Why does female representation in Mesopotamian art decline from the 3rd to the 2nd millennium BCE?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i4.3631Keywords:
women, old babylonian, legal codes, art representationAbstract
As we move from the third millennium to the second millennium BCE, the representation of women in Mesopotamian art substantially decreases. This tendency has been noted by many academics, but the cause has not yet been discovered. With the support of the supposition that a reduction in women's status caused a decline in their representation in art, this study seeks to explain this trend. This paper primarily employs case studies to identify any variations in how women were portrayed before using the information gained to support the hypothesis. The study also gives a background on women's representation in seals and legal codes.
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Figures and tables
Tab. 1. Outline of ancient Mesopotamian history. Based on Roux, G. 1966. Ancient Iraq. London: Penguin.
Fig. 1. Map of ancient Mesopotamia, available at: https://owlcation.com/humanities/Ancient-Mesopotamian
Fig. 2. Female head with elaborate hairstyle. The Met Museum Catalogue, available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324060 [accessed 3.05.2022].
Fig. 3. Head Of a Male. The Met Museum Catalogue, available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326046?ft=mesopotamia+men&offset=40&rpp=40&pos=59 [accessed 3.05.2022].
Fig. 4. Head of a female. The Met Museum Catalogue, available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327396?ft=mesopotamia+women&offset=0&rpp=40&pos=29 [accessed 3.05.2022].
Fig. 5. Standing male worshipper. The Met Museum Catalogue, available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/323735?ft=the+male&offset=0&rpp=40&pos=2 [accessed 3.05.2022].
Fig. 6. Standing Female Figure. The Met Museum Catalogue, available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324117?ft=standing+female+figure&offset=0&rpp=40&pos=19 [accessed 3.05.2022].
Fig. 7. Statuette. The British Museum Catalogue, available at : https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1890-0510-2 [accessed 3.05.2022
Figure 8 : plaque. The British Museum Catalogue (online) available at : https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1935-0112-61
Figure 9: Goddess Kali. World History Encyclopaedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Kali/
Figure 10: The ‘Queen of the Night’ relief. (© The Trustees of the British Museum) https://smarthistory.org/the-queen-of-the-night-relief/
Figure 11: The British Museum Catalogue (online) available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1935-0112-61
Figure 12: Terracotta plaque, excavated at Diqdiqqah, Ur. Iraq. British Museum 116814 © Trustees of the British Museum (Humbaba)
Figure 13: plaque. The British Museum Catalogue (online) available at:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/W_1933-1013-181
Figure 14: king or a god carrying a mace. The Metropolitan Museum Online Catalogue: available at : https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322603
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