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Scholars believe that worshipper statuettes were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer while their owners went about their daily lives. This is a representation of a bearded male worshipper standing reverently before his god. It is one of a number of statuettes found buried in a pit next to the altar of the Abu Temple at Tell Asmar.

Bald Male Worshipper

Name: Bearded Mesopotamian Worshipper Figure

Material: Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone

Size:
Height: 55 cm (1 ft 9.6 in)

Date: 2900-2600 BCE

Place of Origin: Tell Asmar, Khafajah, Iraq
Location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago, Illinois

Source and Registration#: Oriental Institute Museum A12331

Jennie Myers

Research Associate, University of Chicago