A male figure, seated on an elaborate
throne and resting his feet upon a stool, is
depicted in profile to the left as long
bearded, wearing the characteristic
headgear for men of all classes and
kaunaks, the unisex garment made from
sheepskin and worn with the skin turned
inside and with tufts ornamented like a
toothed-comb over the wool. This type of
clothing article was used in the form of a
wraparound skirt tied and worn from the
waist extending to the knees, covering the
body while crossing over the left shoulder,
as seen in this case.
The seated figure is in the act of extending
both hands towards a standing male figure
which is approaching while holding a young
ram.
The scene is brought to a well balanced
aesthetic conclusion with the figure of a
third male, equally bearded and similarly
dressed, who is holding with his left a long
cross-bow, while posing his left foot on the
back of a crouching calf.
Sumer was an ancient civilization founded
in the Mesopotamian region of the Fertile
Crescent, the territory situated between the
Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Known for their
innovations in language, governance,
architecture and the arts, Sumerians are
considered by many historians the creators
of civilization, as modern humans
understand it. Their control of the region
lasted for short of 2,000 years, before the
Babylonians took charge in 2004 B.C.
The city of Mari was an ancient Semitic city
in Syria that flourished as a trade center
and hegemonic state between 2900 BC and
1759 BC. Mari is not considered a small
settlement that gradually grew, but rather a
purposely founded and built new city
around 2900 BC, to control the waterways
of the Euphrates trade routes that connect
the Levant with the Sumerian south, before
being abandoned and forgotten during the
Hellenistic period.
The name of the city can be traced to Mer,
the patron of storms, a male deity of
northern Mesopotamia and Syria, who was
considered the patron deity of the city.
Mari’s discovery in 1933 provided an
important insight into the geopolitical map
of ancient Mesopotamia and Syria, due to
the discovery of more than 25,000 tablets
that contained important information about
the administration of the state during the
second millennium BC and the nature of
diplomatic relations between the political
entities in the region. They also revealed
the wide trading networks which connected
areas as far as Afghanistan in Southern
Asia and Crete in the Mediterranean region.
Low relief sculptures were abundantly and
freely used on building walls and in
materials less heavy than stone, as
independent ornament. The variety of
themes and the multitude of figures reveal
to the viewer a picture of societies that
delighted in refined workmanship in metals
and stone and shell, as well as in colorful
decoration and intricate pattern.
- (LM.69)
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