National museum introduces cultural innovations of Mesopotamia

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National museum introduces cultural innovations of Mesopotamia

The sculpture ″Head of a Ruler″ is displayed in the second section of the exhibit ″Mesopotamia: Great Cultural Innovations, Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.″ The exhibit kicked off on July 22 and runs until Jan. 28, 2024. [YONHAP]

The sculpture ″Head of a Ruler″ is displayed in the second section of the exhibit ″Mesopotamia: Great Cultural Innovations, Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art.″ The exhibit kicked off on July 22 and runs until Jan. 28, 2024. [YONHAP]

 
Mesopotamia was the first civilization in human history to develop and use a form of writing, plant cereal crops, use mathematics and create what we now know as a city.  
 
Despite it being considered one of the world’s earliest civilizations, impacting and inspiring the development of human civilization, its achievements have been less well-known as it has not been subjected to the same level of attention as some other ancient civilizations, such as the Egyptians or Romans.  
 
Rich cultural heritage of Mesopotamia from the fourth millennium BCE to the sixth century BCE, that many Koreans were only able to access through textbooks, is now on display at the National Museum of Korea’s newly established Mesopotamian Gallery.  
 
Director-General Yoon Sung-yong, who was newly appointed last week, speaks during the press conference of the exhibit on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Director-General Yoon Sung-yong, who was newly appointed last week, speaks during the press conference of the exhibit on Thursday. [YONHAP]

 
In efforts to introduce diverse cultural heritages, the National Museum of Korea in central Seoul has been operating the World Art Gallery on its third floor. It has opened two exhibits so far, introducing the heritages of Egypt from 2019 to last year and world ceramics in 2021. 
 
From July 22 to Jan. 28, 2024, a new exhibit titled “Mesopotamia: Great Cultural Innovations, Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art” has been organized. It’s been co-organized with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States, which has a world-class collection of Mesopotamian artifacts. 
 
An administrative account with entries concerning malt and barley groats, dating back to 3100-2900 BCE [METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART]

An administrative account with entries concerning malt and barley groats, dating back to 3100-2900 BCE [METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART]

 
Nearly 70 artifacts are on view, which are “some of the most notable artworks made by the various people who for millennia inhabited the lands referred to as Mesopotamia, modern Iraq and adjacent regions,” said Yelena Rakic, a curator in the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, who attended the press opening on Thursday at the National Museum of Korea. “These cultures and their innovations were indeed formative and transformative, as the exhibition presents and explains so beautifully.”  
 
Rakic said The Met was able to lend the artifacts to the National Museum of Korea as the museum will be undergoing a “complete reimagining, both physically and narratively, of the galleries and the collection we steward” over the next several years.  
 
“During that time, very few artworks will be available to the public, so it is immensely gratifying that some of the best works will be on view here in Seoul,” she added.  
 
The exhibit is divided into three sections — Cultural Innovations, Art and Identity and Art in the Age of Empires.  
 
The “Cultural Innovations” section looks at the advent of cities, religion and rituals as well as the invention of cuneiform writing (an ancient system of writing) and seals.  
 
A dialogue document concerning succession and inheritance dating back to 547 BCE [METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART]

A dialogue document concerning succession and inheritance dating back to 547 BCE [METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART]

“A series of fundamental developments that took place in southern Mesopotamia during the late fourth millennium BCE changed how people related to one another — their environment and knowledge itself,” said Yang Hee-chung, curator of the exhibit. “The invention of the cuneiform writing system, which was quickly used for both economic and epistemological purposes, notably marked the beginning of history.”
 
The Uruk Period (4200-3000 BCE), named after Uruk in southern Iraq, witnessed the spread of these developments across broader Near East into modern-day Syria, southern Turkey and Western Iran. The script was used to record details of trade and business transactions, develop abstract concepts, and systematically organize knowledge of the surrounding world.
 
Cylindrical seals were also invented around the same time. The exhibition presents 13 clay cuneiform tablets and 11 seals. The sophistication of the engravings on these clay cuneiform tablets can also be witnessed as the museum has stamped them on clay tablets to help visitors to view them more vividly. There’s also a kiosk providing interpretations and explanations of each tablet.  
 
Statue of Gudea dating back to 2090 BCE [METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART]

Statue of Gudea dating back to 2090 BCE [METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART]

 
In the “Art and Identity” section, various works expressing individual identity are on display. A highlight piece in this section is the Statue of Gudea, which dates back to 2090 BCE. It’s a diorite sculpture of the Gudea, ensi, or the ruler, of the city-state of Lagash. He commissioned this sculpture to commemorate his refurbishment of the temples of Lagash, as stated in the Sumerian inscription on his skirt. 
 
However, Yang said he actually did not look anything like the sculpture.  
 
“It is said that the sculpture was carved to look like the ideal of a ruler,” said Yang. “That is why there’s an inscription carved on the body revealing whose likeness it is as no one could tell who it is by looking at the sculpture.”
 
Another eye-catcher is a bust of a different ruler, titled "Head of a Ruler." 
 
It’s a life-size representation of a man with an elegantly coiffed beard, well-trimmed mustache and a turban on his head.  
 
“The innovative technology and costly material of copper casting indicate that this was likely commissioned by a ruler or someone of elite status,” said Yang. “The highly naturalized features suggest this may be a portrait of a specific individual, which would make this a rare example of portraiture from Mesopotamia.”
 
Votive Figurine of a man whose hands are clasped at his waist in a pious gesture. During this time, wealthy donors commissioned votives to be installed within temples as dedications to their gods. The figurine dates back to 2600-2350 BCE. [NEWS1]

Votive Figurine of a man whose hands are clasped at his waist in a pious gesture. During this time, wealthy donors commissioned votives to be installed within temples as dedications to their gods. The figurine dates back to 2600-2350 BCE. [NEWS1]

Two panels with striding lions that lined the Processional Way from the Ishtar Gate, the best-known architecture of ancient Mesopotamia, are displayed in the third section of the exhibit. [YONHAP]

Two panels with striding lions that lined the Processional Way from the Ishtar Gate, the best-known architecture of ancient Mesopotamia, are displayed in the third section of the exhibit. [YONHAP]

 
The final “The Age of Empires” section presents artworks from the two major Mesopotamian empires — the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–612 BCE) and the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 BCE). These two empires emerged in the latter half of Mesopotamian civilization. The Neo-Assyrian Empire is known for beautiful stone relief sculptures that adorned the interior of palaces, while the Neo-Babylonian empire was famed for brickwork. The famous prowling lions that lined the Processional Way to the Ishtar Gate can be viewed in this section, though only two lions of 120 made it to Korea.  
 
Admission to the exhibition is free of charge.
 

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]
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