Ur (Fara-Ur I period) : He-goat (or ram) by flowering shrub, c. 2900-2460 BC

This piece and its twin were composed of several different materials. They belonged to an object of unknown character and must have served as stands, as a golden tube arising from the neck of each implies the presence of an upper part. Horns, eyes, beard & shoulderfleece are lapis lazuli, tufts of the body fleece are shell. Head, legs & shrub are made of gold, belly and base of silver. Rosettes and base were further decorated with coloured mosaic. This technique of building up the composition from as many precious and differently coloured materials as possible reaches its zenith in the string instruments and these goats from the cemetery at Ur. Nothing comparable is known from later periods. The motif of two animals propped against the sacred tree and confronting each other is a recognized Mesopotamian theme, probably related to fertility rites. See also : Eva Strommenger, The Art of Mesopotamia, translated by Christina Haglund, London, Thames & Hudson, 1964, Illustration 80, Plate XIV. -- Royal Cemetery, "Royal Tomb", gold, wooden core, lapis lazuli, shell, red limestone and silver, h : 45.7 cm (British Museum)