Ancient Mesopotamian carved bone God (8.25 cm), circa 3000 BC. Ancient Mesopotamian carved bone God idol, circa 3000 BC. Height: 3.25 inches = 8.25 cm + stand. Rare carved bone seated God idol, with big thighs, seated on a throne. Provenance: Ex Robert Haber Ancient Art NYC. Robert Habera’s interest in archaeology and antiquities came about while studying in Jerusalem. While working on an excavation, he discovered the practical world of archaeological conservation, and was immediately enthralled with the field. In pursuit of a career in the conservation of antiquities, Mr. Haber was awarded an apprenticeship at the Israel Museum and was later hired by the restoration department. He went on to study at the University College London as a Kress Fellow under Prof. Henry Hodges and received a Diploma in the Conservation of Ancient Materials. Condition Report: natural wear as seen, no alterations. References: Mesopotamian civilization existed for well over 3,000 years, from the formation of the first cities at the end of the fourth millennium B.C. to the early years of the Roman empire. During this period, religion was a major factor influencing behavior, political decision making, and material culture. Unlike some later monotheistic religions, in Mesopotamian mythology there existed no systematic theological tractate on the nature of the deities. Examination of ancient myths, legends, ritual texts, and images reveals that most gods were conceived in human terms. They had human or humanlike forms, were male or female, engaged in intercourse, and reacted to stimuli with both reason and emotion. Being similar to humans, they were considered to be unpredictable and oftentimes capricious. Their need for food and drink, housing, and care mirrored that of humans. Unlike humans, however, they were immortal and, like kings and holy temples, they possessed a splendor called melammu. Melammu is a radiance or aura, a glamour that the god embodied. It could be fearsome or awe-inspiring. Temples also had melammu. If a god descended into the Netherworld, he lost his melammu. Except for the goddess Inanna (Ishtar in Akkadian), the principal gods were masculine and had at least one consort. Gods also had families. Possessing powers greater than that of humans, many gods were associated with astral phenomena such as the sun, moon, and stars, others with the forces of nature such as winds and fresh and ocean waters, yet others with real animals—lions, bulls, wild oxen—and imagined creatures such as fire-spitting dragons. In the Sumerian hymn “Enlil in the E-Kur,” the god Enlil is described as controlling and animating nature: Without the Great Mountain Enlil . . . the carp would not . . . come straight up[?] from the sea, they would not dart about. The sea would not produce all its heavy treasure, no freshwater fish would lay eggs in the reedbeds, no bird of the sky would build nests in the spacious lands; in the sky, the thick clouds would not open their mouths; on the fields, dappled grain would not fill the arable lands, vegetation would not grow lushly on the plain; in the gardens, the spreading trees of the mountain would not yield fruit.
