The Bronze Civilization of the Eastern Mediterranean with Portraits as the Prominent Feature
The crescent fertile land in the eastern Mediterranean is one of the first places to open the Bronze Age. Under the natural "waterway" of the eastern Mediterranean, its bronze civilization has had an important impact on the surrounding areas such as North Africa, southern Europe and Iranian plateau, thus forming the bronze civilization circle of the eastern Mediterranean. The civilization circle is very vast, with significant differences in the internal geographical environment. There are also certain differences in the bronze civilization within the region, which can be roughly divided into three sub regions: West Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe.
The differences in bronze artifacts in these three subregions are mainly reflected in some types and shapes, such as the prevalence of bronze machetes, cats, snakes, beetles, etc. in North Africa, bronze sheep and deer in West Asia, and common urn urns in Southern Europe, which are not found in West Asia and North Africa. For example, in North Africa, statues of pharaohs with high crowns and gods with animal heads and human bodies are common, while in West Asia, statues of kings and ordinary people are common, while in Southern Europe, statues of gods and ordinary people are mostly abstract in their early style and realistic in their later stages.
Although the above differences exist, the commonness of the three subregions is also obvious - bronze figures or gods are popular, followed by bronze cattle, seals, Talisman, double winged axes, etc. Bronze statues or deities are often associated with sacrificial activities, with smaller forms in the early stages and some life-size statues appearing in the later stages. The identity of the portrait includes pharaoh, king, deity, priest, petitioner, sacrificial person, warrior, etc., reflecting the strong spiritual faith and religious atmosphere of the Eastern Mediterranean bronze civilization.
Stereoscopic decoration is commonly seen on bronze vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean, with few fine flat patterns. This is directly related to the fact that forging techniques can easily damage flat patterns. The decorative content mainly depicts characters, animals, and their living scenes, with strong realism. Bronze wares with complex shapes, such as human figures and animals, are mainly cast by the Lost-wax casting; Relatively simple weapons, tools, decorations, etc. often use single or double mold casting methods, supplemented by forging and welding; Containers are usually first cast into copper sheets and then forged or welded into shape.
From the perspective of time and space, the bronze civilization in the eastern Mediterranean has experienced the process of spreading from the crescent to North Africa, southern Europe and Iranian plateau. It should be noted that since the middle of the second millennium BC, as the northern steppe population moved towards the northern part of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Iranian plateau, the influence of the bronze civilization of the Eurasian steppe on this region has gradually deepened. Finally, in southern Europe, the Anatolia Plateau, and the Iranian plateau, a bronze civilization with a large number of human figures, gods, and weapons has been formed, reflecting the exchange and integration of the bronze civilization of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and the bronze civilization of the Eurasian steppe.
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