{"product_id":"mt2507","title":"A Sumerian Foundation Cone of Gudea Dedicated to Ningirsu, Second dynasty of Lagash, reign of Gudea, ca. 2141-2122 BCE","description":"\u003cp\u003eFoundation cones were among the most significant commemorative objects produced in ancient Mesopotamia. Buried within the walls or foundations of temples, palaces, and other monumental buildings, they served as permanent records of royal patronage, preserving the achievements of a ruler for both the gods and future generations. This finely preserved example bears the name of Gudea, the celebrated ruler (ensi) of Lagash, whose extensive building projects during the Neo-Sumerian period transformed the sacred landscape of southern Mesopotamia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFashioned from buff-colored terracotta, the cone has a broad, flattened head and a tapering shaft densely impressed with cuneiform signs arranged in carefully organized vertical columns before firing. The inscription is a standard dedicatory text recording Gudea's construction, enlargement, and restoration of the É-Ninnu Anzu Babbar, the principal temple of the warrior god Ningirsu at Girsu (modern Tell el-Hiba, Iraq). The text further states that the new sanctuary was erected upon the site of an earlier temple dedicated to the same deity, emphasizing the ruler's role in maintaining the continuity of divine worship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNingirsu was the patron deity of Girsu and the supreme god of the state of Lagash. Closely associated with kingship, agriculture, military power, and justice, he occupied a central place in the religious and political identity of the city-state. Gudea's inscriptions consistently portray his ambitious building program as divinely ordained, presenting the ruler as the faithful steward of the gods rather than as a conquering monarch. Hundreds of similar foundation cones were originally embedded within the temple walls, creating a permanent archive proclaiming Gudea's piety and legitimizing his reign. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMedium:\u003c\/b\u003e Teracotta \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/b\u003e Height: 4 1\/2 inches (11.4 cm), Head diameter: 2 1\/4 inches (5.7 cm) \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition:\u003c\/b\u003e Small losses to the head edge, wear to one side of the cuneiform inscription, and a small loss to the point. Overall intact and well preserved. Mounted on a custom museum-quality display mount. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/b\u003e Jack Guevrekian, Manhassat, NY, acquired in the 1980s, thereafter private NYC collection.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Arte Primitivo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58142603804975,"sku":"MT2507","price":4750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0234\/5339\/files\/d57d79a91e86a4c5632596e12e0b4293.jpg?v=1783306940","url":"https:\/\/sandsoftimedc.com\/products\/mt2507","provider":"Sands of Time Gallery","version":"1.0","type":"link"}