A lasting prayer. This alabaster statuette from ancient Susa (in southwestern Iran) of a kneeling woman at prayer provides early evidence of the custom, well-established in neighboring Mesopotamia in the Sumerian period (2800–2000 B.C.), of a worshiper placing a statue of herself in a temple to perpetuate her prayers. With almond-shaped eyes, thick hair pulled back with a narrow band, and long skirt wrapped around her knees, the delicate figurine, dating to about 3300 B.C., exemplifies the refinement of sculptural arts in Susa (as in Mesopotamia) in the late fourth millennium B.C. At this time, Susa, rich in wood, […]
