Image Gallery
Offering to Inanna, Warka Vase [Top Register]
![Offering to Inanna, Warka Vase [Top Register]](/img/r/p/750x750/10591.jpg?v=1724658839-1724658887)
The votive or sacred Warka Vase is decorated with three horizontal registers and shows signs of repair in antiquity. The top register depicts a complete scene. Here, a naked man offers a bowl of fruits and grains to a Mesopotamian female deity, Inanna (Ishtar in Akkadian); there are two bundles of reed behind here, reflecting that this is the temple of Inanna.
The Vase of Warka, is one of the priceless objects in the Iraq Museum and represents one of the earliest examples of surviving narrative art. It was excavated (in fragments) by a German excavation team in a temple complex dedicated to the goddess Inanna at the city of Uruk (in southern Iraq) in 1933-1934. It is about 1 meter tall. From Warka (ancient Uruk), Iraq. Jemdet Nasr Period, 3000-2900 BCE.
Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
Questions & Answers
Was Mesopotamian religion polytheistic?
- Yes. Mesopotamian religion was polytheistic. The people worshipped approximately 3,600 different deities.
When was Mesopotamian religion first established?
- Mesopotamian religion was already established by the Uruk Period c. 4100 BCE.
Who was the most popular Mesopotamian god or goddess?
- The popularity of gods and goddesses changed with different eras but Inanna/Ishtar remained among the most popular in every period.
Why were amulets and charms used by religious people in ancient Mesopotamia?
- Amulets and charms were used by Mesopotamians to attract positive spirits from the gods and defend against dark energies from evil spirits, demons, or ghosts.
