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Foundation figure of Ur-Namma holding a basket

ca. 2112–2095 BCE
Not on view
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Foundation figure of Ur-Namma holding a basket
  • Period: Ur III
  • Date: ca. 2112–2095 BCE
  • Geography: Mesopotamia
  • Culture: Neo-Sumerian
  • Medium: Copper alloy
  • Dimensions: 10 3/4 × 3 9/16 × 2 3/16 in. (27.3 × 9.1 × 5.6 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. William H. Moore, 1947
  • Object Number: 47.49
  • Curatorial Department: Ancient West Asian Art

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