{"product_id":"the-art-and-architecture-of-mesopotamia-9780789209214","title":"The Art and Architecture of Mesopotamia","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe artistic traditions of ancient Iraq  or Mesopotamia  are among the oldest in the world  for it was in this flat  fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that the worlds first advanced civilization  that of the Sumerians  arose around 3000 BC. But the long history of Mesopotamian art was marked by change as much as continuity; the region was then as now a center of political conflict  and the Sumerians gave way to a succession of powers both indigenous and foreign  each of which left a cultural imprint.  This volumes contributing authors  all art historians and archaeologists specializing in the ancient Near East  provide accessible and lively overviews of the successive phases of this eventful artistic saga. The first two chapters cover the classic age of the great Mesopotamian city-states  from the pre-Sumerian Ubaid culture to Alexanders conquest of Babylon; the remains of this era range from the fabulous treasures of the royal cemeteries at Ur to the mighty ziggurats of Uruk and Babylon. The third chapter concerns the Greco-Mesopotamian art of the Hellenistic dynasty founded by Alexanders general Seleucus; the ruins of Seleucia  his capital on the Tigris  cover some 1500 acres. The fourth chapter investigates the artistic contributions of the two Persian dynasties  the Parthian and the Sassanid  that dominated the region from the first century BC to the seventh century AD and established the soaring iwan  or vaulted portico  as one of its typical architectural forms. The final chapter is devoted to the areas early Islamic period  during which the Abbasid caliphs (eighth to thirteenth century AD) made Iraq the center of the Islamic world  constructing splendid mosques in their capitals of Baghdad and Samarra and elaborating the fantastic arabesques that have never disappeared from Islamic decorative art.  The ancient masterpieces discussed in these chapters are depicted in 217 stunning illustrations  most of them full-color photographs  and appended to the main text is a unique visual guide to Iraqs principal archaeological sites  which provides a further 247 black-and-white photographs. With its authoritative  up-to-date texts and this wealth of illustrations  The Art and Architecture of Mesopotamia is an essential publication for anyone with an interest in the cultural heritage of mankind.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648272162869,"sku":"ByrdShop_0789209217","price":105.24,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780789209214.jpg?v=1781715049","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-art-and-architecture-of-mesopotamia-9780789209214","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}