This Sumerian “tablet” was found in Bulgaria, of all
places. The New York Times reports, “Acting on a tip, the police raided four
homes in eastern Bulgaria, looking for contraband that regularly traverses this
country on the way to markets in Western Europe and America. In one rusting
shed behind an apartment block here, they found a cache of looted antiquities:
19 classical statues and fragments of marble or limestone.
Among them was a square tablet depicting a procession. If
genuine, its style would make it neither Roman nor Greek, like the rest, but
even older, dating back nearly 5,000 years. Its appearance suggested it came
from the ancient Sumerian city of Lagash, in what is today southern Iraq.
McGuire Gibson of the University of Chicago, a leading expert
on Mesopotamian art, reviewed a photograph of the tablet and noted
unusual features, like a smooth bore hole in the center, that suggested
it could be a well-made reproduction. But he added, “If that were real,
they could sell it for millions.”
The article
goes on to state that the tablet may have been sold by the
Islamic State (ISIS) which uses the sale of stolen artifacts to help fund its campaign of terrorism. The
tablet was confiscated and it is now being held in the Shumen Regional
Historical Museum in Bulgaria.
I suggest the “tablet” is actually a plaque. It is probably a back-plate for a door handle.
[Click on any
image to enlarge it in a separate window.]
A votive plaque dedicated to the god Dumuzi by king Lugalzagesi.
I further suggest that the plaque is from the city of Ur, not Lagash, as stated in the article. Ur is the most likely choice for the provenance of the plaque because all of the images on it look like they were copied from the “peace
side” of the Standard of Ur.
The Royal Standard of Ur, peace side.
The plaque shows people in a religious procession going to the
temple.
Unfortunately, the temple is hidden beneath the tape.
In the procession is a long-haired priest. His hands are folded in prayer.
Because of the long hair, it’s tempting to say this a
woman, and thus a priestess rather than a priest. Although Sumerian priests
were usually shown with shaven heads, some of them had long hair (or wore a
wig), as shown below on the Standard of Ur (left) and on a plaque from the city Mari:
The long-haired priests have their hands folded in prayer.
Two Sumerians lead a bull during the ceremonial
procession. The bull is “garlanded for the sacrifice.”
The same exact scene is on the Standard of Ur.
Part of the procession includes Akkadians
bearing tribute to the conquering Sumerian king. They carry the tribute in bags and in backpacks.
The Akkadians are led by a Sumerian. He performs the gesture of obedience for his king and the gods.
Notice the distinctive “angled-skirt” of the Akkadians. It is the
same kind of skirt that is shown on the Standard of Ur.
A pair of Akkadians carry tribute in a bag and a backpack. The
backpack is supported by a head strap, like the one shown on the plaque. The backpacks were elaborate contraptions, but they match in all their details.
Three pairs
of Akkadians, bearing tribute in bags and backpacks, show up in the second row on the Standard of Ur.
The rams are herded forward in the procession.
The
bodies of the rams blend together. This was a popular motif in Mesopotamia.
A plaque from the city of Shuruppak.
A cylinder seal from Akkad.
The religious procession is accompanied by musicians.
The musicians are led by a man who holds his hands in the
prayer position. Behind him, a man plays a bull-headed lyre. He is followed by
a man carrying a flute.
A bull-headed lyre on the Standard of Ur.
We do not have a complete picture of the plaque, so there are probably other scenes that mirrored those on the Standard of Ur.
Although some of the motifs shown above (the rams, the
hands held in prayer, and the gesture of obedience) are rather formulaic, and they occur in other works of art, many of the motifs on the plaque are very specific to the Standard of Ur. They look like direct copies.
So now we need to ask the question:
Is the plaque genuine because it looks just like the Standard of Ur, or is it a fake because it looks just like the Standard of Ur.
In other words, did an ancient artist copy the standard to conform to the artistic conventions in Ur at the time, or did a modern artist copy the standard merely to create a forgery?
If genuine, the plaque is historically important,
and worth millions. If it can be associated with the king on the
Standard of Ur, then it is priceless. On the other hand, if the plaque
is a fake, then it is just a clever fraud.
You have already seen all the evidence.
Take a moment to make up your own mind about the plaque. Is it real, or just a fake?
