Meaning of Color in Ancient Mesopotamia

Shiyanthi Thavapalan, Ph.D. (2017), Yale University, is Visiting Assistant Professor of Archaeology and Assyriology (2019-2020) at Brown University. She has published several articles on color and the history of Mesopotamian crafts and technologies.

“This thorough and enlightening study on the meaning of colour in ancient Mesopotamia is a revision of T.’s Yale PhD thesis (supervised by Benjamin Foster). (…) The study particularly nuances the way biblical scholars and students should begin to interpret ancient colour categories which ultimately enriches our understanding of different ancient cultures; this, in turn, deserves wide readership.” - Ellena Lyell, in Society for Old Testament Study Book List 2020

• AcknowledgementsColor Metalanguage, Signs and Convention UsedList of Figures and Plates1Color Semantics1.1What is Color?1.2Color Vision and Language: Gladstone, Magnus, Allen and the Puzzle of Color Vocabularies1.3Color Categories and Names: Relativity and Universalism1.4Scope and Nature of the Present Study2Abstract Colors2.1Talking about Color in Akkadian2.2Abstract Color Words2.3Aspects of Color2.4Terminology for the Process of Coloring and the State of Being Colored2.4.1 Bašalu2.4.2 Šamatu2.4.3 ?arapu2.4.4 Tarapu2.5Terminology for Abstract Color Terms2.5.1 Arqu2.5.2 Barmu2.5.3 Da ?mu2.5.4 Ebbu, namru (with ellu)2.5.5 Eklu, e?û (with adru)2.5.6 ?elû2.5.7 ?/ruššû2.5.8 Pelû2.5.9 Pe?û2.5.10 Samu2.5.11 ?almu2.5.12 Tarku3Material Colors3.1What are Material Colors?3.2Materials and Colors in Parts of Speech and in the Archaeological Record3.3Abstraction3.4Colored Materials3.4.1 Wool and Leather3.4.2 Pigments3.4.3 Glass3.4.4 Metals3.5Terminology for Fabrics, Stones and Glass3.5.1 Argamannu and takiltu3.5.2 Du?šu3.5.3 ?a?artu3.5.4 ?aš?uru/?at?uru3.5.5 ?ašmanu3.5.6 Kina??u3.5.7 Makru3.5.8 Šurat?u3.5.9 Tabarru and nabasu3.5.10 Tamk/qar?u3.5.11 Uqnû3.6Terminology for Dyes, Pigments and Colorants3.6.1 ?i/enzuru, ?i/enzuribu, inzuratu3.6.2 ?uratu3.6.3 ?ur?uratu3.6.4 Kalgukku3.6.5 Kalû3.6.6 Kasû3.6.7 Šaršarru3.6.8 Ur?û/uri?û3.6.9 Zagindurû3.7Terminology for Metals3.7.1 ?ura?u4Colorful Matter4.1History of Scholarship on the North-West Palace4.2The Polychromy Then and Now4.3Museology4.3.1 Acquisition and Display of the Assyrian Reliefs at Yale University4.3.2 Conservation4.4Egyptian Blue on the Assyrian Reliefs at Yale University: A Study by Visible-induced Luminescence Imaging4.4.1 Egyptian Blue and VIL-imaging4.4.2 VIL-imaging on the Yale Reliefs: Analysis and Discussion4.5The ‘Colorful Matter’ of Assyrian ArchitectureEpilogue: Making Sense of ColorBibliographyAppendix AAppendix BPlates