Foundation figure of Ur-Namma holding a basket

Unknown

ca. 2112–2095 BCE · Copper alloy · Ancient Near Eastern Art

This solid-cast figurine shows a male figure, beardless and with a shaved head, carrying a basket filled with earth above his head. The basket may indicate that the figure is participating in ceremonial building activities, such as the ceremony for making the first brick which is recorded in texts from this period. The cuneiform inscription on the peg identifies it as one which was deposited in the foundation of a temple of Inanna restored or built by the Ur III ruler Ur-Namma.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 2112–2095 BCE

Medium

Copper alloy

Culture

Neo-Sumerian

Department

Ancient Near Eastern Art

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1947