Sculptures

Freestanding sculptures in the Early Dynastic Period of Mesopotamia were typically located in temples and were believed to possess life—a belief that existed across the ancient Near East. Statues depicted both deities and mortals and were crafted in an abstract, geometric manner. Generally the male figures were of better quality than the female figures. The cylinder or cone was frequently reflected in both stone and metal Mesopotamian figures. Archaeologists have discovered figures cast in copper dating as early as the Early Dynastic Period II.