Foundation figures
Introduction
Foundation figures were ritualistic works of art from the Early Dynastic period that were used in the construction of ancient Mesopotamian temples. Stylized as anthropomorphic nails, foundation figures were symbolically used to mark the grounds of a temple. These nails/pegs were either hammered around the foundation of the temple, along with an inscribed tablet, or they were buried in a clay boxes under the foundation of the temple. Typically, the pegs were created to represent either the deity that the temple was honoring, or the king that orchestrated the construction of the temple. Many of the pegs discovered stand about a foot tall and show a clear attention to detail. It is believed that foundation figures were used for solely ritualistic purposes. This is because they were not meant to be seem by the public, yet still show a high level of detail and aesthetic thought.
History
The foundation figures of the Early Dynastic period are part of a long history of Near Eastern practices concerning sacred boundary marking. The earliest foundation deposits containing sculptural pegs are believed to have originated in Sumer in the third millennium B.C.E.[1] The practice lasted at least until the rule of Rim-Suen, and Amorite king of Larsa who ruled from 1822 to 1763 B.C.E.[1] Few foundation deposits have been discovered and documented well enough to shed light on their importance to the Early Dynastic Sumerians, but thorough archeological records for deposits found beneath temple foundations in Ur, Uruk, and Nippur illuminate how the ancient Sumerians used these figurines. The deposits discovered at those sites contained statuettes and tablets inside baked brick boxes which had been buried at strategic locations marking the perimeter, doorways, and paths of circulation inside the temples.[1]
Though the foundation pegs from Ur, Uruk, and Nippur were discovered under temple foundations, some scholars believe they served a different purpose prior to burial. The Early Dynastic Sumerian kings may have originally used the pegs as surveying pegs in a ritual boundary-marking ceremony to signify that the enclosed land was the dedicated site of a future temple. The pegs were later buried under the temple’s foundation, along with plano-convex tablets that represented bricks, as a link between the ruler who built the temple and both the gods and future rulers who might uncover the deposits in the course of future building projects.[1] The discovery of foundation pegs and their accompanying deposits help archaeologists determine the nature of sites being excavated. Without locating a foundation deposit, it can be difficult to establish if the structure was a temple or an elite dwelling. Most scholars consider foundation figures to specifically delineate sacred boundaries, and their presence helps archaeologists identify temples.[2]
Foundation pegs should differentiated from the clay nails used to fasten votive plaques to temple walls, which were also common in Early Dynastic temples. While votive plaques may have been used to mark doorways, they served as a different kind of boundary marker than foundation pegs.[3] Foundation pegs were made of metal, typically solid cast copper.[4] The nails used to affix votive plaques to the walls were instead typically made of clay.[5] Pegs and nails were also placed in different locations. As previously stated, pegs were originally used as surveying markers and later buried under the temple foundations. Nails were instead designed to affix plaques vertically to temple walls.[5]
Depiction
Similar to clay nails used for ornamentation in much early dynastic architecture, Foundation Pegs were three dimensional conic forms burred deep in the earth, point down, meant to denote a sacred space. The Pegs varied in complexity from simple cones with inscribed incantations, to forms of gods, humans, or powerful animals accompanying incantations. The imbued form was meant to give the subsequent building additional protection and dedicate it to a patron god or king. Excavated Pegs show no preference in use of material.
Purpose and Use
Foundation figures were buried under the corners of Sumerian temples. They denoted a sacred boundary. These pegs, typically copper cast, were found buried marking the perimeter, entryways, and hallways of the temples. While the figures were ornate and made of precious metals or clay. The figures were purely votive as they were fully submerged in the earth, created and buried with no intention of retrieval. The importance of the figurines is uncertain, however Sumerians likely planted them to purify and sanctify the space and please the gods. Archaeologist look at the figures to designate boundaries and identify temples.
References
- ^ a b c d Richard L. Zettler. “From Beneath the Temple: Inscribed Objects from Ur,” Expedition 28 (January 1, 1986): 29-38, 32, 33, 36.
- ^ Harriet Crawford, Sumer and the Sumerians, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 75
- ^ Donald P. Hansen, “New Votive Plaques from Nippur,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 22 (July 1963): 145-166, 152.
- ^ Leonard W. King, A History of Sumer and Akkad, (New York: Greenwood Press, Publishers, 1968), 72.
- ^ a b Eva von Dassow, “Narām-Sin of Uruk: A New King in an Old Shoebox,” Journal of Cuneiform Studies 61 (2009): 63-91, 77, 79.