Dancing at the Dawn of Agriculture

Chapter 12: Later Examples from the Near East

chapter 12 Later Examples from the Near East Dancing figures from twenty-two sites are presented in this section, as well as two items of unknown origin. They are generally dated to the fourth and third millennia bc. These specimens were discovered in different regions of the Near East (Fig. 12.1): Mesopotamia and western Iran (eleven known sites, nos. 151–162) and the Levant (eleven known sites, nos. 163–174). Stylistic Analysis An important development of this period was that the dancing motif lost its prominence. In Mesopotamia and Iran many other motifs depicting interaction between people appear from the late fifth and the fourth millennia bc onwards (Legrain 1936; Tobler 1950; Amiet 1961, 1972; Delogaz and Kantor 1996). These include communal works of a public or commercial nature, communal feasts, sexual intercourse, war, boat transportation, and religious ceremonies. Simple rows of dancing figures vanish almost completely. Only in the Levant did the dancing motif maintain a dominant position among scenes depicting interaction between people (Ben-Tor 1977, 1978:58–61). Unlike most of the objects in the previous four sections, which were either painted or applied to pottery vessels, many of the specimens in this section are engraved stamp or cylinder seals (Table 6.1). The motif is upgraded from the potter’s art to a more elaborate technique of the highly specialized miniature seal engraver. Various changes can be seen concerning the dance. In this group, males constitute up to 83 percent of the depicted figures—a high proportion never reached in any other region or period (Tables 2.2–2.4). The direction of movement is another aspect that drastically changes. In the later Near Eastern examples, most of the figures are depicted in a clockwise direction of movement around cylinder seals (Table 2.1). Some of the depictions on cylinder seals seem to present a more static body gesture, commonly interpreted as processions of porters and offering bearers connected with temples (see, for example, Fig. 12.6:d; Delogaz and Kantor 1996, Pl. 152:c). No matter what their interpretation , these processions are a direct evolution from the dancing of the earlier periods and fulfill the same cultic functions. The Assemblage 151. tepe gawra This site is located in the Mosul area of Iraq (above, Site 30). Dancing figures were found on several objects: 1. An impression of a square stamp seal discovered in Stratum XIII, dated to the late fifth millennium bc. Tobler described the impressions as “three bird-headed men, facing and advancing right with joined hands. . . . Dancers would seem to be represented” (Fig. 12.2:d; Tobler 1950:184, No. 92). In addition, many stamp seals from Tepe Gawra depict a single human figure in a dancing position, sometimes accompanied by horned animals. These are not presented here, since they do not depict interaction between people (Tobler 1950, Pls. CLXII:77–80, CLXIV:94–102). 2. An impression of a round stamp seal discovered in Stratum XII, dated to the late fifth millennium bc. Tobler described the impression as “another instance of bird-headed men with arms upraised; above each figure is a star.” The dynamic posture of these figures indicates dancing activity (Fig. 12.2:c; Tobler 1950:184, No. 90). figure 12.1 Near Eastern sites of the fourth–third millennia bc mentioned in the text. 271 Later Examples from the Near East 3. An impression of a square stamp seal discovered in Stratum XI–A, close to a temple, dated to the fourth millennium bc (Fig. 12.2:e; Tobler 1950:184, No. 93). Tobler described the impression in the publication as no less than four human figures advancing in a procession to the right; possibly another human was shown in that portion of the impression now missing. Each of the men appears to be carrying a sack on his back, but the clay has not furnished an impression clear enough for positive identification. Underneath the procession are two discs, and what may be the tips of two triangles as well as part of a rectangular object. Discs, triangles, and square altars, all closely associated , have been encountered on other impressions . . . suggest[ing] that the missing part contained these sacred symbols, and that the procession of men on the present specimen represents either captives with their hands bound behind their backs, or worshippers carrying offerings or sacrifices to a temple or...