Cup with Hero and Animals

Cup with Hero and Animals

This elaborate cup was discovered in a temple in the city of Tell Agrab, where it may have been used to place offerings before the god Shara. The decoration of its carved support shows a hero, naked except for a double-strand belt, grasping the rumps of two lions in his hands. The curling tails of two additional lions are tucked under his arms, and all four lions stare at a bearded bull at the opposite end of the stand.

Collected by

Henri Frankfort, Field Director of the Iraq Expedition
Excavated by The Oriental Institute 1935-1936