Stele of Naram-Sin The Akkadian Empire was one of the first empire’s in the world and originated in ancient Mesopotamia between 2350 – 2150 B.C. The regime of the Akkadian empire ruled based on political domination, taxation, and literacy. The Akkadian Empire was birthed after Sargon I conquered the Sumerian city-states and founded the empire in the capital city of Akkad. Absolute monarchy and the idea of divine kingship originated in the Akkadian empire; as a result, influenced many civilizations to come. Akkadian kings were portrayed to be glamorous in art due to their high influence and stature in Akkadian society. However, Naram-Sin, great grandson of Sargon I and Akkadian king between 2254 and 2218 BC, was responsible for introducing the idea of divine kingship by portraying himself to be divine on a relief sculpture dedicated to one of his war victories. The relief is called the Stele of Naram-Sin (2254-2218 B.C.E) and the purpose was to exemplify Naram-Sin as a supernatural figure.
The Stele of Naram-Sin is carved into pink sandstone and stands a staggering 6 feet and 7 inches tall. It was discovered by French archaeologists slightly before 1900 on the Iranian site of Susa and it’s currently in the Louvre Museum. The human figures depicted on the stele are carved in a way that they are popping out of the flat pink sandstone surface. The relief illustrates Naram-Sin and his soldiers marching up a mountain conquering the Lullubi people who lived on the mountains in the eastern region of Mesopotamia. The battle event on the relief was illustrated by the use of one overall dramatic scene; an innovative art technique at the time because previously Sumerian art illustrated events in horizontal bands. Naram-Sin’s army is marching up the mountain in a disciplined manner by being in an erect stance and marching in perfect alignment. As they march up, Naram-Sin’s army is trampling and killing their enemy who are disorganized and chaotic. The army follows their leader, king Naramsin, who’s at the highest point of the mountain. His soldiers are well suited with body armor, helmets, spears and swords; distinguishing their advancement in warfare and preparation for battle. All the figures depicted are shown in twisted perspective; the legs and feet shown in profile, the chest and stomach shown frontally, and the head shown in profile with the eye shown frontally.
The lower section of the relief depicts Naram-Sin’s soldiers holding swords and entering from the left marching rightwards through the enemies land with trees. On the right side, the undressed Lullubi people are shown being defeated by kneeling begging for mercy and falling head first down the mountain. The middle section is distinguished by a wavy ground line elevated above the soldiers in the lower section and subtly stretches up diagonally. This gives the relief a sense of ascent toward the the top of the mountain. In the middle section, Naram-Sin’s soldiers continue to march in alignment up the mountain, except the three soldiers depicted are shown to be holding long spears in their right hand instead of swords. A Lullubi figure to the right of the middle section is running away while gazing up at Naram-Sin who’s stationed on the highest point of the mountain. The upper section is distinguished by another wavy ground line subtly stretching up diagonally and elevated above the soldiers in the middle section. A large figure on the upper section, also the largest figure on the stele, is standing erect, holds a long spear in its right hand, wears a helmet with two horns attached, and contains a muscular body; the figure is Naram-Sin. Naram-Sin’s left foot is positioned on top of a fallen Lullubi soldier while two Lullubi soldiers on the right are shown in shambles. One of the figures is on one knee falling backwards and grasping a spear that has been pierced through its neck. The other figure is running away shown by the position of its feet pointing away from Naram-Sin while their hands are joined together begging for mercy and fearfully gazing at Naram-Sin. Behind the two Lullubi soldiers positioned on the right is a triangular shaped mountain stretching almost to the top on the pink sandstone surface. Above the peak of the mountain is a star with an identical star to the left of it. These two stars are illustrated by a solid circle with an alternating pattern of triangles and rectangles branching off the center circle.
The Stele of Naram-Sin tells a story through symbols and contains several of the seven ancient iconography of powers. Foremost, Naram-Sin is the focal point of the relief; the Lullubi people fearfully stare at Naram-Sin and his army gazes in his direction for guidance. Secondly, Naram-Sin is the largest figure depicted on the stele, indicating the hierarchical scale. Next, Naram-Sin has proximity to the gods by being the closest figure to the stars, which represent the gods, and the mountain ascending him up towards the realm of the heavenly. The stars are also the driving force that helped guide Naram-Sin to victory. Naram-Sin also contains melammu, a glamorous aura that a person embodies. For example, Naram-Sin is depicted with a physically fit body and a noble posture. Next, The Lullubi mountain people are being conquered by Naram-Sin with immense achievement, therefore making Naram-Sin a conquering hero. Lastly and most importantly, Naram-Sin is depicted wearing a horned helmet. Previously to the Stele of Naram-Sin, only gods were depicted wearing the horned helmet in art because it was an indicator of their divinity. However, if a human like Naram-Sin is shown wearing the horned helmet, it suggests that he is divine himself. In a society where gods are highly regarded, depicting Naram-Sin with the horned helmet would have created a view of Naram-Sin being a highly noble figure due to being at the status of the gods. The Stele of Naram-Sin clearly indicates the power of the Akkadian’s, but more importantly exemplifies Naram-Sin’s divine kingship. Through the use of focal point, conquering hero, melammu, proximity to the gods, and hierarchical scale distinguishes Naram-Sin as a powerful figure. However, the depiction of Naram-Sin wearing the horned helmet in conjunction with the other attributes establishes Naram-Sin as a supernatural figure because of his godly presence. Being a supernatural figure elevates the status of a figure and results in higher worship and regard. The Stele of Naram-Sin is an excellent indication of Naram-Sin being a supernatural being and a divine ruler.