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During the Early Dynastic Period in Mesopotamia, statuettes were placed in sanctuaries as votive offerings and were later buried when the temple was remodeled or rebuilt. This sculpture was found buried in a pit next to the altar of the Abu Temple at Tell Asmar.

Bald, clean-shaven, bare-chested, and wearing a kind of skirt, this figure was probably a priest. Figures in early Mesopotamian art that were in a state of ritual purity were often represented in this way.

Female Mesopotamian Worshipper Figure

Name: Bald Mesopotamian Worshipper Figure

Material: Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone

Size:
Height: 40 cm (1 ft 4 in)

Date: 2900-2600 BCE, Early Dynastic period

Place of Origin: Tell Asmar, Abu Temple, Iraq

Location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago, Illinois

Source and Registration#: Oriental Institute Museum A12333 Link to resource

Geoff Emberling

Former Chief Curator, Oriental Institute Museum of the University of Chicago