................................................F
Statuette of Ebhi-il, alabaster, Mari, Early Dynastic, c. 2500 BCE, h:
52.5 cm.
From the Early Dynastic - Northern Mesopotamian Period, 2900 BCE - 2350
BCE
Found in Mari (Tell Hariri)
Side view and close-up of statue of Ebhi-il. A common practice of worshippers
during the Early Dynastic period was to place votive statues in temples,
thus erecting a personal representation in eternal prayer before the gods,
and eliciting eternal favors. Ebih-Il was an official of Mari in the Early
Dynastic III period, c. 2500 BCE, and a number of statues, both male and
female, have been found alongside his in the Temple of Ishtar of Mari.
His statue represents the finest in carving techniques, evident in the
sinuous curves of the skirt flounces and the meticulous detailing of the
beard.
Strommenger, Eva. 5000 Years of the Art of Mesopotamia. New York: Harry
N. Abrams, Inc., 1964, pl 88.