Head of a ram
Unknown Artist
ca. 3500–3100 BCE
Medium
Ceramic
Dimensions
H. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Sculpture
Period
Late Uruk
Department
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, James N. Spear Gift, 1981
Accession Number
1981.53
Tags
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Ancient Near Eastern Art collection, the *Head of a Ram* (ca. 3500–3100 BCE) is a striking ceramic sculpture from the Late Uruk period, one of the earliest chapters of Mesopotamian civilization. Crafted by an unknown artist, this small yet expressive piece—standing just 5 inches tall—captures the vigilant gaze and curved horns of a ram with remarkable vitality. Made from fired clay, a medium pivotal in Uruk society, it exemplifies the hand-modeled techniques of the time, where artisans shaped moist clay by pinching and smoothing before low-temperatur...