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Near Eastern Art :
Hittite Art : Syrio-Hittite Terracotta Sculpture of a Zebu Bull
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Syrio-Hittite Terracotta Sculpture of a Zebu Bull - X.0691
Origin: Syria
Circa: 2500
BC
to 1500
BC
Dimensions:
4.50" (11.4cm) high
x 5.60" (14.2cm) wide
Collection: Near Eastern
Medium: Terracotta
£6,000.00
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
The Hittite Empire emerged in central Anatolia
from fairly humble agricultural beginnings in the
2nd millennium BC, but by 1340 BC had become
the dominant power in Mesopotamia. The
expansion and consolidation of the empire saw
its greatest expression under King
Suppiluliumas I (c. 1380 -c. 1346 BC), who
oversaw the establishment of a firm Hittite
foothold in Syria. This was hotly contested
territory, and while the Egyptian behemoth had
swept aside most competition, they met
extremely fierce opposition from the Hittites.
This struggle for domination over Syria
continued into the reign of Muwatallis (c. 1320-
1294 B.C.), culminating in the famous battle of
Kadesh in 1299 BC. Although Ramses II claimed
a great victory, the result was in fact probably
more ambiguous. The Egyptians were at a
disadvantage in terms or provisioning, and in
terms of the great arms race of the time over a
great new invention: iron. In any case, the
Egyptians took considerable pains to
placate local groups, setting up socioeconomic
and matrimonial alliances with the Hittites and
the lands they now occupied. Although we know
comparatively little about Hittite civilisation, it is
perhaps significant that these shadowy
populations were such a fierce threat to what
was then the world's greatest civilization that
even Ramses the Great found it more
beneficial to be their ally rather than their foe.
The Zebu is a species of ox with a prominent
hump that had been domesticated in Eurasia
since the Neolithic Period. It has assumed
enormous socioeconomic significance to
numerous cultures, supplying
milk, labour, leather and secondary products. In
the Mediterranean world, the bull was endowed
with numerous virtues that led to a near cultic
devotion often referred to as Tauromaquia, In the
Neolithic temples of Catal Huyuk, for example,
the bull was worshipped as a deity, their skulls
incorporated into the architecture as sacred
objects. In Greece, the bull regularly entered
mythology (i.e. the legend of the Minotaur) and
also seems to have played a role in precursor of
modern bullfighting whereby daring gymnasts
attempted to vault over the creatures using
only their horns for purchase. Versions of these
antics live on in the Camargue, and all across
Spain.
This charming terracotta figure was probably a
votive
offering, accompanying more perishable produce
as a
gift to win the favour of the gods. It is beautifully
executed, being a mixture of figurative and
abstract
elements that convey the power and presence of
the
animal without recourse to overdetailing. While
state-level organisation and wealth may have
permitted the sacrifice of a live bull, this more
modest version no doubt served the same
purpose for a
household of more straitened means. The impact
of the
artistry is not diminished, however: the virility
and
sculptural/aesthetic power of this piece is
extremely
potent even today. We can only hope that the
sacrifice
its deposition entailed brought about the
required
benediction.
- (X.0691)
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