Adze. Early Paleolithic. Ruins of Latami, Orontes Valley
Tauqiu Uruk culture in Aleppo province along the Euphrates River
Early Kazakhs of the Bronze Age in cuneiform clay tablets, located northeast of Jezyrikh
Aerial view of the ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra
Hedgehog-shaped drinking apparatus Uruk culture in Aleppo province, Arudar, Yebanr
Statues of worshippers. Early Bronze Age. Hariri, Deir ez-Zor region
A statue of a woman. Early Bronze Age. Hariri, Deir ez-Zor region
Stone statue of Helios, the sun god. Roman period. Homs West Region
Clay sculpture of Early Bronze Age Hariri, Deir ez-Zor area
Lapis Lazuli necklace, Middle Bronze Age, National Museum, Damascus
Axyrian king and chariot relief of the horn of Ahmar during the Iron Age in Aleppo
Carved Sphinx Iron Age Alslantash, Aleppo Province
Glazed ceramic vase, Ayyubid period, National Museum of Damascus
◎ Wang Jiannan
Exhibition: Encounters with Mesopotamia
- Exhibition of ancient Syrian antiquities
Exhibition time: June 25, 2022 to September 11, 2022
Venue: National Museum of Classical Arts
When people think of Syria, several perceptions often come to mind, and the relationship between them is quite complicated. First, modern Syria overlaps with ancient Syria and to varying degrees. The Syrian Arab Republic is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iraq to the southeast, Jordan to the south, Lebanon and Israel to the southwest. In the distant ancient world, this region was collectively known as the Levant, and was the sum of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel, as well as a small part of Turkey's border with Syria, as well as Iraq and Syria. The upper reaches of the Euphrates River flow through it. The cultural monuments and history of civilizational changes presented in the exhibition are set in ancient Syria.
Since ancient times, the region has been located at the crossroads of three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe. Since the 8th century BC, different civilizations have left traces of history here. It was invaded by Assyria, Neo-Babylon, Macedonia, Rome, Arabia, etc. The regime's rule left behind a rich and varied cultural heritage. Even in Syria today, there are more than 3,500 monuments that showcase cultural diversity and form a unique Syrian culture.
Stone Age: From Clay Balls to Cuneiform
Between 100,000 and 10,000 years ago, primitive human activities appeared in ancient Syria. The Paleolithic culture of ancient Syria is closely associated with Africa and Europe, suggesting that the earliest human ancestors born in East Africa left Africa and survived through this place. The early Paleolithic remains here are mainly felling tools and hand axes, the middle period is characterized by stone flake culture, and the late period is characterized by carvings, stone leaves and fine stone leaf combinations.
The first cultural monument in the exhibition hall is a stone hand axe from 5 million to 300,000 years ago, typical of the early Paleolithic Acheulian culture. One end is pointed and thin, and the other end is slightly wider and thicker, in the shape of teardrops. The first standardized processing heavy tool in human history, representing the highest technical level of stone tool processing in the evolution of ancient humans.
In 1980, archaeologists excavated the Jaf al-Ahmar site on the left bank of the middle Euphrates River in Aleppo, Syria, showing that the social organization in the area was at a high evolutionary level and once had a center of power. Responsible for managing day-to-day affairs. The architecture of the time was carefully planned and constructed, and the size and living conditions of the houses were closely related to the distance from the center of the complex, which may reflect differences in early social classes. In addition, facilities such as large warehouses and widely used ground stone tools such as pestles and mortars were found at the site, indicating that the local food source was mainly grain. Many of the carved rune tablets that have been found are carved with various decorative patterns, such as straight lines, concentric patterns and other geometric figures, as well as snakes, scorpions and other patterns, symbolizing the coexistence of humans and animals. This shows that as early as the Neolithic period in ancient Syria, agriculture and animal husbandry gradually became the main economic sources.
Around 7000 BC, ceramics appeared, which became the key to the transformation of settlements. People could make more and more elaborate painted ceramics, build churches and palaces, the social division of labor gradually became significant, class differentiation began to complete, and new ways of life that combined economic and social factors appeared. The basis for the formation of the city-state. With the continuous improvement of social production, the people of Mesopotamia began to move from settlements to urban civilization. In this process, the Hassouna culture, the Samara culture, the Khalaf culture, the Obeid culture and the Uruk culture are important symbols, and there is a certain continuity between the different cultures.
Around 3000 BC, primitive city-states began to emerge in Syria. Located in the southern part of Deir ez-Zor province, the ancient city of Mali marks the rise of the early city-states of ancient Syria. The statues of the worshippers are representative cultural monuments of the early Bronze Age. The stone statues in the display cases are made of alabaster, bearded, shirtless, robed, and pose in prayer. In the temples along the Euphrates there are many statues of this prayer pose, placed on chairs in the inner walls of the temples. They represent wealthy social strata such as administrators, registrars, clerks and merchants. Archaeologists have found temples, palaces, statues, scrolls, etc. These remains have also been discovered, providing solid evidence for studying the historical development of Mesopotamia from 3000 BC to 1750 BC.
The two basins formed by sediments from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers are rich in clay, especially in the southern region of the lower stream. Clay can be found anytime and anywhere, while other materials such as stone can only be imported. Thus, clay created the earliest art form in ancient Mesopotamia – pottery, which is not only a living vessel, but also a work of art. Pottery was introduced to Syria after it appeared in northern Mesopotamia (in present-day Iraq).
From 6000 BC, raw pottery was replaced by faience pottery, and faience of Samara culture and Khalaf culture appeared one after another. Among them, the painted ceramics of the Haraf culture are very finely made, the composition is grand, and the firing surface is high. It is considered to be the pinnacle of ancient Near Eastern painted pottery, equivalent to the pottery of the Yangshao culture in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in China. In the exhibition hall, pottery from the Obeid culture and hedgehog-shaped drinking vessel from the Uruk culture highlight the professional production ability and artistic imagination of ancient Mesopotamian artists.
Hedgehog-shaped pots are the cutest ones. The eyes, ears and legs of the hedgehog are connected. There are two nozzles, one for filling the liquid and the other for pouring out the liquid. In fact, symbolic pottery in the form of animals, birds or people is not used in everyday life, but in rituals. The other is a pottery ball that represents the Uruk culture. At first glance, the surface is a bit bumpy and muddy, but it is surprising when you look closer. There are many cow and sheep patterns engraved on it, which is very beautiful. It turns out that during the Uruk period, the complexity of social management increased due to the rise of cities, the growth of the population and the differentiation of social classes. Humans invented a variety of tools to facilitate the storage of temples, the production and distribution of materials.
The production of this ceramic ball was originally used for warehouse bookkeeping, and gradually evolved into clay tablets for writing words. Ceramic balls and clay sheets were sealed one after another to prevent theft and tampering. The decoration of the surface of the ceramic ball reflects the ingenious control and supervision methods of people. Over time, the decoration of clay balls became a kind of inscription symbol and testimony to the highest level of civilization in the region - cuneiform. It is one of the three main writing systems known in the world today. It was created by the Sumerians of Mesopotamia and first appeared during the Uruk culture period 5500 years ago. At first, he described only what was relevant to economic activity, but later expanded to include church dedication, royal inscriptions, war records, and letters. The various ethnic groups living in Mesopotamia used this writing system for recording and communication, which played a role in the cultural, religious, and economic development of the region.
The Bronze Age: Technological Innovation and Worship
After the Pottery Age, people entered the Bronze Age here. People began to widely use metal raw materials to make ornaments, work tools, practical tools. The social productive forces have undergone qualitative changes, and major changes have also taken place in social life.
Sun worship was a common cultural phenomenon in the early human world. The ancient Syrians worshipped the sun god Shamash very early, and in classical times it became the sun god Helios. Sun motifs often appear on ceramics, stone carvings, scroll prints, and other artifacts unearthed at the site. Where there is worship, there is divination. In order to obtain the will of the gods, people tried to communicate with the gods by means of divination. Some people sleep in temples and pray for enlightenment in their sleep. The other is animal sacrifice, where it is believed that the idea of the gods is expressed through the shape of the animal's liver.
The locals also exhibited the characteristics of the worship of the mother goddess, reflecting the important role of fertility beliefs in primitive religions. Clay statues depicting female figures have been found in Late Paleolithic and Neolithic sites in Syria. A similar phenomenon existed in the Hongshan culture of the Chinese Neolithic period. Later, when the Syrian region came under the rule of the Eastern Roman Empire, Syria entered a Hellenistic period, and the main Greek god Zeus, known as Zeus-Hypsistos, appeared in the local temples, as well as Greek and Roman gods and deities. Local gods. The god Hada is the result of the fusion of the gods.
The presence of high-quality ornaments is suitable for this service. The mother-of-pearl mosaic found in the temple of Shamash (sun god) in the ancient city of Mali consists of rectangular, triangular and diamond-shaped shells, red limestone and stone slabs, set on a black mosaic background, depicting five figures. Who likes it.
Archaeological remains from the Uruk period show another relief that embodies Syria's unique cultural tradition, the statue seen in the Temple of Eyes. Around 2900 BC, thousands of relief dolls made of alabaster were unearthed at the temple site. Such temples are known as "eye temples", and these dolls can be offerings offered to the temple by the locals.
Strategic location: An ever-changing empire
In ancient Syria, it was connected to the Anatolian plateau in northern Turkey and the Great Rift Valley in Western Asia, and the southern part served as an aftermath of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa, forming the open Syrian steppe. It can be said that defense is not safe. The mighty empire invaded and occupied it.
Between 1200 BC and 333 BC, Syria entered the Iron Age. The first was the invasion of the Assyrian Empire from the east. After more than two centuries of conquest, the Assyrians from the Iranian plateau eventually ruled Mesopotamia and occupied Syria around 1094 BC.
At the Aleppo Museum, reliefs and carriages of Assyrian kings highlight the social class of this period. There are quite a few such statues and murals in the area. Relief is the most representative artistic style of the Assyrians. The content mainly depicts scenes such as the king's military parade, war, hunting, and court life. His style had a profound influence on ancient Syria. Effect.
At the end of the 7th century BC, Babylon, located in lower Mesopotamia, defeated the Assyrians. In 539 BC, the Persian Empire defeated the Babylonian Empire and began a 200-year reign. Under the rule of the Persian Empire, Hellenistic cities and trading colonies began to appear in Syria on the Mediterranean coast. A temple dedicated to the Greek god Hercules has been found on the site of Amlet, where the influence of ancient Egyptian dynasties often arrived. Originally derived from ancient Egyptian mythology, the Sphinx was depicted as a winged monster, usually male, and there are three types of Sphinx seen today, namely the human-faced sphinx, the sheep-headed sphinx, and the griffin-headed sphinx. Sphinx. The exhibition hall features a beautiful carving from the Aleppo Museum showing two face-to-face Sphinx, sheep's heads and the bodies of lions. In Assyrian culture, the Sphinx is depicted as a winged lion or bull with a human face, beard, and crown, representing the patron saint Ramasu of wisdom, strength, and dexterity.
In 333 BC, Alexander the Great defeated the Persian king Darius I and captured Damascus, beginning the Hellenistic process of Syria. By 395, the Roman Empire was divided into East and West. Rome in the Middle East, also known as the Byzantine Empire, brought Syria under its control and became its province for 600 years. During this period, Rome had a multifaceted influence on Syria, especially in terms of architectural style and religious sacrifice. Palmyra in the north is now a ruined wall. In the past it was a typical Roman city. The city has a triumphal arch, theaters, amphitheaters, large squares and palaces. Roman sculpture focuses on realism and narrative and can be found throughout the city. A separate artifact has been restored in the exhibition hall.
Trade Crossroads: The Green and Golden Roads
As long as there is no war, it will immediately prosper.
Syria is an important hub of the Silk Road. Syria was connected to China more than 2,000 years ago through the artery of East-West civilization exchange. In the later Roman and Arab-Islamic periods, the two places continued to interact and interact. Trade and cultural exchanges continue today. Silk Road trade spread through the Syrian "crossroads" to Europe in the northwest and Egypt in the southwest.
The ruins of Mount Tuni and Mount Soukas bear witness to the flourishing trade and commerce of the time. These were important ports at the time, and it was very convenient to transport goods to the surrounding areas of the Mediterranean. As imported goods could reach Syrian coastal ports directly through the Euphrates, urbanization accelerated, and the demand of the urban elite for foreign goods such as wood, ceramics, olive oil, perfume, wine, etc. increased steadily. , dyes, wool, etc. are often exported to various places through coastal ports, the most typical of which is the lapis lazuli trade.
Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan was shipped to Iran as a decorative material, sliced, washed, processed, and then shipped to Mesopotamia. As one of the most valuable gemstones, lapis lazuli was loved by Mesopotamian high society. Long before the opening of the Silk Road, this lapis lazuli trade route was known as the "Lapis Lazuli Road". Archaeologists unearthed the Ebra Royal Archives and thousands of cuneiform clay tablets, as well as 20 kilograms of rough lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, as well as a variety of imported goods from flax to pine, oil and timber. With the source of precious raw materials, high-end decorative processing techniques have emerged, especially fine gold jewellery processing. Around 3000 BC, the first gold products appeared in ancient Syria, and another 500 years later, artisans in southern Mesopotamia and Syria used metallurgical and metalworking techniques to collect, copy and imitate gold. The craftsmanship of different civilizations and regions further developed the "fine gold craft", that is, gold and silver filigree and granulation technology, and used welding methods to decorate the surface of goldware. After 2000 BC, entering the era of the spread of gold crafts, the exchange represented by gold crafts has also become an important embodiment of cultural and economic exchanges between ancient Syria and other countries.
Crossroads of Religions: Eastern Feelings
Ancient Syria was both the birthplace and the crucible of religious beliefs. By the seventh century AD, with the rise of the Arab-Islamic Empire and the conquest of Syria, the direct influence of the West ended. By changing the color of the walls of the exhibition hall, the viewer learns that they have entered the Arab world: green represents Allah's favor, blue represents blue sky and sea, and white represents purity and justice. The corridors are lined with Islamic-inspired motifs and floral paper – the last stop on your tour of ancient Syria is the Islamic world. The square tiles represent the typical Islamic style of the Ottoman era with black floral decorations on a blue background. Islamic culture is decorated with flowers, plants and geometric shapes, which are intricate and intertwined, symbolizing strong vitality and God's inspiration.
The Silk Road is like one of the main arteries of communication between Eastern and Western civilizations. It has fully facilitated communication and exchanges between countries along the Belt and Road, and even connected Syria and China thousands of miles apart. As early as the Western Han Dynasty, Chinese history books referred to the ancient Syrian region as "Tiaozhi", "Daqin", "Dashi", etc. The ancient Syrian Umayyad dynasty sent missions to Chang'an City several times during the Tang Dynasty. At that time, Nestorianism, which was prevalent among the Chang people, originated in ancient Syria and was the first sect of Chinese Christianity. A patterned oval and flat stone tablet preserved in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum is a testimony to this history. The upper part of this stone is decorated with Nestorian decorations.
There is no doubt that porcelain is one of the most popular Chinese goods in the Arab world. From the middle of the 8th century, through the four dynasties of Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming, China sold a large amount of porcelain to the Arab region. Fragments of Chinese porcelain have been found in various places in Syria. Trade between China and Syria continues to this day. It has had a significant impact on the development of their respective civilizations. This is why the exhibition was named "Conference". Photos of this issue/11
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