CDLI Tablet

Cuneiform inscriptions: Archaic administration

Created by Englund, Robert K. on 2023-04-01

Clay tablet from the Jemdet Nasr period (ca. 3100-2900 B.C.), likely from the southern Mesopotamian city of Uruk. The tablet was gifted to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City in 1988, following its purchase at a famous Christie’s London auction of a Swiss collection of cuneiform artifacts.

Cuneiform inscriptions: Assyrian Relief

Created by Englund, Robert K. on 2023-03-31

An Assyrian relief taken from the walls of the palace rooms at Nimrud. Carved from gypsum alabaster, this slap measures 92 1/4 x 92 x 4 1/2 inches. Excavated by Sir Austen Henry Layand in the 1840s, the slab was donated to the Metropolitan Museum in New York City by John D. Rockefeller in 1930.

Sumerian Sculpture: Man and Wife

Created by Englund, Robert K. on 2023-03-30

This statue of a couple from the Ishtar Temple in Mari demonstrates the exceptional detail of sculptures from the northern Syrian site. The two figures sit next to each other, the man embracing the woman, either to protect or to command her. Both wear similar clothing, incised for detail. The man clasps the woman’s wrist, as was a traditional depiction of couples at this time. This sculpture may represent the ruler and his wife, or two members of the court; it is unlikely this couple represents a god and goddess since they wear contemporary dress and do not display any symbols of the gods.

Sumerian Sculpture: Statue from Mari

Created by Englund, Robert K. on 2023-03-29

This particularly detailed stone statue from the temple of Inanna in Mari demonstrates the stylistic choices made by artists during the Early Dynastic period (ca. 2500 BC). Sculptures from this region (Mari, modern Tell Hariri) are generally more detailed and realistic than other images found at nearby sites. Unfortunately, this site and others nearby were burned and partially destroyed. This sculpture represents a shift towards abstracted realism and new techniques to achieve this effect, including drilling (seen in the beard) that would later be used by the Romans to achieve realistic beards of rulers in busts carved from marble.

Sumerian Sculpture: ED Statue

Created by Englund, Robert K. on 2023-03-28

This statue of a female figure dates from the Early Dynastic period and was discovered during an archaeological dig in the Inanna Temple in Nippur. Carved from stone, the statue also features beads in the hair and along the shoulders, possibly from a necklace that has since eroded. Statues like this one were occasionally painted or “polychromed.”

Sumerian Sculpture: Nude Hero

Created by Englund, Robert K. on 2023-03-27

Carved from alabaster, this statue of a kneeling hero comes from the Tell Asmar sculpture and pottery hoard. This particular sculpture differs markedly from others found in the Abu Temple in that it is nude aside from a belt around its waist and that its headdress functions as a vessel.

Sumerian Sculpture: Enmetena of Lagash

Created by Englund, Robert K. on 2023-03-26

This diorite sculpture from Ur depicts the ruler Enmetena of Lagash (ca. 2400 BC). This statue, like many others from this period, features a dedicatory inscription that portrays Enmetena as a loyal servant of the god Enlil, who has specifically chosen the ruler to be blessed and to do the god’s bidding. Sculptures of this type were generally placed in temples to occupy the space of the ruler in his absence. This piece, dated to the Early Dynastic IIIb period, was made of diorite.