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This is a diorite statue of Gudea, ensi of Lagash, dedicated to the god Ningishzida, his personal god, ca. 2120 BCE (“Neo-Sumerian” period), excavated in Telloh (ancient Girsu), Iraq. Many statues of this early ruler have been found, depicting Gudea either seated or standing with his hands clasped in a form of reverence and wearing the same headgear and robe. The time of Gudea is often referred to as the “Neo-Sumerian” period because Gudea appears to hark back to an earlier form of rulership, a time when the rulers were called ensi, rather than lugal (“king”), and in contrast with the Sargonic kings, he most often depicts himself in an attitude of reverence to the gods, rather than as a conqueror.

Relief of Ur-Nanshe, First King of Lagash

Name: Gudea of Lagash

Material: Diorite

Size: Height: 46 cm (18 in)
Width: 33 cm (12.75 in)
Diameter: 22.5 (8.75 in)

Date: ca. 2120 BCE

Place of Origin: Excavated in Telloh

Location: Musée du Louvre, Paris, France

Registration # and Source: #: O 3293 (head) & AO 4108. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France. Department of Oriental antiquities, Richelieu Wikimedia Commons. Link to resource (accessed May 7, 2010).

Jennie Myers

Research Associate, University of Chicago