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Four thousand years ago northern Syria was a crossroads of peoples and cultures, meeting through trade and military conflict. This statue of a portly man sitting on a low throne combines Assyrian and Amorite stylistic influences. It was possibly found at Ebla, where some scholars believe the biblical Abraham visited as he traveled from Chaldea to Canaan around 2000 bc. Such a large carved stone image suggests a local ruler or high official. The head was removed, probably in an act of ritual defilement, since decapitation was believed to cancel the object’s supernatural presence.

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Details

  • Title: Seated Ruler
  • Date Created: 2000–1700 BCE
  • Physical Dimensions: Overall: 66.7 x 38.2 x 54.6 cm (26 1/4 x 15 1/16 x 21 1/2 in.)
  • Provenance: Paul Mallon, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Type: Sculpture
  • Rights: CC0
  • External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1969.37
  • Medium: limestone with shell inclusions
  • Fun Fact: The remains of a beard can be seen at the neckline.
  • Department: Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
  • Culture: North Syria, possibly Ebla
  • Credit Line: Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
  • Collection: Near Eastern Art
  • Accession Number: 1969.37

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