Mesopotamia at Melbourne Museum

The Mesopotamia exhibition at the Melbourne Museum was a fascinating insight into the culture and lives of people living in what is present day Iraq. Many of the ideas and teachings of this time have carried through to today. The Mesopotamians invented one of the first forms of writing, now known as cuneiform. It began as small pictographs, which were then transformed into symbols. They wrote using a reed stylus to make the impressions in clay. There are over 600 signs/ symbols that make up this language. This writing covers many of the art works of the time, from statues to wall reliefs to tablets of writing.

A cuneiform tablet

The Mesopotamians were also highly skilled in their art forms. They created incredibly intricate carvings and engravings for various purposes. One example is the cylinder seals, which were stone cylinders that had a design engraved on them in reverse. The cylinder would then be rolled on clay and the design would appear the right way and in relief. Most of the seals were about 2-3cm tall and up to 2cm in diameter, but they were incredibly detailed and intricate in the designs. These seals were also very cleverly made with a hole drilled down the centre, so that the cylinder could be worn on a pin or cord.

Examples of cylinder seals