leather, and the round holes decorating the cloaks were either indicating metal studs or
the leopard skin the cloaks were made from. Woolley suggested that they were made of
felt (Woolley 1934 : 239 ) or they may been made of sheepskin with the wool on the inside
like the Bedouin coats seen today in Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
The Stela of the Vulture is another example of the various styles of military dress
worn by the Sumerian commanders and soldiers (see Figure 11. 2 this volume). The
relief covers both sides of the stela, on the reverse there are four rows illustrating the
victory of Eannatum, the ruler of Lagash, against the city of Umma c. 2460 BC. The
king is seen leading a phalanx of warriors holding spears, only their pointed plain
helmets are visible above the rims of their large shields. The king is wearing a flounced
garment possibly of sheepskin wrapped around his body and draped over one shoulder.
He is portrayed at war, the commander of his army wearing a helmet similar in style
to the MES-KLAM.DUG gold helmet (Aruz 2003 : 35 , fig. 18 ). The soldiers on the
second row, bearing spears, have no shields to hide behind and are wearing short
fleeced skirts. Their helmets are similar to the helmets on the upper register. On the
obverse side of the stele, the king is celebrating his victory, thus wearing a different,
perhaps more ceremonial attire.
On the Standard of Ur the uniform of the soldiers on the upper register consists of
the short skirt with a fleeced hem, and a fleeced shawl is thrown on one shoulder (Aruz
2003 : 97 , cat. no. 52 ). The soldiers in the middle are each carrying a weapon and they
wear the short skirt with the fleeced hem and a cloak over their shoulders tied at the
neck. The cloak was probably made of a thick material or skin, hence the holes to fasten
the pieces together. The charioteers on the lower register wear a similar uniform to the
figures on the upper register. It is likely that the short skirt and the fleeced shawl were
the regular uniform for the ordinary soldier.
Dress of the godsDeities, though mentioned frequently in the texts, were rarely represented during the
Early Dynastic period. Normally they were depicted in human form, only to be
identified by the horned crown, the distinctive feature indicating their divinity. It
appeared for the first time during this period and became the major symbol of the gods
across the whole history of ancient Mesopotamia. Initially, most of the representations
of gods were of female deities associated with vegetation. One of the best examples is
a fragment of a stone vessel showing the goddess carrying a cluster of dates with
vegetation sprouting over her shoulders. She is wearing a plain garment with a cloak
draped over her shoulder (Aruz 2003 : 77 , cat. no. 36 ). The style is similar to the female
figures, possibly priestesses, on a plaque of the same period. Her crown consisted of
sprouting plants between two horns. A rather interesting cylinder seal from Tell
Suleimeh in the Hamrin clearly depicts a harvest festival: the goddess is wearing a
horned crown with a plant in the centre, she holds a plant with one hand and drinks
from a tube. Her throne seems to be made of a human figure holding what looks like
a bundle of straw and bending over a hay stack (Al-Gailani Werr 1992 : 11 , 14 ). The same
type of horned crown can be seen on a fragment from the Stela of the Vultures which
shows a goddess wearing a similar crown (Winter 1985 : 13 , fig. 3 ). The horned crown
that in later periods developed into multiple horns and became the distinctive feature
of the gods may have had its origin as a fertility and agricultural symbol.
–– A note on Sumerian fashion ––