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February 7, 2008
A Queen and A Goddess at Ebla
Back in October of last year, I noted a report of new discoveries from Ebla. Among those discoveries were two statues of women. At the time, I complained that there weren't even pictures of the statues in the report. Well, pictures and a few more details are not available at Archaeology. At least there is enough to whet one's appetite for more. Here is part of what the short article says of the two statues,
Both figurines are intricate representations of women, which are rare in Near Eastern Bronze Age art. One, made of steatite and wood, is depicted with her arms arranged in a gesture indicating prayer. The second figurine holds a goblet and wears an ornate gold dress. Both seem to have been used in a ritual mentioned in a tablet from Ebla that describes how the city's dead queens became female deities who were then worshiped privately by their successors. Matthiae [the excavation director - des] suspects the steatite figure depicts a living queen who would have prayed to the gold-covered figurine, itself a representation of a dead queen who had become a goddess.
Read the short article and take a look at the pictures.
Posted by Duane Smith at February 7, 2008 4:15 PM | Read more on Archaeology |
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Comments
"Well, pictures and a few more details are not available at Archaeology [...]" Erh, I presume you mean "now available"? But then again, when I follow your link to the article, I get a 404-not-found page so indeed it's not available for me :(
Luckily I can see the picture though. Very detailed designs and yet sort of plain and undistinguished. Interesting.
Posted by: Glen Gordon at February 9, 2008 9:15 AM
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