---
title: Queen of the Night, Old Babylon
author: Trustees of the British Museum
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/500/queen-of-the-night-old-babylon/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 2024-08-26
---
# Queen of the Night, Old Babylon
_Authored by Trustees of the British Museum_
## Image File
[](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/500.jpg)
## Image Caption
[Queen of the Night](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/658/the-queen-of-the-night/), a large plaque made of baked straw-tempered clay, modelled in high relief. From southern Iraq, Old Babylonian period, 1800-1750 BCE.
The figure of the curvaceous naked woman was originally painted red. She wears the horned headdress characteristic of a Mesopotamian deity and holds a rod and ring of justice, symbols of her divinity. Her long multi-coloured wings hang downwards, indicating that she is a goddess of the Underworld. Her legs end in the talons of a bird of prey, similar to those of the two owls that flank her. The background was originally painted black, suggesting that she was associated with the night. She stands on the backs of two lions, and a scale pattern indicates mountains.
The figure could be an aspect of the goddess [Ishtar](https://www.worldhistory.org/ishtar/), Mesopotamian goddess of sexual love and [war](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/War/), or Ishtar's sister and rival, the goddess [Ereshkigal](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ereshkigal/) who ruled over the Underworld, or the demoness Lilitu, known in the [Bible](https://www.worldhistory.org/bible/) as Lilith. The plaque probably stood in a shrine.
The British Museum, London.
## Cite This Work
### APA
Museum, T. o. t. B. (2012, April 26). Queen of the Night, Old Babylon. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Museum, Trustees of the British. "Queen of the Night, Old Babylon." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 26, 2012. .
### MLA
Museum, Trustees of the British. "Queen of the Night, Old Babylon." *World History Encyclopedia*, 26 Apr 2012, .
## License & Copyright
© Trustees of the [British Museum](http://www.britishmuseum.org/). Republished under the British Museum [Standard Terms of Use](http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_this_site/terms_of_use.aspx) for non-profit educational purposes. [Original image](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/t/queen_of_the_night_relief.aspx) by [**Trustees of the British Museum**](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/t/queen_of_the_night_relief.aspx). Submitted by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/ "User Page: Jan van der Crabben"), published on 26 April 2012. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Copyright](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright). You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.