Early Mesopotamian

c. 3500–2300 BCE

Early Mesopotamian art emerged in the world’s first urban civilizations. Art served religious, political, and administrative purposes, often depicting rulers, gods, and ritual scenes. Materials included stone reliefs, sculpture, and cylinder seals. These works helped communicate authority and cosmic order in early city-states.

Ram in a Thicket

Unknown

c. 2600–2400 BC

A figurine of a ram climbing a tree, decorated with gold and lapis, from Mesopotamian tombs.

Cylinder seal

Unknown

c. 3000 BC

A small carved cylinder used to roll designs onto clay, often for administrative or religious purposes.