“Tell Mozan (Ancient Urkesh),”
in J. Aruz (ed.), Art of the First Cities. The Third Millennium B.C. from the Mediterranean to the Indus, New York and New Haven: Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University Press, pp. 224-227.
The object presented in this contribution is for sure one of the best pieces known from Urkesh, the two copper alloy, lion-shaped foundation pegs kept at the MET (48.180) and at the Louvre (AO 19937+19938), the latter also carrying a limestone tablet with a Hurrian cuneiform inscription of king (endan) Tish-atal of Urkesh [see on Urkesh website: Royal inscriptions, r2].
Despite they were both purchased on the antiquity market, their provenance from Tell Mozan is supported by the inscription directly quoting Urkesh, which has been definitely identified with Tell Mozan, a topic well exposed by Buccellati and Kelly-Buccellati in the pages following the description of the lions [pp. 224-227, “Tell Mozan (Ancient Urkesh)”].
This identification is particularly strengthened by the finding at Tell Mozan of many sealings quoting the name of the ancient city of Urkesh: two of them (belonging to queen Uqnitum and to Tar’am-Agade) are presented in this catalogue on pp. 226-227.
[For Uqnitum’s sealings, see Seal legends: Uqnitum; for that of Tar’am-Agade, see Seal legends: Tar’am-Agade].
Back to top: Giorgio Buccellati and Marilyn Kelly-Buccellati 2003