Bearded man from Warka
The bearded man from Warka is one of several clumsy-looking male statuettes found in Warka , southern Iraq . Together with the little man from Warka , it is one of the most famous prehistoric round sculptures and is now owned by the archaeological institute of the University of Zurich (inv. No. 1942). Like similar pieces in the Louvre , it was long thought to be a forgery . After further figurines were found in Warka, their authenticity is beyond question.
The statuette is made of gray limestone with a total height of about 25 cm. Stylistically, she combines the peculiarities of the little man from Warka (hairstyle, rounded beard) with a female torso from the same site (block-like, closed, poorly structured form, limbs are sometimes only indicated by scratches). The hands clasped in front of the chest, similar to later praying statuettes, and the strongly emphasized gender are noticeable .
How this statuette is to be interpreted is not clear. Its precise chronological order is also unclear; What is certain is that it dates from the end of the 4th millennium BC. BC .
literature
- Donald P. Hansen : Early Sumerian and Early Dynastic Round Sculpture. In: Winfried Orthmann : The Old Orient (= Propylaea Art History . Vol. 14). Propylaen Verlag, Berlin 1975, pp. 158–170, here p. 161, plates 11a – b.
- Maya Müller: Prince of early history from Iraq (= Zurich archaeological books. 1, ZDB -ID 544755-0 ). Archaeological collection of the University and others, Zurich 1976.