Jemdet Nasr Period is the conventional name given by scholars to an archaeological culture in southern Mesopotamia, limited to the south and central regions of the modern-day Republic of Iraq, which has been generally dated around the period 3100–2900 BC. The mane was given after the site of the Tell Jemdet Nasr, where the assemblage typical for this period was first recognized.
The hallmark of the Jemdet Nasr Period is a very distinctive painted monochrome and polychrome pottery. The patterns employed are both geometric and figurative, with the latter displaying trees and animals such as birds, fish, goats, scorpions, and snakes. At the actual site of Jemdet Nasr, the painted pottery found was exclusively recovered in the settlement's large central building, and in consequence it is thought to have played a role in the administration of many economic activities.
Apart from the distinctive pottery, the period is also known as one of the formative stages in the development of the cuneiform script. By the time of the Jemdet Nasr Period, the script had already undergone a number of significant changes. It originally consisted of pictographs, but by the time of the Jemdet Nasr Period it was already adopting simpler and more abstract designs. It is also during this period that the script acquired its iconic wedge-shaped appearance. While the language in which these tablets were written cannot be identified with certainty, it is thought to have been Sumerian. The texts deal without exception with administrative matters such as the rationing of foodstuffs or listing objects and animals. Literary genres like hymns and king lists, which become very popular later in Mesopotamian history, are absent.
This feline head has been carved with schematic lines of great sensitivity, giving it an almost contemporary stylistic approach.