Animal sacrifices were part of the ritual ceremonies that took place in the temples and their courtyards. In this inlaid frieze, two officiants prepare to cut the throat of a ram that they hold down with its head back, the neck already exposed. Around them, somewhat passive figures clasp their hands in an attitude of prayer as they observe the scene. The frieze is one of many found in fragments in the temples of Mari, the city-state.
Era: Early Bronze Age (about 2500 BC).
Composition: ivory, shell, red limestone, and schist.
Dimensions: 30 x 21.5 x 5 cm.
Text: Michel Fortin (p. 287).
Photography: Jacques Lessard.
Collection of the National Museum of Damascus.
Michel Fortin, Syria, Land of Civilization. Les Éditions de l'Homme, Musée de la Civilisation de Québec 1999.
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