Diety Holding a Flowing Vase

Iraq: Khorsabad, Nabu Temple; Neo-Assyrian Period; Reign of Sargon II, 721-705 B.C. Gypsum (?). Excavated by the Oriental Institute, 1932-33. "These two statues once flanked a doorway leading into the temple of Nabu, the god of writing and of knowledge. Each of these gods holds a small vessel from which flow four streams of. Figures of this type are common in the art of the ancient Near East; they probably represent fertility deities who are embodiments of the life-giving and life-sustaining forces within fresh water. The statues, when found, were in many pieces. These fragments were cleaned, soaked in a hardening solution, and then reassembled and restored by a member of the technical staff of the Oriental Institute.