GEONISTIL: Sphinx

The Anunnaki Gods of Ancient Mesopotamia

The Anunnaki Gods of Ancient Mesopotamia

The ancient land of Babylon the birthplace of a culture that culminated in the Babylonian Empire remains a mystery. Following its past decline it marked the beginning of the Sumerian civilization which later evolved into the modern Mesopotamian land. Enigmatic depictions of the Anunnaki mythical gods are found in Assyrian rock carvings often featuring thick beards and elaborate attire along with the depiction of them holding cylindrical objects or mysterious tools.

This land once located within the Fertile Crescent was one of the first civilizations to build the enigmatic city of Babylon and is believed to have been instrumental in the creation of cuneiform writing and ziggurats representing one of the most prosperous and flourishing regions of ancient Mesopotamia. Ancient Assyrian art from the northern region of Mesopotamia or the Assyrian Empire is characterized by highly detailed depictions of humans and animals including veins and other minute details.

The bas-relief at the top of the inscription depicts the King of Babylon standing on the left raising his hand to cover his mouth in a gesture of respect and prayer to the sun god Shamash.

Construction often utilized exposed brick walls with stone slabs adorning the bases. The art incorporates themes of war victory and lion hunting appearing in statues and carvings on plaster or marble.These carvings often feature winged motifs such as lamatsu prominently displayed on city gates to ward off evil and symbolize fertility and prosperity in Mesopotamia.

Mesopotamian artifacts and carvings are frequently linked to ancient extraterrestrial theories and the Anunnaki deities of ancient Mesopotamian mythology. The circular carvings above resemble ancient calendars or astrological charts beliefs connected to the Sumerian calendar system or planetary orbits which determined the fate of humanity established world order and acted as intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds.

The bas-relief on an ancient stone slab known as the Tablet of Shamash an artifact from the Babylonian era dating back to the 9th century BC was discovered in Sippar Iraq. In the center is an image of Shamash the Mesopotamian god of the sun and justice.

"Those who descended from heaven" or "Sons of Anu" gods of the sky a group of deities in ancient Mesopotamian mythology are often interpreted as pre-existing high-tech devices. Mesopotamia an ancient land renowned as one of the oldest civilizations in the world is famously associated with the Anunnaki often linked to extraterrestrial theories or ancient aliens intelligent beings from other planets who came to mine for gold. However historically and archaeologically they were deities within the traditional religious and cultural beliefs.

The revival of art on the Sphinx sculpture

AmarnaArt 8/14/2569

The revival of art on the Sphinx sculpture

Artistic trends in the essence of Egyptian art led to what is called the Egyptian Revival. It is possible that sculptors attempted to revive the form of the ancient sphinx without necessarily being aware of its specific Egyptian characteristics due to the spread of Egyptian and Greek art architecture and language. The marble sphinx with wings and a lion's torso is part of an ancient Roman sarcophagus found in the underground cathedral of San Crisogono in Rome. The sphinx is depicted with one front paw resting on a wheel a motif often associated with fate or the cosmos in ancient art.

The Great Sphinx of Giza and the Pyramid of Khafre located on the Giza plateau in Egypt feature the world's largest stone sculpture of a lion with a human face believed to have been built during the reign of Pharaoh Khafre around 4,500 BC.

Hieroglyphic inscriptions adorning the walls the design and translation of the inscriptions and the interpretation of architectural elements all contribute to the flourishing Egyptian tradition. The intricate stone carvings of the Roman antiquity brought about significant changes in ancient monuments in Egyptian art and literature. The aesthetic quality of ancient art is reflected in numerous works of the 12th century. The variety and complexity of the traditional sphinx emphasize the continuity in art on sculpture particularly the winged sphinx made of Paros marble.

A marble sculpture of a winged sphinx in the style of ancient Greek-Roman art approximately the 1st century AD or the Roman period around 120–140 AD with the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle.

The Roman sphinx combines medieval details with ancient Egyptian forms. In the late 12th century the intricate rock carvings of the ancient Roman era brought about significant changes to ancient monuments and stone temples. Roman statues and other sphinxes from the 13th century show Cosmati's connection to the ancient Egyptian model wearing a nemes which differs from other ancient sphinxes during the Revival period and perhaps even predates the Sphinx of Viterbo which wore a headdress.

The Sphinx of Amenhotep III carved from sandstone is on display at the Museo Egizio Egyptian Museum in Turin It is an artifact from the 18th Dynasty the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt approximately 1,390–1,352 BC

The sphinx a Roman stone sculpture discovered near Lanuvium Italy is thought to have possibly served as a base for an ancient Greek-Roman table. This ancient marble sculpture over 2,000 years old serving as a guardian and created during the Ptolemaic dynasty has been distinctly altered from its original form. The medieval sphinx's nemes indicates Egyptian motifs. The medieval Egyptian revival of art and architecture is attributed to the group of sphinxes created by the Roman Cosmati from lost ancient Egyptian monuments in the 13th century.

The Sphinx of Lanuvium is a Roman marble sculpture dating from approximately 120–140 AD. It is a composite of a female human a lion and an eagle wings

Ancient stone temples existed before or after the creation of the fertile and beautiful land of ancient Egypt. 13th century excavations sought ancient stone for use as raw material for the Egyptian revival of art from some of the surviving monuments. From the very beginning the concept of an afterlife led the Egyptians to decorate tombs with various objects and build temples and tombs of stone to preserve them. This provides evidence of surviving burial beliefs and traditions. Literature and philosophical aspects of the afterlife became the foundation of the Greek and Roman civilizations.

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GEONISTIL

The Anunnaki Gods of Ancient Mesopotamia

The revival of art on the Sphinx sculpture

The beginning of Hellenistic Greek art

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The merging of celestial representations in the Hellenistic era

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