The ''Statue of Ebih-Il'' is a 25th-century BC statue of the praying figure of Ebih-Il (, EN-TI-IL, ''e-bih-il''), superintendent of the ancient city-state of Mari in modern eastern Syria. The statue was discovered at the Temple of

Ishtar Inanna, also sux, 𒀭𒊩𒌆𒀭𒈾, nin-an-na, label=none is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine justice, and political power. She was originally worshiped in Su ...

in Mari during excavations directed by French archaeologist

André Parrot André Charles Ulrich Parrot (15 February 1901 – 24 August 1980) was a French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East. He led excavations in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, and is best known for his work at Mari, Syria, where he led i ...

. It is made of

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywal ...

, with inlays of

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes ...

, shells and lapis lazuli. The statue is displayed in the

Musée du Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

. It has been described as "a masterpiece by virtue of its craftsmanship, state of preservation, and expressive style."

Overview

The statue, made of translucent smooth

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that include ...

, depicts the figure of a man seated on a wicker hassock. He is shown in a praying posture with hands clasped against his chest conveying his devotion to the deity. The man's head is shaved. His long beard is composed of vertical curls and has drilled holes drilled formerly inlaid with another, now-lost material. The beard accentuates the figure's cheeks and finely sculpted lips that convey a half-smile. The figure's staring blue eyes were crafted with particular care and detail. Flakes of

, shells and lapis lazuli form the

eyelash An eyelash (also called lash) (Latin: ''Cilia'') is one of the hairs that grows at the edge of the eyelids. It grows in one layer on the edge of the upper and lower eyelids. Eyelashes protect the eye from debris, dust, and small particles and p ...

es and

eyelid An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid, exposing the cornea to the outside, giving vision. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily. The human eye ...

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical ...

and

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

, respectively.Parrot, 1935, p. 26. The lapis lazuli inlays were imported from as far east as

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. The figure has a bare torso and thin waist. The hands are clasped against the chest, with the left hand closed and placed inside the right hand. The figure's only dress is the Sumerian-style ceremonial

kaunakes A ''kaunakes'' ( grc, καυνάκης or ; akk, TÚGGU-NAK-KU) or ''persis'' was a woollen mantle associated with ancient Mesopotamia and Persia. It was woven in a tufted pattern suggesting overlapping petals or feathers, either by sewing tuft ...

skirt. This elaborate fleece skirt appears to be made from

animal hide A hide or skin is an animal skin treated for human use. The word "hide" is related to the German word "Haut" which means skin. The industry defines hides as "skins" of large animals ''e.g''. cow, buffalo; while skins refer to "skins" of smaller an ...

(probably

sheepskin Sheepskin is the hide of a sheep, sometimes also called lambskin. Unlike common leather, sheepskin is tanned with the fleece intact, as in a pelt.Delbridge, Arthur, "The Macquarie Dictionary", 2nd ed., Macquarie Library, North Ryde, 1991 Uses ...

or goatskin) as evidenced by the presence of a tail at the back. The figure's feet are missing but their attachment piece is still showing under the dress. The inscription in

proto-cuneiform The Proto-Cuneiform script was used in Mesopotamia from roughly 3300 BC to 2900 BC. It arose from the token based system used in the region for the preceding millennia and was replaced by the development of early Cuneiform script in the Early Dy ...

signs on the rear, which identifies the work, reads: "Statue of Ebih-Il, the superintendent, dedicated to

Virile."

Excavation

The statue was discovered in two parts by a French excavation team under

.Cluzan; Lecompte, 2011, p. 5. The head was found on the pavement of the outer court of the Temple of Ishtar, and a few meters away the body along with a smaller statue of King Lamgi-Mari. The left arm and elbow were broken, and the base of the right elbow was shattered. The statues were the first major discovery of the Mari excavations started winter 1933, the head found 22 January 1934, the body 23 January 1934. File:Ebih-Il (discovery, 22 January 1934, excavation).jpg, Excavation of the head of Ebih-Il (22 January 1934) File:Ebih-Il (discovery, 22 January 1934).jpg, Head of Ebih-Il (discovery, 22 January 1934) File:Ebih-Il (discovery, 23 January 1934, body).jpg, Body of Ebih-Il (discovery, 23 January 1934) Ebih-Il (discovery, 22 January 1934, portrait).jpg, Head of Ebih-Il upon discovery File:Ebih-Il (discovery, 22 January 1934, profile).jpg, Head of Ebih-Il upon discovery (profile)

Details of the statue

File:Ebih-Il Louvre AO17551 n01.jpg, Ebih-Il in the Louvre, AO17551 File:Ebih-Il Louvre AO17551 n02.jpg, The figure's facial expressions. The figure's hands are clasped in prayer File:Ebih-Il Louvre AO17551 n04.jpg, A profile of the statue showing the seated posture and the

skirt File:Ebih-Il Louvre AO17551 n11.jpg, A closeup of the finely crafted eyes File:Ebih-Il Louvre AO17551 n07.jpg, Dedication of the statue in

Proto-cuneiform The Proto-Cuneiform script was used in Mesopotamia from roughly 3300 BC to 2900 BC. It arose from the token based system used in the region for the preceding millennia and was replaced by the development of early Cuneiform script in the Early Dy ...

script: "Ebih-Il, nu-banda (, ''nu-banda'', "overseer"), offered his statue to Ishtar Virile" File:Ebih-Il (name).jpg, The name "Ebih-Il" (, EN-TI-IL) on the statue, with the corresponding standard Sumero-Akkadian

cuneiform Cuneiform is a logo-syllabic script that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Middle East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. It is named for the characteristic wedge-sh ...

s. File:Ebih-Il Louvre AO17551 n10.jpg, A closeup showing the details of the wicker seat

References

Citations

Bibliography