The Tell al-'Ubaid Copper Lintel or ''Imdugud Relief'' is a large copper panel found at the ancient
Sumerian city of
Tell al-'Ubaid
Tell al-'Ubaid ( ar, العبيد) is a low, relatively small tell (settlement mound) west of nearby Ur in southern Iraq's Dhi Qar Governorate. The majority of the remains are from the Chalcolithic Ubaid period, for which Tell al-'Ubaid is the ...
in southern
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
. Excavated by the English archaeologist
Henry Hall in 1919, the frieze is one of the largest metal sculptures to survive from ancient
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...
and is now preserved in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
.
Discovery
The sculpture was discovered in 1919 at the base of a temple foundation made from mud and brick at the isolated Sumerian site of Tell al-'Ubaid, close to the ancient city of
Ur in southern Iraq.
Archaeologists have determined from extant inscriptions and sculptures that the temple was dedicated to the goddess
Ninhursag
, deity_of=Mother goddess, goddess of fertility, mountains, and rulers
, image= Mesopotamian - Cylinder Seal - Walters 42564 - Impression.jpg
, caption= Akkadian cylinder seal impression depicting a vegetation goddess, possibly Ninhursag, sittin ...
. Based on where it was originally found, it has been suggested that the copper panel was located above the temple door, in full view of the
congregation
A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship.
Congregation may also refer to:
* Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship
*Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...
. Soon after its discovery, the sculpture was shipped to
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
as part of the British Museum's share of the finds.
British Museum Collection
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Description
This impressive metal relief was found in a parlous state and had to be heavily restored by conservators In certain areas of England, Conservators are statutory bodies which manage areas of countryside for the use of the public.
Establishment, Role and Powers
Conservators are bodies corporate generally established, and granted their powers, by a ...
afters its discovery. The central figure in the restored lintel shows the lion-headed eagle Imdugud who is the symbol of the god Ningirsu
, image= Cropped Image of Carving Showing the Mesopotamian God Ninurta.png
, caption= Assyrian stone relief from the temple of Ninurta at Kalhu, showing the god with his thunderbolts pursuing Anzû, who has stolen the Tablet of Destinies from E ...
. Flanking either side of the god are two stags, one of whose heads has been restored. The relief was beaten out of a very large piece of copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
and almost seems to stand apart from the background. For an object of this size to survive is unusual as most metal artefacts were melted down for their bullion value in antiquity.
See also
* Copper Bull
References
Bibliography
* H.R. Hall and C.L. Woolley, ''Ur Excavations'', vol. I: Al-Uba (London, Oxford University Press, 1927)
* T. C. Mitchell, ''Sumerian art: illustrated by objects from Ur and Al-'Ubaid'' (London, The British Museum Press, 1969)
*H.W.F. Saggs, Babylonians (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)
*D. Collon, Ancient Near Eastern art (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)
* M. Roaf, Cultural atlas of Mesopotamia (New York, 1990)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tell al-'Ubaid Copper Lintel
Middle Eastern sculptures in the British Museum
Sumerian art and architecture
Sculpture of the Ancient Near East
Ancient art in metal
Archaeological discoveries in Iraq