The work of art that I have chosen is from ancient Babylon, which is believed to have
been located where Iran is located today. This Babylonian art is actually a panel from a
wall that led from the inner city through the Gate of Ishtar to the House of the New Year's
Festival (Bit Akitu). Here is where the people came to worship their gods, Adad and
Marduk. The street was the most important in all of Babylon and was called the
Processional Way. All along the wall that led to the House, were glazed figures of striding
lions. This relief of a lion is associated with the goddess of love and war, Ishtar. This is
odd in itself, as the lion is definitely a male. The wall was made of molded glazed bricks
of multiple colors. The lion is glazed in what appears to be gold, but is probably yellow.
The mouth of the lion is open, perhaps he is growling. As stated previously, he is striding
or walking. He has a full, flowing mane and a long tail. This figure is repeated along the
wall as a guide for the processional from the Gate of Ishtar to the Bit Akitu.
This panel tells me that the people of this era were intelligent. This striding lion is not
painted onto the wall; it is actually part of the wall. This means that the bricks were
molded into the form of the lion. In addition, this panel reflects the dedication that the
Babylonians had to their religion. Their religion must have been an integral part of their
lives for them to spend so much time, money and effort to create works of art that
represented their gods. They definitely didn't have the technology that we have today,
so it must have taken years to create these panels. It also indicates that the religion was
not separate from the government, as King Nebuchadnezzar created this great empire of
Babylon and all structures would have been authorized by him. It is amazing what one
piece of art from a civil...