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Details
LOT 0232
Mesopotamian Terracotta Foundation Nail for Ningirsu, the Strong Hero of Enlil His King, Gudea
3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
3 5/8 in. (338 grams, 92 mm).
Conical foundation nail fragment with broad domed top, columns of cuneiform text to the shank:
'dnin-gir -su
ur-saĝ-kal-ga-
den-lil -la
lugal-a-ni
gu -de -a ensi
ŠIR.BUR.LAki-ke
nig -du -e pa mu-na-e
e -ninnu AN.IM.DUGUD-babbar -ra-ni mu-na-du
ki-bi mu-na-gi',
reading: 'Ningirsu, the strong hero of Enlil his king, Gudea, ruler of Lagaš, made ideal values shine and built Eninnu, his white eagle, and restored it'.
Provenance
Acquired in London in 1995.
European private collection.
Literature
Cf. similar item in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.45.90, for type.
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LOT 0232
Mesopotamian Terracotta Foundation Nail for Ningirsu, the Strong Hero of Enlil His King, Gudea
Sold for (Inc. bp): £442
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