Standing warrior

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Standing with arms bent and extended, this figure has distinctive elongated proportions, a pointed head with long braided hair, and a bearded oval face with large eyes (originally inlaid). He once held weapons in his hands, perhaps a spear and mace, and wears a knee-length kilt and a wide belt with long tassel ties. The feet have sandals and the tangs on the bottom served to attach the figure to a stand or other furniture, perhaps in a temple. The figure may represent a hero or even a deity, although he does not wear distinguishing headgear such as horns or a crown. The statuette is impressive for its size, larger than most bronze examples of its type. The style of the figure is related to early third millennium bronzes found near Antioch in Syria, and it may be a later example in the same tradition.

Ancient Near Eastern Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art cares for approximately 7,000 works ranging in date from the eighth millennium B.C. through the centuries just beyond the emergence of Islam in the seventh century A.D. Objects in the collection were created by people in the area that today comprises Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria, the Eastern Mediterranean coast, Yemen, and Central Asia. From the art of some of the world's first cities to that of great empires, the department's holdings illustrate the beauty and craftsmanship as well as the profound interconnections, cultural and religious diversity, and lasting legacies that characterize the ancient art of this vast region.

Metropolitan Museum of Art