Sumer was among the earliest known civilisations in southern Mesopotamia (modern south-central Iraq). It emerged between the 6th and 5th millennium BC, and lasted for thousands of years. The first examples of many innovations considered hallmarks of human existence come from Sumer: their cuneiform script is one of the oldest that has been deciphered, and was used for administrative and literary purposes; they developed an early form of arithmetic; and they lived in highly-organised city states with codified legal systems, loans and debt, and complex mythological beliefs. Cuneiform records can be used to infer a great deal of information about Sumerian life and society. The city-states each had a temple dedicated to the patron deity of the city, and they were ruled by priestly governors or kings. Sumerian artworks have been discovered in a variety of media; as well as clay and several types of stone, they also made objects which use precious metals and materials that would have had to be imported such as lapis lazuli.

This sculpture manages to depict an ox or bull in significant detail within a neat and compact form. Cattle were domesticated in Sumer, and oxen were used as the primary beasts of burden. This is therefore a representation of a familiar animal, which the sculptor would doubtless have had ample opportunity to observe. Its legs are folded underneath it, with the hooves meeting in the middle. Its tail is curved round to the left, but remains attached to the flank of the animal so that the overall near-rectangular shape is preserved. Its eyes and nostrils are wide, adding character to its face. Its ears are also attached to the side of its head, rather than sticking out, and its horns are curved in towards its forehead. The stylistic choice not to include any significant protrusions contributes to the narrow streamlined shape of the artwork. The sculptor has expertly rendered the animal’s body so the idea of the skeleton underneath is conveyed, particularly in the animal’s head and down its back. There are also additional carved patterns on the animal’s sides which appear decorative rather than anatomical, perhaps indicating the texture of its hair. The natural occurrence of white streaks within the dark stone adds to the decorative effect of this sculpture; there are diagonal lines across the animal’s sides, and a particularly prominent line forms a V-shape around its neck. Within many cultures across the world, the bull has been seen as a symbol of power and strength; this could well be the intended meaning of this sculpture.