The Sumerian civilization was an extremely advanced and complex society situated in modern day Iraq. Lasting for some four thousand years, the Sumerians were among the first cultures to develop most of what we now take for granted, from complex economies to advanced record keeping, literature, international trade and recorded mythologies. Thanks to the Sumerian habit of recording everything on clay tablets using cuneiform – one of the first complex writing systems – we can infer a great deal about their society. We know that Sumer was characterized by various city-states, running in competition with one another for wealth and conquest, while sharing similar characteristics and material goods. They used slave labor, based around large temples and palaces, and were keen to form alliances and thus push out the boundaries of their nation into Central Asia and Turkey. Their trade networks were extensive, and colonies of Sumerian peoples have been identified all across the region. Rule was by kingship; rulers varied considerably in their methods although extreme cruelty and martial law (such as that exercised under Eannatum of Lagash) was the exception rather than the rule. Temples were the mainstay of local economies. It was here that produce was brought as tax, legal proceedings were carried out and deals were struck. Records of this period were almost exclusively written by scribes who lived within the temple walls and worked under the auspices of the administrators, who were themselves under the authority of the priests.

This sculpture shows a standing figure, probably a woman. She is wearing a garment consisting of a skirt made up of several layers, each decorated with diagonal lines, as well as an upper section which is draped over one of her shoulders. Her hands are clasped in front of her. She has a large, oval-shaped head, with a carved nose and with visible lines defining the edge of her face and the shape of her eyes. Two large protrusions at the side of her head could indicate her ears, and two more on the top of her head seem to show a hairstyle or headdress. The base has been restored, and a break in the neck has been repaired.

This figure could represent a goddess from the Sumerian pantheon, perhaps Inanna who was one of the most widely venerated deities and who featured in several mythical episodes. However, it could also represent a human worshipper, perhaps in the form of a votive statue. Many extant Sumerian stone figures are votive statues, identified as such because of their inscriptions declaring that they offer prayers to deities. These often stand with their hands clasped, wearing a skirt made of overlapping petal shapes and a togalike garment over one shoulder. For similar, cf. Pierre Amiet, Elam (France, 1966) P.241 no. 174.