Illustrated by ARC from Matthiae, Ebla : An Empire Rediscovered. Link
Steatite Figurin
This bull-man statuette was found in Palace G at Ebla. It was carved from steatite and covered in gold foil.
Western Anatolia
:
Ebla
Bull-man Statuette
Period:
Early Bronze III
Era:
Mardikh IIB1
AL Chronology:
2400—2345 BC (era)
Middle Chronology:
2400—2325 BC (era)
Civilization:
Eblaite
Besides the large archive of tablets discovered in the palace, probably the most important object found in the palace was a crouching bull-man carved from steatite (“soap-stone”) and covered with gold leaf. According to one interpretation, these bull-men were guardians of the gates of the horizon through which the sun was supposed to pass each morning.
Shell Inlay
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A typically Sumerian motif, the lion-headed eagle, Imdugud, is attacking a human-headed bull. The mythological background of this scene, so often depicted in ancient art, remains a mystery.