IV, 2694–2563 BCE. Ancient Egyptian. Greywacke, height: 96 cm. Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo.
40. Anonymous, Menkaure and his Wife, Dynasty IV, 2694–2563 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Temple in the valley of Menkaure, Giza, Egypt. Greywacke, 142.2 × 57.1 × 55.2 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
41. Anonymous, The Seated Scribe, around 2620–2500 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Saqqara, Egypt. Painted limestone, inlaid eyes of rock crystal, magnesite (magnesium carbonate), copper-arsenic alloy and wood, 53.7 × 44 × 35 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
Inseparable from the ancient Egyptian civilisation, the profession of scribe gave rise to the creation of a specific kind of sculpture. Thus, these figures should not always be understood as portraits of scholar-officials. Indeed, as with the statue of Prince Setka, kept in the Louvre, some scribes are known to be representations of members of the royal family. This work, the model of which could not be identified, was discovered in 1850 at Saqqara, by the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette. The scribe, unusual in Egyptian sculpture, was frozen in action and this attitude seems to have been created to indicate the heir to the pharaoh Didoufri, mentioned above. Actually sitting cross-legged, the Seated Scribe was to hold in his right hand, as evidenced by the hole, the brush that allowed him to write on the papyrus that he holds on his lap with his left hand. The facial features are particularly well defined and their lack of charm is in marked contrast to the flabbiness of the abdomen, which suggests that the model should be a mature man. The inlay work, specificity of Egyptian sculpture, is remarkable here. The nipples of the man are simulated by wooden pegs. Fashioned from encrusted rock crystal, magnesite and copper, his eyes are undoubtedly the most striking feature. Like the Mona Lisa, the Louvre Scribe follows the observer with his piercing gaze, regardless of where he is admired from.
42. Anonymous, Man Coating a Jar with Clay, Dynasty V, 2563–2364 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Tomb of Ptahshepses, Saqqara (Egypt). Painted limestone. Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo.
43. Anonymous, Prince Rahotep and his Wife, Nefret, around 2580 BCE. Ancient Egyptian. Painted limestone, height: 120 cm. Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo.
44. Anonymous, The Vizier Hemiunu, Dynasty IV, 2694–2563 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Giza, Egypt. Painted limestone, height: 155.5 cm. Roemer – und Pelizaeus-Museum, Hildesheim.
45. Anonymous, The Great Sphinx, 2620–2500 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Tanis, Egypt. Granite, 183 × 480 × 154 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
46. Anonymous, Head of a Woman, Reign of Khufu, Dynasty IV, 2551–2528 BCE. Ancient Egyptian. Limestone, 23.5 × 13 × 19 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
47. Anonymous, Female Head Wearing a Polos, around 2500–2400 BCE. Ancient Near East, Temple of Ishtar, Mari (Syria). Alabaster, eyes inlaid with shell, 14.8 × 12.6 × 8.8 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
48. Anonymous, Perforated Plate with Scene of Worship, around 2450–2400 BCE. Ancient Near East. Limestone, 22 × 26 cm. The British Museum, London.
49. Anonymous, Ka-Aper, 2450–2350 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Saqqara (Egypt). Wood, height: 109 cm. Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo.
50. Anonymous, Statue of Ur-Nansha, around 2450 BCE. Ancient Near East, Temple of Ninni-zaza, Mari (Syria). Gypsum, shell and lapis lazuli, bitumen (eyes). National Museum, Damascus.
51. Anonymous, Ebih He, the Superintendent, around 2400 BCE. Ancient Near East, Temple of Ishtar, Mari (Syria). Gypsum, lapis lazuli, shell, 52.5 × 20.6 × 30 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
52. Anonymous, Miller’s Wife, around 2400–2300 BCE. Ancient Egyptian. Painted limestone 16.5 × 25.7 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
53. Anonymous, Fragmentary Female Statuette, known as The Woman With a Scarf. Princess of the Time of Gudea, Prince of Lagash, around 2120 BCE. Ancient Near East, Tello (Iraq). Chlorite, 17.8 × 11 × 6.7 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
54. Anonymous, Gudea, Prince of Lagash, known as Statue of the Gushing Vase, dedicated to the goddess Geshtinanna, around 2120 BCE. Ancient Near East, Tello (Iraq). Dolerite, 62 × 25.6 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
55. Anonymous, Statue of Ishtup-ilum, around 2100 BCE. Ancient Near East, Palace of the 2nd millennium, Mari (Syria). Black basalt, 152 × 46 × 40 cm. Aleppo Museum, Aleppo.
56. Anonymous, Seneb the Dwarf and his Family. Ancient Egyptian, Mastaba of Seneb, Giza (Egypt). Painted limestone, 34 × 22.5 cm. Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo.
57. Anonymous, Ankhenes-Mery II and Pepi II, Dynasty VI, 2364–2181 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Saqqara (Egypt). Egyptian alabaster (calcite), 39.2 × 24.9 cm. Brooklyn Museum, New York.
58. Anonymous, Raherka, the Inspector of the Scribes and his Wife Meresankh, around 2350 BCE. Ancient Egyptian. Painted limestone, 52.8 × 17.6 × 21.3 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
59. Anonymous, Seal of the Scribe Add (top left) and Print from the Seal of the Scribe Add (top right), Akkad Dynasty, 2300–2100 BCE. Ancient Near East, Mesopotamia. Greenstone, height: 3.9 cm diameter: 2.5 cm. The British Museum, London.
60. Anonymous, Manishtusu Statue of the King of Akkad, around 2270 BCE. Ancient Near East, Susa (Iran). Diorite, 100 × 58 × 48 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
61. Anonymous, Stele of Naram-Sin, around 2250 BCE. Ancient Near East, Susa (Iran). Sandy limestone, height: 200 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
62. Anonymous, Head of an Akkadian Ruler, around 2250 BCE. Bronze, height: 36 cm. Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
An antique oriental masterpiece of Mesopotamian art, the bronze was discovered at Nineveh, an ancient city in modern Iraq, in the temple of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. From the end of the 24th to the beginning of the 22nd century BCE, the Akkadian empire ruled Mesopotamia as a whole. Unlike the Sumerians, who regrouped in the south, the empire matched the Akkadian peoples living north of the ancient Babylonian civilisation. Historians assume that the
