Naram Sin. A great conqueror and excellent strategist, Sargon was at the origin of the first unified state in Asia, which enabled him to conquer other city-states of the region and to extend its domination over the entire Middle East. Abandoned at birth, Sargon, according to legends appropriate for great destinies, had a childhood reminiscent of Moses and other heroes, such as Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. If his grandson left in history a somewhat more negative picture than that of his grandfather, however, they both remain considered as major figures in the history of Mesopotamia.
63. Anonymous, Composite Female Statuette. Princess of Bactria, late 3rd millennium or early 2nd millennium BCE. Bactrian. Serpentine and calcite, 18 × 16 × 14 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
An ancient Eastern Region of Afghanistan, particularly prosperous in the third and 2nd millennia BCE, mainly because of its wealth in raw materials, Bactria developed at that time, a particular sculpture consisting of miniature females. The ladies, dressed in kaunakes, a traditional costume made of Sumerian wool, are usually small, between eight and fourteen inches. This one, measuring about eight inches, is already quite exceptional in its size. In addition, her dress is amplified by a crinoline and a shawl or a flounce, giving her a profile of great majesty, which is accentuated by her standing position, whereas other statues are often found in sitting posture. A ‘platform’, built on the front of the dress, was to receive arms and hands, now missing. If facial features are barely sketched, the variety of materials and colours makes a clear distinction of clothes, hair and body of the model. To date, although 40 statuettes have been discovered, their identity and function remain uncertain. Maybe they are votive statuettes, representing a goddess of Central Asian mythology, or the representation of ladies of high rank, an assumption to which these figures owe their names of Princess of Bactria.
64. Anonymous, Foundation nail of a canephor on behalf of the Prince-Kudur Mabuk, father of Warad-Sin and Rim-Sin of Larsa, treasure of the foundation of the Temple of Inanna, early 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East, Larsa (Iraq). Bronze, nail height: 25 or 26 cm; shelf: 5.8 × 4.2 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
65. Anonymous, Figurine of a God called The God with the Golden Hand, around 2000 BCE. Ancient Near East, Susa (Iran). Copper and gold, 17.5 × 5.5 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
66. Anonymous, Statuette of a Royal Prince, 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East. Copper, 34.9 × 9.5 cm. The British Museum, London.
67. Anonymous, Royal Head, known as Head of Hammurabi, early 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East. Diorite, 15.2 × 9.7 × 11 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
68. Anonymous, Mask of the Demon Humbaba, early 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East. Terracotta, 8.9 × 5.6 cm. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.
69. Anonymous, Head of a God, early 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East, Tello (Iraq), Shaped terracotta, 10.8 × 6.4 × 5.7 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
70. Anonymous, Head of a Statue of Amenemhat III, Dynasty XII, 1991–1786 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Lower Egypt. Greywacke, height: 46 cm. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen.
71. Anonymous, Statuette of a Quadrifons God, early 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East. Bronze, height: 17.3 cm. Oriental Institute of Art, Chicago.
72. Anonymous, Statuette of a Kneeling Man, known as The Adoration of Larsa, early 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East, Larsa (Iraq). Bronze and gold. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
73. Anonymous, Statue of a Pharaoh, probably Amenemhet II, Dynasty XII, 1991–1786 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Licht (Egypt). Cedar wood and painted plaster, height: 56 cm. Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo.
74. Anonymous, Statue of Ka of Hor I Aouibre, Dynasty XIII, 1785–1650 BCE. Ancient Egyptian, Tomb of Hor, Dahshur (Egypt). Gilded wood with gold leaf and precious stones, height: 170 cm. Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, Cairo.
75. Anonymous, Gilgamesh Standing on the Head of Humbaba, first half of the 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East, Tell Asmar (Iraq). Terracotta (burnt) and traces of red paint, 16.5 × 5 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
76. Anonymous, Relief Depicting a Combat, early 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East, Terracotta, 8 × 13.8 cm. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.
77. Anonymous, Code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, 1792–1750 BCE. Ancient Near East, Susa (Iran). Basalt, 225 × 65 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
The sixth king of Babylon, Hammurabi, was the first to ascertain the hegemony of the city over the whole of Mesopotamia and to impose a real unity of language and law within his kingdom. Hammurabi’s Code is inscribed in the Akkadian language and is more a compendium of case law than a statement of legal texts, destined to govern his people according to the same rules of conduct and accountability for everyone. Nearly three-quarters of the work are inscribed on stone tablets; this text is one of the oldest written laws and the most comprehensive one of antiquity. The stele, first placed in the temple of Sippar before being moved to Susa in the late 2nd millennium BCE, has been found in several versions located throughout the kingdom. Thus, the code was made available and became visible to all, responding to a principle of law known and still in effect: ‘Nobody is supposed to ignore the law.’ Emblematic of the Mesopotamian civilisation, the text begins with an introduction explaining the achievements and qualities of the king, followed by court decisions. This is an exceptional source of information about this culture, in areas as diverse as family, religion, military and the economy. An epilogue, dedicated to the glory of Hammurabi, completes the text. At the top of the stele, a bas-relief shows the standing king receiving the investiture of Shamash, the Mesopotamian god of the sun, thus legitimising the rules imposed by the king.
78. Anonymous, Bas-relief of an Armed Warrior God, first half of the 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient Near East. Plate moulded terracotta, 11.5 × 5.5 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
79. Anonymous, Mountain God Feeding Two Goats, 15th century BCE. Ancient Near East. Limestone, height: 122 cm. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin.
80. Anonymous, The Sculptor Bak and his Wife Taheri, Reign of Akhenaten, Dynasty XVIII, 1379–1362 BCE. Ancient Egyptian. Quartzite, height: 67 cm. Ägyptische Museum, Berlin.
81. Anonymous, Stele of Baal with a Bolt of Lightning, 15th-13th century BCE. Ancient Near East, Ras Shamra. Limestone, 142 × 50 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
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