Foundation Figure of King Ur-Namma

Inscribed in Sumerian, Ur-Namma, King of Ur, King of Sumer and Akkad, who built the temple of Enlil.

The inscription mentions Enlil, the major god of the Mesopotamian pantheon. Ur-Namma’s artisans created a new type of foundation figure to commemorate the king’s involvement in the construction of Enlil’s temple. The full figure of Ur-Namma—prepared for the ritual with his head and beard shaved and his torso bare—is shown wearing a long skirt upon which the inscription is prominently featured. Ur-Namma is shown in an act of deep piety, his expression contemplative; with calm seriousness, he acts for eternity. With this image of restrained naturalism, the artist reached a new summit of taste and refinement. The sculpture provides a rare glimpse of royal portraiture by first-rate metropolitan craftsmen of the twenty-first century B.C.