Head of a Man from a Votive Statuette

Head of a bald and beardless man broken irregularly at neck. Eyes are hollowed out for inlay. Eyebrows are deeply incised and join over nose. Sculpture was found at Tell Asmar (ancient Eshnunna), a Sumerian city located in the Diyala region of Mesopotamia. Apparently excavated in an Early Dynastic II layer, but it has been suggested that the stratification was confused and the sculpture is more likely from the Early Dynastic III period. The head is probably from a votive statue similar to those found as part of the sculpture hoard from the Abu-Temple at Tell Asmar. This statue is likely to have performed a similar function to others from the same site. The statues varied in size and shape and were placed in temples, buried under the floor or built into the shrine. The figures, often shown making a gesture of prayer, were intended to represent the worshipper before the god.