Circa 2000-1600 B.C. A rectangular terracotta plaque depicting a lion striding left, roaring, detailing to the animal's mane and face. 140 grams, 10.2 cm (4 in.). Family collection formed in 1960s. By inheritance from the vendor's grandfather circa 1988. Isin-Larsa-Old Babylonian Period. Until the end of the 3rd millennium B.C., lions weremon throughout Mesopotamian lands. Thereafter, they are not often mentioned in relation to southern Mesopotamia. In contrast, along the Middle stretch of the Euphrates and in Assyria they remained such a nuisance that lion-hunting, made famous by the Assyrian kings, was a necessity. In the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods discuss whether a plague of lions would not have been a more appropriate chastisement of mankind than the flood. Terracotta plaques of this sort were mass- produced from moulds and represented a form of art available to a wide audience. They have been excavated in temples as well as in household shrines and private homes and give us a mysterious glimpse into religious practices and the ideas that people valued. Their subject matter varies widely, including religious images, mythological and erotic scenes, and representations of rulers and gods.