A person wearing a short skirt places one foot on a stylized mountain and extends his left hand to a figure with two faces representing Isimud, the vizier of the Sumerian god Enki (Ea in Akkadian), who is shown seated to the right of the scene. Between the god and his vizier is what appears to be an altar with a plant above it. Enki was the god of sweet underground water (Abzu); he was associated with wisdom, magic, incarnation, crafts, and arts. He was often represented with a long beard and dressed in tufted robes, receiving worshippers or devotees, bearing offerings. The cuneiform inscription reads as follows: "My god is just (name of the person) scribe."
Provenance: Mari.
Era: Early Bronze Age (about 2400 BC).
Substance: alabaster and plaster.
Dimensions: 3 x 1.6 cm.
Text: Michel Fortin (p.100).
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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