Central Mesopotamia / Standing male worshiper / 2750-2600 B.C.

Central Mesopotamia
Standing male worshiper
2750-2600 B.C.
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Creator Nationality: Asian; Middle Eastern; Mesopotamian
Creator Name-CRT: Central Mesopotamia
Title: Standing male worshiper
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: -275
Creation End Date: -260
Creation Date: 2750-2600 B.C.
Creation Place: Central Mesopotamia
Object Type: Sculpture
Materials and Techniques: Alabaster (gypsum), shell, black limestone
Dimensions: H. 11.9 in. (29.5 cm)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 40.156
Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, by exchange, 1940
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

In Mesopotamia gods were thought to be physically present in the materials and experiences of daily life. Enlil, considered the most powerful Mesopotamian god during most of the third millennium B.C., was a 'raging storm' or 'wild bull,' while the goddess Inanna reappeared in different guises as the morning and evening star. Deities literally inhabited their cult statues after they had been animated by the proper rituals, and fragments of worn statues were preserved within the walls of the temple.

This standing figure, with clasped hands and a wide-eyed gaze, is a worshiper. It was placed in the 'Square Temple' at Tell Asmar, perhaps dedicated to the god Abu, in order to pray perpetually on behalf of the person it represented. For humans equally were considered to be physically present in their statues. Similar statues were sometimes inscribed with the names of rulers and their families.

AMICA ID: MMA_.40.156
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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