On the Next ‘Life’ of a Mesopotamian Statue

Statues had a particular significance and utility as agents in ancient Mesopotamian societies; Assyriology had already explored this question extensively. However, what is less fully understood is the practice of reusing them, an essential proof of the status and importance accorded to Mesopotamian statues. Our study examines some cases of usurpation and reassignment of statues from the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. It demonstrates the range of motivations and strategies used, from modifying an inscription and physical characteristics to simply changing the context in which it was displayed. It also illustrates the variety of ways in which the same practice can be at work, whether it takes the form of a usurpation designed to erase the original identity or of a re-attribution in which the intention is to make the past and the present coexist. To guarantee its effectiveness, the status of the statuary is continually preserved, revived, or modified. The power of statues is here demonstrated through the investment, which can take various forms, in conveying a given message through the reworking of the statue. As a complex artefact, the statue allows stories and ideas to coexist. Their re-use illustrates their capacity to adapt: in addition to the efforts made by society to change their status or function, there is a belief in their intrinsic malleability. If their context influences them, they in turn influence their environment.