Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins
Discover the art of ancient Mesopotamia's first cities, kings, and writing with Getty Museum Director Tim Potts and Louvre curator Ariane Thomas.
Tour preview:
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Tim Potts: Hello. I’m Tim Potts, the director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, and it’s a great pleasure to welcome you to this exhibition on ancient Mesopotamia.
SFX: [rhythm and string instruments evoking period and mood]
Tim Potts: The works you’ll see begin many thousands of years ago. But I think what will be surprising to many visitors is that the achievements of this culture influenced not just life in Mesopotamia, but are actually with us still today.
SFX: [music fades out here]
Narrator: For example, a minute has 60 seconds. A day, 24 hours. A circle, 360 degrees. These measurements we take for granted come from ancient Mesopotamia, located primarily in present-day Iraq. This tour will guide you through the complex civilizations that inhabited Mesopotamia as it explores some of the world’s first cities, writings, and kings.
Tim Potts: It was also an incredibly creative and innovative culture, and it gave rise to some of the greatest works of ancient art that have come down to us. Sculptures, objects of metal and precious materials, cylinder seals engraved with miniature designs, and extraordinary architectural creations, like the Ishtar Gate in Babylon.
[rhythmic drums and rattles evoking period and mood]
Tim Potts: These extraordinary achievements were happening over 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, in many cases. That’s just a mind-boggling thing to come to terms with.
Narrator: Timothy Potts will be one of your guides on this tour, along with Ariane Thomas, curator at the Louvre Museum. Join them and explore the rich legacy of ancient Mesopotamia.
SFX: [rhythm and string instruments evoking period and mood]
Tim Potts: The works you’ll see begin many thousands of years ago. But I think what will be surprising to many visitors is that the achievements of this culture influenced not just life in Mesopotamia, but are actually with us still today.
SFX: [music fades out here]
Narrator: For example, a minute has 60 seconds. A day, 24 hours. A circle, 360 degrees. These measurements we take for granted come from ancient Mesopotamia, located primarily in present-day Iraq. This tour will guide you through the complex civilizations that inhabited Mesopotamia as it explores some of the world’s first cities, writings, and kings.
Tim Potts: It was also an incredibly creative and innovative culture, and it gave rise to some of the greatest works of ancient art that have come down to us. Sculptures, objects of metal and precious materials, cylinder seals engraved with miniature designs, and extraordinary architectural creations, like the Ishtar Gate in Babylon.
[rhythmic drums and rattles evoking period and mood]
Tim Potts: These extraordinary achievements were happening over 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, in many cases. That’s just a mind-boggling thing to come to terms with.
Narrator: Timothy Potts will be one of your guides on this tour, along with Ariane Thomas, curator at the Louvre Museum. Join them and explore the rich legacy of ancient Mesopotamia.
Statue of Prince Gudea with a Vase of Flowing Water (detail), Neo-Sumerian period, about 2120 BC, dolerite. Musée du Louvre, Department of Near Eastern Antiquities, Paris. Gift of Boisgelin, 1967 (de Clercq collection). Image © Scala/Art Resource, NY
Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins
Discover the art of ancient Mesopotamia's first cities, kings, and writing with Getty Museum Director Tim Potts and Louvre curator Ariane Thomas.
Tour preview:
Update Required
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.
Tim Potts: Hello. I’m Tim Potts, the director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, and it’s a great pleasure to welcome you to this exhibition on ancient Mesopotamia.
SFX: [rhythm and string instruments evoking period and mood]
Tim Potts: The works you’ll see begin many thousands of years ago. But I think what will be surprising to many visitors is that the achievements of this culture influenced not just life in Mesopotamia, but are actually with us still today.
SFX: [music fades out here]
Narrator: For example, a minute has 60 seconds. A day, 24 hours. A circle, 360 degrees. These measurements we take for granted come from ancient Mesopotamia, located primarily in present-day Iraq. This tour will guide you through the complex civilizations that inhabited Mesopotamia as it explores some of the world’s first cities, writings, and kings.
Tim Potts: It was also an incredibly creative and innovative culture, and it gave rise to some of the greatest works of ancient art that have come down to us. Sculptures, objects of metal and precious materials, cylinder seals engraved with miniature designs, and extraordinary architectural creations, like the Ishtar Gate in Babylon.
[rhythmic drums and rattles evoking period and mood]
Tim Potts: These extraordinary achievements were happening over 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, in many cases. That’s just a mind-boggling thing to come to terms with.
Narrator: Timothy Potts will be one of your guides on this tour, along with Ariane Thomas, curator at the Louvre Museum. Join them and explore the rich legacy of ancient Mesopotamia.
SFX: [rhythm and string instruments evoking period and mood]
Tim Potts: The works you’ll see begin many thousands of years ago. But I think what will be surprising to many visitors is that the achievements of this culture influenced not just life in Mesopotamia, but are actually with us still today.
SFX: [music fades out here]
Narrator: For example, a minute has 60 seconds. A day, 24 hours. A circle, 360 degrees. These measurements we take for granted come from ancient Mesopotamia, located primarily in present-day Iraq. This tour will guide you through the complex civilizations that inhabited Mesopotamia as it explores some of the world’s first cities, writings, and kings.
Tim Potts: It was also an incredibly creative and innovative culture, and it gave rise to some of the greatest works of ancient art that have come down to us. Sculptures, objects of metal and precious materials, cylinder seals engraved with miniature designs, and extraordinary architectural creations, like the Ishtar Gate in Babylon.
[rhythmic drums and rattles evoking period and mood]
Tim Potts: These extraordinary achievements were happening over 3,000 years before the birth of Christ, in many cases. That’s just a mind-boggling thing to come to terms with.
Narrator: Timothy Potts will be one of your guides on this tour, along with Ariane Thomas, curator at the Louvre Museum. Join them and explore the rich legacy of ancient Mesopotamia.
Statue of Prince Gudea with a Vase of Flowing Water (detail), Neo-Sumerian period, about 2120 BC, dolerite. Musée du Louvre, Department of Near Eastern Antiquities, Paris. Gift of Boisgelin, 1967 (de Clercq collection). Image © Scala/Art Resource, NY