Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus

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Standing lioness demon, ca. 3000–2800 B.C.; Proto-Elamite. Iran. Magnesite or crystalline limestone; H. 8.8 cm (3 1/2 in.); W. 6.2 cm (2 1/2 in.). On loan to the Brooklyn Museum of Art  L.48.7.9, Collection of Robin B. Martin. More about This Exhibition The remarkable flowering of the world's earliest civilizations some 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia—present-day Iraq—was the focus of a landmark exhibition on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from May 8, 2003 through August 17, 2003. The culmination of years of planning and research, "Art of the First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus" surveyed the evolution of art and culture in the land between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates and their impact on the emerging cities of the ancient world—from the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean across Central Asia and along the Gulf to the Indus Valley—during one of the most seminal and creative periods in history. Some fifty museums from more than a dozen countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East participated in this ambitious exhibition, lending national treasures that had rarely, if ever, been sent outside the walls of their art institutions. The exhibition was made possible by Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman. Additional support was provided by The Hagop Kevorkian Fund. An indemnity was granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. More about the Works on View Exhibition Organization The Akkadian Period Interconnections The City of Ur Exhibition Catalogue Special Online Features Educational Programs Exhibition Organizer and Credits

More about the Works on View
The exhibition featured about 400 rare and outstanding works of art—including sculpture, jewelry, vessels, weapons, inlays, cylinder seals, and tablets—selected to demonstrate the quality of the art of Mesopotamia, its distinctive iconography and style, and the breadth of its influence during the thousand years in which the world's earliest cities were transformed into the world's first states and empires.

"Although the roots of our own modern world can be traced back to developments that took place in and around Mesopotamia during the third millennium B.C., the art produced in that distant place and time is little known by the general public," commented Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum. "With this exhibition and its multitude of important loans from some of the greatest collections worldwide, we will present to the public some of the oldest expressive art in the world. Because many of these masterpieces have never traveled beyond their respective museums, their display here signals a watershed moment in our appreciation of ancient civilizations."

"Current events have focused the eyes of the world on Iraq—known in ancient history as Mesopotamia, the very region that 'Art of the First Cities' considers," he continued. "The exhibition is a timely reminder of the innumerable and immeasurable cultural and artistic contributions that come from this land, so rightly called the 'cradle of civilization.' The public presentation of art from Mesopotamia in an institution such as the Metropolitan is of the utmost significance in this difficult period. It expresses our recognition of the vital role the region played in the progress of human history, the vulnerability of its cultural monuments in the present day, and our fervent hopes for its bright future."

Mahrukh Tarapor, the Museum's associate director for exhibitions, who has traveled widely over the past six years to negotiate loans for the show, added: "The special challenge—and reward—of an exhibition of such magnitude is the opportunity to work with institutions and individuals across the globe and to initiate relationships with countries with which the Metropolitan has not worked before, including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. We are indebted to the many colleagues and friends who, at this difficult political moment, have parted with many of their national treasures in order to assure the success of this project."

Joan Aruz, the exhibition's curator, stated: "Living in perhaps the most intensively urban environment in the world, we become acutely aware of its foundations by exploring the first instances in which cultures were transformed into cities and states. Their rich and varied artistic traditions highlight both a common element and great diversity in the approach to basic questions regarding the nature of man and his vision of the world."

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Exhibition Organization
Arranged thematically within a chronological framework, the exhibition featured the remarkable art of Mesopotamia—the "land between the rivers" Tigris and Euphrates—where, at cities such as Uruk and Ur, monumental architecture made its first appearance, writing was invented, and a remarkable combination of realism and abstraction emerged in the depiction of human and animal forms. Through the use of elements that suggest a walled city, its ceremonial gateway, and buildings constructed of mud-brick and decorated with a niched and buttressed façade, the first part of the exhibition's design evoked an ancient urban complex. The second part of the exhibition examined the art of regions in contact with Mesopotamia. The visitor was able to explore civilizations from the eastern Aegean, across western Central Asia, and along the Gulf to the Indus Valley. These regions produced their own distinctive, dynamic art with evidence of cultural interactions which are highlighted.

The essence of these early urban centers was conveyed through superb objects made for temples, households, and the royal court. Exquisite jewelry and other precious objects found in spectacular burials—such as those at the Royal Cemetery at Ur—attest to the wealth of the cities and their inhabitants. One of the most important works from this Early Dynastic period (2900–2250 B.C.), the world-famous "Standard of Ur"—which portrays, in glorious mosaic, themes of Sumerian kingship—was exhibited for the first time outside the walls of the British Museum since it entered their collections in the 1920s.

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The Akkadian Period
From the splendor of the Early Dynastic world, the exhibition explored the succeeding Akkadian period (2300–2100 B.C.), named after a dynasty of kings that united Mesopotamia in an empire, in which artistic achievement reached even greater levels of realism and quality. This was exemplified by beautifully modeled figural imagery such as that found on the extraordinary cylinder seal of the scribe of king Sharkalisharri, lent by the Musée du Louvre. The extent of the Akkadian Empire was illustrated by the powerful image of the divine king Naram-Sin on a relief loaned by Eski Sark Museum, Istanbul. The exhibition also included three uniquely important loans from the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums of the Syrian Arab Republic—a powerfully recumbent, human-headed bull from Tell Brak (northern Syria); the well-known carved figure of Ishqi-Mari (a king of Mari), which combines daring iconography and powerful artistry; and an exquisite hammered gold and lapis lazuli image of the supernatural lion-headed eagle—an image which embodies aspects of the dust storm and torrential rains and is found throughout Mesopotamian art.

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Interconnections
A unique aspect of the exhibition was the special emphasis it placed on the interconnections between Mesopotamia and other contemporary cultures across the broad expanse of the ancient world. Luxury objects fashioned from gold, lapis lazuli, and carnelian attest to the extensive diplomatic, trading, and military activities that brought Mesopotamia into contact—directly or indirectly—with other regions extending from the Aegean and Anatolia to Central Asia and the Indus Valley. Each of these regions—centers of civilization in their own right—produced astonishing and dynamic art, including elaborately carved chlorite and plain alabaster stone vessels and stone sculpture. The finest of these works, including the celebrated Priest-King from the city of Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley, were presented to highlight local artistic traditions. Other works of art demonstrated the cultural interaction that united regions over the vast expanse of western Asia.

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The City of Ur
After the fall of the Akkadian Empire around 2100 B.C., political power within Mesopotamia shifted once again to the south. Some of the finest art of this period comes from the city-state of Lagash, under the rule of Gudea. Magnificent images of this ruler, such as the renowned, seated figure of Gudea holding a plan of a temple, lent by the Musée du Louvre, reveal the extraordinary skill and imagery of the Mesopotamian world at the close of the third millennium B.C.

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Exhibition Catalogue
The exhibition was accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue that includes essays—written by an international roster of scholars—on the history, art, and archaeology of the palaces, temples, and tombs where many of the works were discovered. Published by the Metropolitan Museum and distributed by Yale University Press, the book is available in the Museum's bookshops and online in the Met Store.

The exhibition catalogue was made possible in part by The Hagop Kevorkian Fund and The Adelaide Milton de Groot Fund, in memory of the de Groot and Hawley families.

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Special Online Features
The Metropolitan's Web site is pleased to present a special feature designed to complement the exhibition. The feature comprises eight sections—Masterpieces, Cities, The Ruler, The Divine World, Death and Burial, Writing, Seals and Sealing, and Clothing and Personal Adornment—and contains interactive maps, an overview of each topic by region, and nearly seventy color images with descriptive text. Access to the Web feature is available online.

In addition, online visitors may enjoy a catalogue essay by Joan Aruz, exhibition curator and curator in charge of the Metropolitan's Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art, and clips from exhibition's Audio Guide.

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Educational Programs
The Metropolitan Museum scheduled a variety of educational programs in conjunction with the exhibition, including lectures, gallery talks, and a documentary film series, as well as activities for families. At an international symposium on May 7–8, scholars discussed recent findings in the field.

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Exhibition Organizer and Credits
The exhibition was organized by Joan Aruz, curator in charge of the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art at the Metropolitan Museum. Exhibition design was by Michael Batista, exhibition designer; graphics were by Barbara Weiss, graphic designer; and lighting was by Zack Zanolli, lighting designer, of the Museum's Design Department.

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