Gypsum head of a man

From Sippar, southern Iraq
Early Dynastic period, about 2500 BC

This very worn head was probably once part of a votive figurine, set up in a temple in Sippar to pray on behalf of the donor. The eyes would originally have been inlaid; traces of bitumen, which would have acted as glue, survive in the sockets.

J.E. Reade, Mesopotamia (London, The British Museum Press, 1991)