Year Four

In the fourth year of excavations, excavators discovered a large building built by Naramsin just north of the palace of Urninmar. Excavators also discovered older temples underneath the temple of Abu. Artifacts found there included jewelry, pottery, and figurines. In the base of the temple was a collection of 12 statues—10 male and two female. The largest statue is of a standing man with overly large eyes and wings on the base, which excavators identified as the god Ninurta. The next-largest statue is of a woman, presumably the mother goddess. The rest of the statues are assumed to be worshipers, with their identities inscribed on them. The statues may have been intended to serve as a stand-in for the indicated person (Frankfort and Jacobsen, Oriental Institute Discoveries in Iraq, 55–78).