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Ancient Mediterranean + Europe
Course: Ancient Mediterranean + Europe > Unit 2
Lesson 4: Neo-Sumerian/Ur IIISeated Gudea holding Temple Plan
Seated Gudea holding temple plan, known as "Architect with Plan," c. 2100 B.C.E. (Neo-Sumerian/Ur III period), from Girsu (modern Telloh, Iraq), diorite, 93 x 41 x 61 cm (Musée du Louvre, Paris). Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
Want to join the conversation?
- IS the stone this day the same from this video or did it break from natural disasters or even from falling(3 votes)
- Who is this sculpture with no head ?(1 vote)
- What is the meaning of diorite?
What is the meaning of diorite?(1 vote)
Video transcript
(piano music) - [Beth] We're standing
in a remarkable room in the Louvre filled with diorite sculptures of Gudea, ruler of Lagash. These sculptures are 4,000 years old. - [Steven] And some of
them are life-sized. Some are standing, some are seated but one of the most
remarkable is a seated figure that unfortunately has lost it's head and part of it's knee
and one of it's thumbs but he is exceptional
because he holds on his lap a tablet that has inscribed in it the plan of a temple. - [Beth] Now Gudea was the
prince or governor of Lagash. This is a city state in the
area of Southern Mesopotamia, in an area we call Sumer. And this period is known
as the 3rd Dynasty of Ur or the Neo-Sumerian period. - [Steven] So this comes
after the earlier Period of Ur when the Sumerians had been in control of Southern Mesopotamia. - [Beth] Known as the
Sumerian Dynastic Period. - [Steven] That was
interrupted when the Akkadians, a militaristic culture, took control. But the Akkadians were destabilized
when they were attacked by a people from the mountains which allowed for the Sumerians
to reassert themselves and that's the period
we're looking at here. - [Beth] And Gudea built
or re-built many temples clearly concerned about
demonstrating his piety. - [Steven] And we know
that from inscriptions, including the inscriptions
on this particular sculpture, you can see cuneiform on
his skirt, on the chair, and all the way across his back. - [Beth] The inscription tells us that it was important to
Gudea that this statue be erected of diorite, this incredibly hard stone. - [Steven] Most stone is not
available in the flood plain between the Tigris and the
Euphrates in Mesopotamia. Stone had to be imported - [Beth] And diorite being
such a hard stone to carve but one that's incredibly durable, and Gudea tells us in the inscription for this statue, nobody was to use silver or lapis lazuli, neither should copper or tin or bronze be a working material. It is exclusively of diorite. He's comparing this to materials that are very colorful, that are shining clearly preferring this very dark stone perhaps as a sign of his humility. - [Steven] Well his hands are clasped in all of these images. His feet are together and there is a real
sense of quiet dignity. - [Beth] These sculptures
were erected in temples and in a way, took the place
of Gudea before the gods continually offering prayer. - [Steven] So we have this man, Gudea and he's known for building
a series of temples including a Temple to Ningersu, in the city of Gersu, in Lagash. - [Beth] Ningirsu is a primary
deity of the Sumerians. The building of this temple, that's apparently very important to Gudea and is perhaps one reason
why he's represented with this plan on his lap. - [Steven] The plan shows we think, the walls that would have
surrounded the inner shrine within the larger temple complex, walls with fortifications
with towers with entrances. We can even make out small buildings on the outside of the walls
in between the buttresses. In addition to the plan, we see two other objects on his lap. There's a stylus which would
have been used to inscribe the plan that we're seeing and there's also a tool that's
in not very good condition but we can still make out that's a tool for measurement and we can see inscribed
on it regular graduations. - [Beth] Everything about the sculpture is designed to last for eternity. There are no projecting parts, the arms are close to the body, there's stone between
the arms and the torso, there's no openings or
gaps surround the chair that he sits on or between his feet and the base. - [Steven] And in that way at least, it may remind us of the sculpture that's being produced in
Ancient Egypt at this time. - [Beth] Gudea's always shown barefoot and we do have heads here in the gallery where he's shown typically wearing a hat that maybe made out of wool or fur but it's very different
from the kinds of crowns worn by the earlier Akkadian rulers. - [Steven] And the face is clean-shaven in contrast with the elaborate
beards of the Akkadians. - [Beth] These are not
really portraits of Gudea. This is a kind of
idealized image of Gudea. - [Steven] And we see that not only in the beauty of the shape of the face but also in the emphasis
on the musculature. This is usually understood
as an expression of the favor of the gods. - [Beth] There's a smaller sculpture here made out a lighter color of diorite where the figure is much more intact and he's interestingly holding a jar from which water spouts in
streams in two directions. - [Steven] And even fish
play in those streams. - [Beth] And this an
indication of the bounty of Gudea's frame for his people. And that's assured by his
piety toward the gods. - [Steven] In all of these sculptures, the face is wide-eyed
and the eyes are framed by this wonderful arching eyebrows. Everything about this
speaks to a kind of piety, a kind of simplicity, a kind of reverence. (piano music)