Sumerian wall plaque showing libation scenes (Ur, c. 2500 BC). The upper register of this plaque sho

Sumerian wall plaque showing libation scenes (Ur, c. 2500 BC).

The upper register of this plaque shows a naked priest followed by three worshippers.  The priest is pouring a liquid offering from a spouted vessel into a stemmed dish or stand, in front of the figure of a horned god.

In the lower register there are three worshippers.  One carries an animal offering, and one is a woman who is shown “full-faced”. She may be a priestess, or she may represent the donor of the plaque. The priest here is pouring a libation in front of an unknown temple.

This plaque was found at Ur, in the ruins of a residence of the high priestess of Nanna (the moon god).  It dates from the Early Dynastic Period.