The Sumerians settled in eastern Mesopotamia before 4000 BC. Sumerian arts, as contrasted with prehistoric art has realistic looking figures acting out identifiable narratives.
Sumerian art and myth formed a foundation formed which later Ancient Near Eastern art derived.
Around 3400-3200 BC, the Sumerians made inventories of cattle, food, and other items by scratching pictographs into soft clay with a sharp tool, or stylus. Cuneiform consist of a series of simplified picture sings that represented the objects they described and in addition related ideas.
These pictorial songs evolved into a series of wedge-shaped marks that were pressed in clay with a split reed.
The clay plaques hardened into breakable, yet nearly indestructible, tablets.
The Sumerians depicted their gods and goddesses in human form although usually on a slightly larger scale. Among a group of small limestone figure found at the Abu Temple.
Architecture of Sumerian showed greater variation. The size and elaboration of temple construction increased markedly until the ziggurat achieved it classical form in the time of the Third Dynasty of Ur.
Sumerian art
