The stele of the vultures

Partially reconstructed from several fragments found in the remains of the Sumerian city of Girsu, this stele of vultures is the oldest known historiographic document. A long inscription in the Sumerian language recounts the recurring conflict between the neighboring city-states of Lagash and Umma and then the victory of Eannatum, the stele of the vultures of Lagash.

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The stele of the vultures

It shows various battle and religious scenes and is named after the vultures that can be seen in one of these scenes. The stele was originally carved out of a single slab of limestone , but only seven fragments are known to have survived up to the present day. The fragments were found at Tello ancient Girsu in southern Iraq in the late 19th century and are now on display in the Louvre. The stele was erected as a monument to the victory of king Eannatum of Lagash over Ush, king of Umma. The stele is not complete; only seven fragments are known today. The first three fragments were found during excavations in the early s by the French archaeologist Ernest de Sarzec at the archaeological site of Tello , ancient Girsu, in what is today southern Iraq. Another three fragments came to light during the excavations of — A seventh fragment, which was later determined to be part of the Stele of the Vultures and thought to have come from Tello, was acquired on the antiquities market by the British Museum in While two initial requests to hand this fragment over to the Louvre were denied by the British Museum, it was eventually given to them in so that it could be incorporated in the reconstructed stele together with the other fragments. Thureau-Dangin in The complete monument, as reconstructed and now in display in the Louvre, would have been 1. It was made out of a single slab of limestone with carved reliefs on both sides. The two sides of the stele show distinctly different scenes and have therefore been interpreted as a mythological side and a historical side. The mythological side is divided into two registers.

Before Eanatum, Elam trembled, and the Elamite he sent back to his land. On it, he describes a conflict with Umma over Gu-Edina tract of agricultural land located between the two city-states.

From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. It is dated circa BC, and dedicated in Girsu. Ernest de Sarzec. Department of Near Eastern Antiquities of the Louvre. Media in category "Stele of the Vultures" The following 91 files are in this category, out of 91 total. Building funeral mounds, Stele of the Vultures.

H i everyone and welcome back to Exploring Art, this is Alessandro and today we are going to discover one of the most important artifacts of the Sumerian art: the Stele of the Vultures. If you missed the previous episode of the series you can click here. First of all: when and where? This monument is dated around — BC and it was made to celebrate a victory of the city-state of Lagash over its neighbor Umma, so we are in Mesopotamia. The bas-relief would have been 1. And It was made out of a single slab of limestone with carved reliefs on both sides. On one we can see a mythological scene and, on the other, the historical episode of the military campaign against Umma that we are going to read together. This side tells a story arranged on the stele in accordance with the traditional system of registers. These 4 sections. In the upper register, the king of Lagash , Eannatum, is marching at the head of his army.

The stele of the vultures

The stele was erected to celebrate the victory of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash, ruled by Eanatum, over its rival Umma. While only fragments have survived, it originally must have been approximately cm tall, cm wide, and 11 cm thick. It was carved out of a single limestone slab. There are different scenes on either side. The scenes on one side have been interpreted as historical or terrestrial, while the other side is thought to be mythological or divine. Both are connected to Eanatum, but only the historical side need interest us here, because it affords some interesting information with regards to the history of warfare.

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Case Studies in Early Societies. Harbaville Triptych Lampsacus Treasure. Ur he defeated. CDLI P Stele of the vultures phalanx. The upper, larger register shows a large male figure holding a mace in his right hand and an anzu or lion-headed eagle in his left hand. In Kessler, Herbert L. He was penetrated by the arrow, but he broke it off? Fertility Idol. He was penetrated by the arrow, but he broke it off. His name in heaven and earth. It is dated circa BC, and dedicated in Girsu. The Art of Seals.

Not on view.

The top of the first panel depicts a large flock of vultures flying through the air while carrying severed heads and arms of the defeated soldiers of Umma in their beaks. Upload media. Vulture Stele , reverse. Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia: Early Periods. Buy your tickets and skip the line. Stele of Vultures historical side. The Louvre, where the stele is kept, has the goddess on the front of the stele misidentified as Nanshe, rather than her sister, Inanna. The inscriptions on the Eannatum Boulder. Funerary Relief. Stele of the vultures bull sacrifice.