Ancient Near Eastern. <em>The Sun God Shamash</em>, ca. 1700–1600 B.C.E. Copper, 5 5/16 in. (13.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by Shelby White, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, and Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 1995.27. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1995.27_SL1.jpg)

Ancient Near Eastern. The Sun God Shamash, ca. 1700–1600 B.C.E. Copper, 5 5/16 in. (13.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by Shelby White, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, and Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 1995.27. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1995.27_SL1.jpg)

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

It says that is the "Sun God;" what sun god is it and what does that mean?

Shamash was an originally Mesopotamian deity and the Sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Canaanite pantheons. Both in early and in late inscriptions, Shamash is designated as the "offspring of Nannar" (the Moon-god). It is in relationship, presumably, to the Moon-god that the Sun-god appears as the dependent power.

Since Shamash could see everything on Earth, he also represented the god of justice. That is why Shamash is depicted as a ruler seated on a throne. Every morning, the gates in the East open up, and Shamash appears. He travels across the sky, and enters the gate in the West. He travels through the Underworld at night in order to begin in the East the next day. In Babylon, located in the south of Mesopotamia, the symbol of Shamash was the solar disk, with a four-pointed star inside it.

What can you tell me about this work?

This figurine is small, but powerful. The seated pose indicates divinity in ancient Near Eastern art as do the horns on his helmet. Belief in the god Shamash was shared by multiple Near Eastern cultures as well. This statue is Syrian, but he was also worshipped by the Assyrians who created the wall reliefs surrounding the gallery, for example. You may notice the same horned helmet iconography on the supernatural beings on the wall reliefs as well.

Tell me more.

This statuette of Shamash is one of my favorite objects in the whole museum! He's very multicultural. Worship of Shamash originated in Mesopotamia, but spread to nearby areas like Syria.

We can tell that this statuette comes from Syria because of his short, pointed beard. Hairstyles were a good indicator of identity in the ancient Near East. The sun disk on his head is a sign of Egyptian influence too!

What is that rope on his neck?

I can see how it could look like a rope! That's actually supposed to represent the edge of his garment.

This small figure was likely created using the "lost wax" technique of bronze casting. The figure would have been created in clay first which explains why the cast figure resembles one built out of soft material.

Oh thank you for the info.

Why are one of his eyes and the stomach empty?

Both eyes was possibly inlaid, with glass or precious stones. The hole in his stomach is just deterioration over time. It wasn't part of the original design.

Also, one of his hands is broken.

Yes it is! This too is a product of age and deterioration. The object dates to c. 1700–1600 BCE so it has been through a lot and is remarkably well preserved given its age.

The Sun God Shamash

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Shamash, a Near Eastern sun god, is shown seated. His helmet is decorated in relief with horns and topped by a sun disk, which may have been copied from representations of Egyptian solar deities. Shamash’s fine features and full, pointed beard are typically Syrian; his eyes were once inlaid. His arms are bent forward, with the hands partially preserved. He wears a mantle with a thick border over a kilt with a fringed hem.

CULTURES Ancient Near Eastern; Syrian

MEDIUM Copper

Place Made: Syria

DATES ca. 1700–1600 B.C.E.

DIMENSIONS 5 5/16 in. (13.5 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 1995.27

CREDIT LINE Purchased with funds given by Shelby White, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, and Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Ancient Near Eastern. The Sun God Shamash, ca. 1700–1600 B.C.E. Copper, 5 5/16 in. (13.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by Shelby White, Ella C. Woodward Memorial Fund, and Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 1995.27. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1995.27_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE front, 1995.27_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

It says that is the "Sun God;" what sun god is it and what does that mean?

What can you tell me about this work?

Tell me more.

This statuette of Shamash is one of my favorite objects in the whole museum! He's very multicultural. Worship of Shamash originated in Mesopotamia, but spread to nearby areas like Syria.

What is that rope on his neck?

I can see how it could look like a rope! That's actually supposed to represent the edge of his garment.

Oh thank you for the info.

Why are one of his eyes and the stomach empty?

Both eyes was possibly inlaid, with glass or precious stones. The hole in his stomach is just deterioration over time. It wasn't part of the original design.

Also, one of his hands is broken.

Yes it is! This too is a product of age and deterioration. The object dates to c. 1700–1600 BCE so it has been through a lot and is remarkably well preserved given its age.

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The Sun God Shamash

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

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Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

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