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Sumerian Man Holding a Pole
This fragment of a stone inlay was found in Kish. It depicts an incised design of a man wearing the typical Sumerian long robe, carrying a pole on his shoulder. This is probably from a battle scene. The overall depiction of this man is very...
Definition
Ishtar
Ishtar (Inanna in Sumerian sources) is a primary Mesopotamian goddess closely associated with love and war. This powerful Mesopotamian goddess is the first known deity for which we have written evidence. While largely unknown in the modern...
Definition
Cuneiform
Cuneiform is a system of writing first developed by the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia c. 3500 BCE. It is considered the most significant among the many cultural contributions of the Sumerians and the greatest among those of the Sumerian...
Article
Scribes in Ancient Mesopotamia - The Beginning of History
Scribes in ancient Mesopotamia were highly educated individuals trained in writing and reading on diverse subjects. Initially, their purpose was to record financial transactions through trade, but in time, they were integral to every aspect...
Article
Religious Developments in Ancient India
For well over 1,000 years, sacred stories and heroic epics have made up the mythology of Hinduism. Nothing in these complex yet colourful legends is fixed and firm. Pulsing with creation, destruction, love, and war, it shifts and changes...
Article
Lost Treasures From Iraq: Revisited & Identified
For how long do we build a household? For how long do we seal a document? For how long do brothers share the inheritance? For how long is there to be jealousy in the land(?)? The Epic of Gilgamesh, chapter 10, Tablet X. I have always...
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A Short History of Sumer and the Sumerian Civilization from Mesopotamia
The Sumerians flourished in Mesopotamia between c. 4100 – 1750 BCE in the region of Sumer which was not a country, but a region made up of a number of walled city-states, each with its own king. The Sumerian civilization developed the first...
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Sumerian Worshipper Statue
A statue of a Sumerian worshipper. Marble, early dynastic period, 2800-2300 BCE, Mesopotamia, Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.
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Sumerian Man Offering a Libation
Shell inlay depicting a standing and naked man (ordinary individual or priest) offering a libation. Excavated by Sir Henry Layard for the Department of Antiquities in Iraq. This object was part of the objects allotted to the British Museum...
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Statue of a Female Sumerian Worshipper from Khafajah [Detail]
Detail of a limestone statue of a Sumerian female in a gesture of prayer. The eye sockets were filled in with white shell set in bitumen. She wears a Sumerian garment with a bare right shoulder. Front view. From the Temple of Sin, Khafajah...