| |
Eye Stone Amulet with a Dedication Inscription of King Nebuchadnezzar II in Akkadian
Mesopotamia, Neo-Babylonian period, reign of Nebuchadnezzar II
(ca. 604–562 B.C.)
Inscribed: To Marduk, his lord, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, son of Nabopolassar, gave this for his life
agate
3.84 cm diameter
MLC no. 2624
See more in Written in Stone online exhibition »
See CORSAIR catalog record for this item »
Taking advantage of the stone's natural banding, agates were carved to resemble an eye. The votive inscriptions
indicate the placement of the object on an altar or in a temple
as a gift to a deity. The stones were thought to have some
inherent power that would help protect the life of the person
named in the inscription. These amulets probably adorned the
cult statue of the god inscribed and were most likely worn in
precious gold settings.
Nebuchadnezzar, whose name means "may (the god)
Nabu protect the borders," was a great general, statesman,
and builder with ambition and imagination, whose surviving
monuments are without rival in Mesopotamia. The Babylon
of Herodotus, including the Hanging Gardens, is largely
the work of his architects.
The agate was found probably at Babylon, where Marduk was the patron god of the city.
About this department
List of works
Text only list
Search images
Order images
|
|
