Representing Banquets in Ancient Mesopotamia. A Public Affair?

Celebration of feasts is surely a public occasion that occurred in public spaces (e.g. temples) with the involvement of several characters who had a specific role and function in the ancient Mesopotamian society. As a consequence, the figurative theme of banquet is largely represented in visual art, showing in fact the attendees while eating and drinking, assistants and servants bringing food and serving the banqueters with food and drinks, and musicians accompanying the event: starting from the representation of Mesopotamia third millennium BC, the present paper tackles the nature and shape of the visual documents focusing on the reason of choosing relatively small objects (seals, plaques, inlays) and the effective public diffusion of this political iconography so important for the formation of the ruling class in the Early Dynastic Period.