Ram In A Thicket refers to a pair of figurines created during the Early Dynastic period (2600 – 2400 BCE) in ancient Mesopotamia. They were discovered by Leonard Woolley during excavations at Ur, in southern Iraq. The figurines depict a wild goat against a flowering tree. They showcase remarkable craftsmanship and attention to detail; and are rich in symbolism. All this makes them among the best-known examples of Sumerian art. Here is an overview of discovery, description and analysis of these artworks known as Ram In A Thicket.
Table of Contents
The Key Questions
The Sumerians were not the first residents of Mesopotamia. It is not known from where they came and who they replaced. They are believed to have been permanently settled in the region by middle of 6th millennia BCE. Their civilization was the first major civilization to develop in Mesopotamia. It flourished from before 4,000 BCE to around 2,340 BCE.
Sumer is among the first complex societies to develop in the world, along with Indus Valley and Egypt. It is responsible for many firsts in the history of mankind. These include the first city-state of Uruk; the first organized religion; the first known written language, cuneiform; the first irrigation system; and the first wheeled vehicles.
S1 – Sumerian Art Overview
S2 – Discovery
Sumerian cities were built around ziggurats. A ziggurat is a monumental temple-tower structure. British archaeologist Sir C. Leonard Woolley discovered a burial complex in the Ziggurat of Ur; during an excavation in 1928. Numerous artifacts were found inside the tombs including a couple of statuettes.
These statuettes were named Ram In A Thicket by Woolley as an allusion to the biblical story of Abraham sacrificing a ram. The statuettes actually depict a markhor goat eating the leaves of a tree. The two famous statues now reside in the University of Pennsylvania and the British Museum, the two institutions that had funded Woolley’s excavations at Ur.
S3 – Description
The Ram in a Thicket statues actually don’t depict a ram but a he-goat. They show the wild goat rearing up on their hind legs against a flowering tree. In all probability, they functioned as stands for offerings to a deity. The statues have been made from a variety of materials. This mixed-media approach is evident in many Mesopotamian artworks.
The dominant material used in the statues is gold-leaf. It is used for the head, legs and genitals of the goat. It is also used for the tree and the support rising from the goat’s back. Lapis lazuli has been used for the horns, brows and eyes. The ears have been made from copper while shell fragments decorate the body fleece. The base of the statue has been intricately crafted from red limestone, shell and lapis lazuli.
The statue has a height of 1.51 meters with a supporting pole emerging from the goat’s back. The attention to detail while creating the statue may be seen in the intricate curls of the ram’s horns and the meticulously carved fleece of its coat. Precious metals have been incorporated carefully to enhance the beauty of the object. All this point to the expertise of the ancient artisans who created this masterpiece.
S4 – Analysis
It is unlikely that Ram in a Thicket was a decorative object. The statues are clearly related to fertility and reproduction. This is evident in their iconographic details. Goat was considered sacred to the Mesopotamian god of fertility Tammuz. The rosette was an important symbol of Inanna, the Mesopotamian goddess of love, fertility and procreation. Thus, the male aspect of Tammuz and the female aspect of Inanna are clearly intertwined to indicate procreation.
A cylinder seal from the grave suggests that the primary burial was of a woman who was a high priestess of the goddess Inanna. The thorny thicket which envelops the ram is a symbol of transition from life to the afterlife. It possibly alludes to the journey of the deceased into the realm of the divine.
S5 – Mesopotamia Art Purpose
Main Sources
S2:-
Farthing, Stephen. “ART: The Whole Story”. Thames & Hudson. pp20, 21.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp94.
“Ram in the Thicket”. Penn Museum.
S3:-
Janson, H. W., Davies, Penelope J. E. “Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition”. pp26, 27.
Farthing, Stephen. “ART: The Whole Story”. Thames & Hudson. pp20, 21.
(Oct 10, 2024). “The Ram in a Thicket: The magnificent Mesopotamian Early Dynasty artifact”. MRU.
S4:-
Janson, H. W., Davies, Penelope J. E. “Janson’s History of Art: The Western Tradition”. pp26, 27.
Farthing, Stephen. “ART: The Whole Story”. Thames & Hudson. pp20, 21.
Bahrani, Zainab. (2017). “Mesopotamia – Ancient Art and Architecture”. Thames & Hudson. pp94.
(Sep 20, 2018). “Ram in the Thicket”. World Archaeology. Current Publishing.