Mesopotamia: Ancient Art and Architecture

About the Author Zainab Bahrani is Edith Porada Professor of Art History and Archaeology at Columbia University, New York. She is the author of numerous books, including The Infinite Image: Art, Time and the Aesthetic Dimension in Antiquity, winner of the Lionel Trilling Prize in 2015, and Rituals of War: The Body and Violence in Mesopotamia, winner of the American Historical Association’s James Henry Breasted Prize. Product Description This book is the first in ten years to present a comprehensive survey of art and architecture in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, northeast Syria and southeast Turkey), from 8000 BCE to the arrival of Islam in 636 CE. The book is richly illustrated with c. 400 full-colour photographs, and maps and time charts that guide readers through the chronology and geography of this part of the ancient Near East. The book addresses such essential art historical themes as the origins of narrative representation, the first emergence of historical public monuments and the earliest aesthetic commentaries. It explains how images and monuments were made and how they were viewed. It also traces the ancient practices of collecting and conservation and rituals of animating statues and of architectural construction. Accessible to students and non-specialists, the book expands the scope of standard surveys to cover art and architecture from the prehistoric to the Roman era, including the legendary cities of Ur, Babylon, Nineveh, Hatra and Seleucia on the Tigris. Review 'Gloriously illustrated … this book will undoubtedly persuade even a sceptical reader of the artistic allure of ancient Mesopotamia' - Daily Telegraph 'Illuminates the artistic creativity of ancient Mesopotamia with new and profound conceptualizations for our generation' - Harvey Weiss, Yale University 'The book is deeply informed by up-to-date scholarship and reflects significant new directions in approaches to Mesopotamian art over the past few decades' - Ann Gunter, Northwestern University 'A must-have book' - Timeless Travels Book Description An authoritative survey of the momentous and influential developments in the art and architecture of ancient Mesopotamia from 8000 BCE to the arrival of Islam in 636 CE From the Back Cover This book is the first in ten years to present a comprehensive survey of art and architecture in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, northeast Syria and southeast Turkey), from 8000 bce to the arrival of Islam in 636 bce. The book is richly illustrated with c. 400 full-colour photographs, and maps and time charts that guide readers through the chronology and geography of this part of the ancient Near East. The book addresses such essential art historical themes as the origins of narrative representation, the first e