Sumerian civilization: Did you mean...?

Limestone statue of a Sumerian female in a gesture of prayer. The head is lost. She wears the classical Sumerian flounced garment with a bare right shoulder. The feet stand on a semi-rectangular base with a back-pillar. Side view, left. From...

Limestone statue of a Sumerian female in a gesture of prayer. The head is lost. She wears the classical Sumerian flounced garment with a bare right shoulder. The feet stand on a semi-rectangular base with a back-pillar. Back view. From the...

Limestone statue of a Sumerian male in a gesture of prayer. He wears the classical Sumerian flounced garment. The head/neck, right upper limb, and both feet are lost. Back view. From the Small Shrine at Khafajah (also Khafaje; ancient Tutub...

Limestone statue of a Sumerian male in a gesture of prayer. He wears the classical Sumerian flounced garment. The head/neck, right upper limb, and both feet are lost. Front view. From the Small Shrine at Khafajah (also Khafaje; ancient Tutub...

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...

Amongst the most famous statues from Tell Asmar are these two standing male and female ones, which were made of veined gypsum. They have a wide-eyed gaze and hold a cup with their hands. The man is bare-chested and wears a flounced kilt while...

Gypsum replica of the statue of Sumerian scribe Dudu. The original statue was made of diorite and probably came from Tell Telloh (Girsu), Iraq, c. 2600 BCE. Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq.

A statue of a Sumerian worshipper. Marble, early dynastic period, 2800-2300 BCE, Mesopotamia, Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

It was a Sumerian tradition to deposit or bury objects bearing inscriptions within temples and important public buildings. These recorded the names of the persons who were responsible for the building and also ensured divine protection. The...

Limestone head of a statue of a Sumerian male; the rest of the body is lost. The eye sockets are empty but might well have been filled in with a white shell or a precious stone set in bitumen. Side view, left. From the Single-Shrine at the...