, to embody “some of the real presence of the individual,” almost as if the person himself was present (“Royal Portrait Head–Head of Sargon the Great”).

In art terms, the Head of an Akkadian Ruler, possibly at one time part of a life-size bronze figure of the king, presents an elaborate coiffure that is based on Sumerian hairstyles which demonstrates “the persistence of the ancient traditions of Sumer” and which serves as a sort of crown atop the “unforgettable face of Sargon with its expression of majestic serenity” (de la Croix & Tansey 55). Although the eyes are missing and were most probably made of precious stones imbedded in the sockets, one can still sense the air of divinity in the king’s expression via the sensitive mouth with full lips and of course the elaborate and pleated beard which symbolizes “the union of the formal with naturalness which was so common in Mesopotamian art” (de la Croix & Tansey 57). What is most interesting about this piece of art is that it fully projects the personality of Sargon the Great, being strong-minded and commanding, much like a famous general or war hero. Although the artist or creator of this piece of art is not known, he must have been a highly-skilled craftsman, due to its sophisticated nature and the engraved details, almost as if Sargon himself had sat for this portrait in bronze.

Obviously, at some point in the distant past, the Head of an Akkadian Ruler was damaged, due to the fact that the base of the head just behind the coiffured beard is cut straight across, an indication that it was part of a larger statute perhaps six feet high. More damage can be seen with the left eye socket which appears to have been gouged out in order to remove the precious stones that once occupy the socket. Also, the tip of the prominent nose is flattened, “the ears have been cut off, and the ends of the beard have been broken” (“Royal Portrait Head–Head of Sargon the Great”). Exactly how this damage came about is not clear, but it is possible that it was “intentional and most likely an act of political iconoclasm” in relation to the collapse of the Akkadian Empire and the capture of the city of Nineveh by the Medes and Babylonians, circa the early 7th century B.C.E. (“Royal Portrait Head–Head of Sargon the Great”).

Overall as a work of Akkadian art, the Head of an Akkadian Ruler represents the power and divinity of Akkadian royalty and symbolizes the high-ranking social status of the kings of Mesopotamia. For those who in the distant past once gazed into the magnificent face of Sargon the Great, it must have been clear that he was indeed the “King of the Four Quarters” (de la Croix & Tansey 55), in this instance, the world of ancient Mesopotamia which in effect some 4000 years ago was the known universe.

Works Cited

de la Croix, Horst, and Tansey, Richard G. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. New York: Harcourt & Brace, 2002.

Mark, Joshua J. “Sargon of Akkad.” 2009. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Web. 4 May 2014.

“Royal Portrait Head–Head of Sargon the Great.” 2013. Web. 4 May 2014.