Goddess Lama
Copper statue of Lamma
Old Babylonian, about 1800-1600 BC
From Ur, southern Iraq
The excavator Leonard Woolley found this statue in a hollow wooden box, lying in the courtyard of a shrine. The box may have been a plinth for a limestone statue. Woolley identified the statue as an image of the god Hendursag but it is now known to be the goddess Lamma
The Sumerian term lamma refers to a minor deity who is beneficent and protective. Generally the lamma was anonymous. In art they are depicted in quite consistent form, usually introducing worshippers on cylinder seals. Later the related term lamassu seems to refer to the colossal statues of winged human-headed bulls and lions which guarded the gateways of Assyrian palaces and temples
Lamma is normally shown with one or both hands raised in supplication to a major god. Here her arms are missing. She wears a multiple-horned headdress and a tiered garment either representing a fine, pleated material or a fringed wool imitation of earlier sheepskin garments. The counterweight to her necklace hangs all the way down her back
The Sumerian expression lama refers to minor, helpful and protective deities. In general, lama was synonymous with it. In art, these deities were always depicted in a fixed form, often including worshipers on cylinder seals. Later, the related expression lamassu appears to refer to the colossal statues of winged bulls and lions with human heads that guarded the gates of Assyrian palaces and temples. A lama is usually shown with one or both hands raised in supplication to a major deity. Here her hands are missing. She wears a headdress, multiple horns, and a multi-level dress, an expression of either soft, pleated material or an imitation of sheep's wool in ancient dresses made of sheep skins. The counterweight to her neck always hangs behind her back.
This rare small statue of Goddess Lama, a small brass statue of Goddess Lama, is most likely from the city of Mari. Period 2000-1800 BC
It could have been made in a workshop on the outskirts of Mesopotamia.
Assyria Kalkhu Dur Sharukin Nineveh Mesopotamia
Source: websites