Gardners Art through the Ages A Global History

STELE OF THE VULTURESThe city-states of ancient Sumer
were often at war with one another, and warfare is the theme of the
so-called Stele of the Vultures (FIG. 2-7) from Girsu. A stele is a
carved stone slab erected to commemorate a historical event or, in
some cultures, to mark a grave. The Girsu stele presents a labeled
historical narrative with cuneiform inscriptions filling almost every
blank space on the stele. (It is not, however, the first historical repre-
sentation in the history of art. That honor belongs—at the mo-
ment—to an Egyptian relief (FIG. 3-3) carved more than three cen-
turies earlier.) The inscriptions reveal that the Stele of the Vultures
celebrates the victory of Eannatum, the ensi (ruler; king?) of Lagash,
over the neighboring city-state of Umma. The stele has reliefs on
both sides and takes its nickname from a fragment with a gruesome
scene of vultures carrying off the severed heads and arms of the de-
feated enemy soldiers. Another fragment shows the giant figure of
the local god Ningirsu holding tiny enemies in a net and beating one
of them on the head with a mace.
The fragment in FIG. 2-7depicts Eannatum leading an infantry
battalion into battle (above) and attacking from a war chariot (be-
low). The foot soldiers are protected behind a wall of shields and
trample naked enemies as they advance. (The fragment that shows
vultures devouring corpses belongs just to the right in the same reg-
ister.) Both on foot and in a chariot, Eannatum is larger than anyone
else, except Ningirsu on the other side of the stele. The artist pre-
sented him as the fearless general who paves the way for his army.
Lives were lost, however, and Eannatum himself was wounded in the
campaign, but the outcome was never in doubt because Ningirsu
fought with the men of Lagash.
Despite its fragmentary state, the Stele of the Vultures is an extra-
ordinary document, not only as a very early effort to record histori-
cal events in relief but also for the insight it yields about Sumerian

society. Through both words and pictures, it provides information

about warfare and the special nature of the Sumerian ruler. Eanna-

tum was greater in stature than other men, and Ningirsu watched

over him. According to the text, the ensi was born from the god

Enlil’s semen, which Ningirsu implanted in the womb. When Eanna-

tum was wounded in battle, it says, the god shed tears for him. He

was a divinely chosen ruler who presided over all aspects of his city-

state, both in war and in peace. This also seems to have been the role

of the ensi in the other Sumerian city-states.

STANDARD OF UR Agriculture and trade brought considerable

wealth to some of the city-states of ancient Sumer. Nowhere is this

clearer than in the so-called Royal Cemetery at Ur, the city that was

home to the biblical Abraham. In the third millennium BCE, the lead-

ing families of Ur buried their dead in chambers beneath the earth.

Scholars still debate whether these deceased were true kings and

queens or simply aristocrats and priests, but the Sumerians laid them

to rest in regal fashion. Archaeologists exploring the Ur cemetery un-

covered gold helmets and daggers with handles of lapis lazuli (a rich

azure-blue stone imported from Afghanistan), golden beakers and

bowls, jewelry of gold and lapis, musical instruments, chariots, and

other luxurious items. Dozens of bodies were also found in the rich-

est tombs. A retinue of musicians, servants, charioteers, and soldiers

was sacrificed in order to accompany the “kings and queens” into the

afterlife. (Comparable rituals are documented in other societies, for

example, in ancient America; see Chapter 14.)

Not the costliest object found in the “royal” graves, but probably

the most significant from the viewpoint of the history of art, is the so-

called Standard of Ur (FIGS. 2-8and 2-9). This rectangular box of un-

certain function has sloping sides inlaid with shell, lapis lazuli, and red

limestone. The excavator, Leonard Woolley, thought the object was

36 Chapter 2 THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST

2-7Fragment of the victory stele of Eannatum
(Stele of the Vultures), from Girsu (modern
Telloh), Iraq, ca. 2600–2500 bce.Limestone,
fragment 2 6 high, full stele 5 11 high. Louvre,
Paris.

Cuneiform inscriptions on this stele describe the
victory of Eannatum of Lagash over the city of
Umma. This fragment shows Eannatum leading
his army into battle. The artist depicted the king
larger than his soldiers.

1 ft.