Figure carrying basket with soil
Certificate of incorporation in the form of a basket carrier
Loaned From: Vorderasiatisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Bronze
circa 1770 BCE
Iraq
Vorderasiatisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
Details
Culture/Civilisation
Ancient Mesopotamia
Theme
The Great River Civilisations outside India: Mesopotamia, Egypt and China
Subtheme
Mesopotamia – The Land of the Two Rivers
Case Title
Mesopotamia - gods, temples and kings
Display Location
Coomaraswamy Hall
Measurements
26.3 x (dia.) 10 cm
Accession Number
VA 03025
Description
Temples to their many gods stood at the heart of Mesopotamian society.
Mesopotamians imagined a watery abyss underneath the earth. Temple foundations were secured by bronze mooring-pegs, symbolically connecting the worlds of gods and humans.
This basket carrier is inscribed with the temple’s foundation charter. The clean-shaven figure is perhaps carrying an offering or material for the building work. Carved using durable materials, the king’s name, often linked to the gods, is immortalised.
