Figure 4. Votive objects (to scale) dated to the Early Dynastic period (2900-2350BCE). Left to right: Votive calcite bowl from Nippur, 2600-2350 BCE (MMA 59.41.11, Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0 1.0 Universal); Stone votive statue from Tell al’ Ubaid of an individual named Kurlil, 2600-2500 BCE (BM 114207, courtesy of the British Museum); Votive clay figurine of a sheep from Ur, 2600-2350 BCE (B17201, Courtesy of the Penn Museum)

Memories for Life: Materiality and memory of ancient Near Eastern inscribed private objects

The Memories for Life project, funded by the Swedish Research Council, was initiated in 2017 to study the hundreds of objects dedicated by non-royal individuals to the divine in the ancient Near East. These objects, inscribed in the cuneiform script in the Akkadian and Sumerian languages, inform us about worship practices and dedicatory traditions spanning…