The Artistic Formation of War

Ritik Malhotra

Near Eastern Studies R1B Lecture 4

Response Paper: Rituals of War (Ch7, Ch8)

The Artistic Formation of War

As the text of Rituals of War, by Zainab Bahrani, continues into its seventh and eighth chapters, Bahrani starts to illustrate exactly what his book is called – the rituals of war – that govern the ancient military powers. As Bahrani specifically goes into the acts of war, he talks about “torture [and] execution” as two primary forms of “war in art” (219), explaining that much of the torture and war-time actions were not only for the war itself, but also to “fascinate and entice the viewer” (ibid.). I believe that this tactic, while useful for war and the conquest of the empire, was also a means to nationalize and bring together the entire empire.

As Bahrani describes the use of “torture, execution, and war in art,” he describes how the “dead and tortured bodies produce[d] an aesthetic […] of an interested engagement with the dramatic violence of war” (ibid.). This methodology of depicting war in an artistic, and aesthetically pleasing form, to the mass public can be inferred to be a method of bringing together the inhabitants of the empire. Since the pictures were “designed for an audience that would willingly participate in the glorification of Assyrian power […] with the aim of providing visual pleasure,” (221-222) the sculptures were designed to directly provide civilians with a pleasurable view and be proud that the empire that they inhabited was of such great power. This form of art, as a ritual for war in Assyria, must have proved to be quite useful not only in keeping records, but also in keeping the people happy and apprised of their victories.