Final answer:
The imagery on the Warka vase symbolizes fertility, represented by crop motifs and a sacred marriage ensuring agricultural prosperity, which can be linked to the era's emphasis on fertility symbols across the ancient world.
Step-by-step explanation:
The overarching symbolic message of the imagery on the Warka vase is largely considered to be related to fertility. This ancient Mesopotamian artifact depicts a series of registers that illustrate various aspects of the society's culture and religious practices, with a focus on agricultural abundance and offerings to Inanna, a major deity associated with fertility and love.
On the Warka vase, we see alternating images of grain and reeds, which are staple crops symbolizing the agricultural fertility of Mesopotamia. These images are consistent with the scenes of a sacred marriage atop the vase, which would guarantee agricultural prosperity for the city of Uruk. The imagery present, such as the rams and ewes as symbols of fertility and the offering scenes to the goddess on the top register, highlights the importance of fertility and the ensuring of a bountiful harvest.
The theory of the vase's imagery being centered on fertility is further supported by the general tendencies of the era. Across the ancient world, there was a strong emphasis on fertility symbols, as seen in the Venus figurines and within cultural artifacts that similarly depict crucial aspects of human fertility and agricultural prosperity. In contrast, images concerning warfare, death, or trade are not as prevalent on the Warka vase.