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exception of one that is kneeling, are rendered in a standing position. Thin circular bases were used as supports and large wedge shaped feet provided the larger statues with added durability. The males wear kilts with a patterned hem that covers the midsection and thighs. Their broad shoulders and thick, circular arms frame the bare chest, which is partially covered by a black, stylized beard. All the males, with the exception of one that is bald and clean shaven, have long hair rendered in two symmetrical halves that frames the smooth surfaces of the cheeks and forehead. The large eyes, which are undoubtedly the most striking stylistic feature that the statues share in common, are made from inlays of white shell and black limestone; one figure has pupils of
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260:) cavity beside an altar in the sanctuary. The careful placement suggests that they were buried intentionally. However, the reason for the burial and person(s) responsible for doing so remains unclear. Frankfort, who wrote extensively on the subject, suggests that a priest periodically buried old or badly damaged statues in order to make room in the temple for their replacements.
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of a human worshiper, but rather a representation of the patron deity Abu. He calls attention to a number of features that set this particular statue apart from the rest including: the size, the unnaturally large eyes, especially the pupils, and the emblematic carving of an eagle with outstretched
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suggests that the statues may have been arranged along the walls of the sanctuary either on the floor or on a low mud brick bench before they were buried. Some of the statues are inscribed on the back and bottom with a name and personalized supplicatory message, while others simply state “one who
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The statues of the Tell Asmar Hoard range in height from 21 cm (8.2 in.) to 72 cm (28.3 in.). Of the twelve statues found, ten are male and two are female. Eight of the figures are made from gypsum, two from limestone, and one (the smallest) from alabaster. All the figures, with the
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offers prayers.” These inscriptions indicate that the statues functioned as a surrogate for male and female worshipers who wished to leave their prayers with the god. In the 3rd millennium B.C., the price for a votive statue likely depended on its size, and possibly what stone was used.
248:. They uncovered temples, palaces, administrative buildings, and houses ranging in date from about 3100 to 1750 B.C. The hundreds of artifacts recovered from the stratified ruins of these ancient civic structures greatly enhanced understanding of Early Dynastic periodization.
251:
Among the most well-known and best preserved objects are the twelve statues known collectively as the Tell Asmar Hoard. The hoard was found during the 1933-34 excavation season at Tell Asmar beneath the floor of a temple dedicated to the god
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303:. These materials are secured to the head with bitumen, which was also used as a pigment to give the beard and hair its characteristic black color. Both the hair and the clothing, though abstracted, accurately reflect
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Sumerian worshipper statues, part of the "Tell Asmar Hoard" at the Iraq Museum in
Baghdad; 7 statues (out of 12) are on display in the Sumerian Gallery of the Iraq Museum.
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232:(1897–1954) to lead the expedition. Between 1930 and 1937 Frankfort and his team conducted extensive horizontal and vertical excavations on four mounds:
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The hoard was discovered in a temple dedicated to Abu, the ancient Near
Eastern god of fertility. Evidence from Early Dynastic ruins at
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Early
Dynastic statuette of a Sumerian female worshiper, very similar to Tell Asmar Hoard's statuettes, from Mesopotamia, Iraq
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592:
Evans, Jean. 2007. The Square Temple at Tell Asmar and the
Construction of Early Dynastic Mesopotamia, ca. 2900-2350 B.C.E.
279:
Early
Dynastic statuette of a Sumerian male worshiper, very similar to Tell Asmar Hoard's statuettes, from Mesopotamia, Iraq
469:
Jean M. Evans, "The Square Temple at Tell Asmar and the
Construction on Early Dynastic Mesopotamia ca. 2900-2350 B.C.E.",
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Diyala river branching out from the Tigris river(top right) and
Euphrates river (left) depicted on the map of mesopotamia.
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635:
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Progress of the Work of the
Oriental Institute in Iraq, 1934/35: Fifth Preliminary Report of the Iraq Expedition
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460:, ed. Joan Aruz (New York and London: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Press, 2003), 58.
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Presented to Helene J. Kantor, edited by A. Leonard Jr. and B.B. Williams, p 125-30. Chicago. 1989.
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Iraq
Excavations of the Oriental Institute 1932/33: Third Preliminary Report of the Iraq Expedition
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Oriental
Institute Discoveries in Iraq, 1933/34: Fourth Preliminary Report of the Iraq Expedition
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were acquiring large quantities of unusual, high quality artifacts from the desert east of the
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Henri Frankfort, Seton Lloyd, and Thorkild Jacobsen with a chapter by GĂĽnter Martiny,
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Art Of The First Cities: The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus
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male worshiper, alabaster with shell eyes. One of the twelve statues in the hoard.
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The Lives Of Sumerian Sculpture: An Archaeology of the Early Dynastic Temple
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228:(1865–1935), the founder of the institute, invited the Dutch Archeologist
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180:. Despite subsequent finds at this site and others throughout the greater
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610:. The University of Chicago, Oriental Institute Publications 60. Chicago.
603:. The University of Chicago, Oriental Institute Publications 60. Chicago.
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423:"Standing male worshiper | Sumerian | Early Dynastic I-II | The Met"
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Gray limestone, Tell Asmar, Northern Palace, Akkadian (2350-2150 BC)
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Sculpture of the Third Millennium B.C. from Tell Asmar and KhafĂŁjah
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wings, flanked by two recumbent mountain goats carved on the base.
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area, they remain the definitive example of the abstract style of
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Sculpture of the 3rd Millennium B.C. from Tell Asmar and Khafajah
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Tell Asmar and Khafaje: The First Season Work in Eshnunna 1930/31
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Frankfort argued that the largest figure in the hoard is not an
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81:
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The Gimilsin Temple and the Palace of the Rulers at Tell Asmar
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Essays in Ancient Civilizations Presented to Helene J. Kantor
256:. The statues were neatly stacked in an oblong(non-square
168:) are a collection of twelve statues unearthed in 1933 at
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Henri Frankfort, Thorkild Jacobsen, and Conrad Preusser,
553:
Henri Frankfort with a chapter by Thorkild Jacobsen,
511:, (Chicago: Oriental Institute of Chicago, 1989) 125.
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Henri Frankfort, Tell Asmar, Khafaje and Khorsabad:
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, i.e. The Met Museum
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537:Second Preliminary Report of the Iraq Expedition
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495:(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1939).
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765:Sculptures in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
613:Jacobsen, Thorkild, "God or Worshipper", in
224:obtained a concession to excavate the area.
507:Thorkild Jacobsen, "God of Worshipper". In
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575:, Oriental Institute Publication 43, 1940
566:, Oriental Institute Publication 20, 1936
557:, Oriental Institute Publication 19, 1935
548:, Oriental Institute Publication 17, 1934
539:, Oriental Institute Publication 16, 1933
530:, Oriental Institute Publication 13, 1932
403:Seated worshiper, nude male, Iraq Museum
355:Male and female worshippers, Iraq Museum
212:, just north of its confluence with the
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760:Objects in the National Museum of Iraq
608:More Sculpture from the Diyala Region
307:styles of the Early Dynastic period.
204:In the late 1920s antique dealers in
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188:temple sculpture (2900 BC–2350 BC).
750:Early Dynastic Period (Mesopotamia)
745:Archaeological discoveries in Iraq
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589:. Chicago: University of Chicago.
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452:Excavations in the Diyala Region
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740:1933 archaeological discoveries
594:American Journal of Archaeology
471:American Journal of Archaeology
615:Essays in Ancient Civilization
391:Female worshipper, Iraq Museum
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770:Sumerian art and architecture
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379:Male worshipper, Iraq Museum
367:Male worshipper, Iraq Museum
343:Male worshipper, Iraq Museum
172:(modern Tell Asmar) in the
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599:Frankfort, Henri. 1939.
735:3rd-millennium BC works
136:Location of Tell Asmar.
96:National Museum of Iraq
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775:Sculptures of deities
222:University of Chicago
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240:(ancient Eshnunna),
226:James Henry Breasted
133:class=notpageimage|
585:Evans, Jean. 2012.
166: 2900–2550 BC
159:Early Dynastic I-II
92:Metropolitan Museum
68: 2900–2550 BC
61:Early Dynastic I-II
676:Statue of Entemena
218:Oriental Institute
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174:Diyala Governorate
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562:Henri Frankfort,
544:Henri Frankfort,
491:Henri Frankfort,
450:Karen L. Wilson,
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430:. Retrieved
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301:lapis lazuli
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210:Diyala River
203:
182:Mesopotamian
154:
152:
94:, New York,
691:Lyres of Ur
652:Iraq Museum
596:4: 599-632.
264:The statues
729:Categories
666:Warka Vase
519:References
432:2017-11-08
242:Tell Agrab
238:Tell Asmar
125:Tell Asmar
102:, Chicago,
78:Tell Asmar
74:Discovered
755:Alabaster
258:rectangle
192:Discovery
51:Alabaster
47:Limestone
714:Category
686:IM 67118
312:Khafajah
305:Sumerian
246:Ishchali
234:Khafajah
170:Eshnunna
39:Material
31:Sumerian
327:Gallery
220:at the
206:Baghdad
57:Created
606:1943.
320:effigy
244:, and
214:Tigris
43:Gypsum
454:, in
409:Notes
178:Iraq
153:The
82:Iraq
254:Abu
176:of
731::
500:^
478:^
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425:.
236:,
163:c.
161:,
98:,
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65:c.
63:,
49:,
45:,
644:e
637:t
630:v
435:.
157:(
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