Mosaic Column from the Temple of Ninhursag

Illustration

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
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published on 23 August 2017
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Mosaic Column from the Temple of Ninhursag Download Full Size Image

This detail is part of a mosaic column, which may have stood at the side of the entrance into the temple. The whole column originally had a core of palm-wood (now perished). A layer of bitumen coated that wood. The mosaic inlay pieces (mother-of-pearl, pink limestone, and black shale) have copper wires at the back. The wires were twisted into loops which were set into the bitumen layer to hold the mosaic pieces into position. Early Dynastic Period, circa 2500 BCE. From the Temple of Ninhursag (out of position at the foot of the temple) at Tell Al-Ubaid, Southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. (The British Museum, London)

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About the Author

Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.

Cite This Work

APA Style

Amin, O. S. M. (2017, August 23). Mosaic Column from the Temple of Ninhursag. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/6960/mosaic-column-from-the-temple-of-ninhursag/

Chicago Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Mosaic Column from the Temple of Ninhursag." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified August 23, 2017. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/6960/mosaic-column-from-the-temple-of-ninhursag/.

MLA Style

Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Mosaic Column from the Temple of Ninhursag." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 23 Aug 2017. Web. 21 Feb 2025.

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