Foundation Figure

2100 BC - 2000 BC
Stone
Original Site Unknown
11 cm x 6.7 cm x 2.3 cm
A3700

Oriental Institute Museum

Foundation Figure

This foundation figure is from one of the many temples constructed by King Shulgi, the second ruler of the third dynasty of Ur. The inscription on the figure is as follows: "For the god Shullat-and-Hanish, his lord, Shulgi, mighty man, king of Ur, king of the lands of Sumer and Akkad, built his temple for him.

Inscription

For the god Shullat-and-Hanish, his lord, Shulgi, mighty man, king of Ur, king of the lands of Sumer and Akkad, built his temple for him.

Collected by

James Henry Breasted
Purchased 1919-1920



Suggested Readings

Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.

Leick, Gwendolyn. A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Architecture. London: Routledge, 1988.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.