2003 : 153 , cat. no. 92 a). From the statues it is not clear that a plain or a tufted garment
indicates the social status of the individuals, although the small green marble statue of
a female with a gold head from Nippur, wears a garment of the fleeced type while the
large statue of the female among the Tell Asmar hoard has one of the plain type, as does
the second female (Figure 19. 2 ).
There are also regional and individual variations, seen particularly on the statues and
the inlays from Mari, where the fleeced garment is more common. The fleeced material
is used on one female statue from Mari for the dress and for the shawl draped over her
headdress and falling down the side (Aruz 2003 : 66 , 28 ). Similar attire is seen on a
fragmentary and unprovenanced seated female statue, now in the Iraq Museum. The
woman is wearing a hat under the shawl, similar to types found in the Diyala region
(Frankfort 1939 / 1943 : 287 , pl. 43 ).
The real variation is in the hair style and headdress. The common style shows the
wavy hair held in place by two bands, while two curly locks hang down on either side
of the face. Another style has the mass of hair secured by a headband above a row of
curls framing the face (Aruz 2003 : 67 , cat. no. 28 ), or the hair was dressed in thick
braids wrapped in a circle around the crown of the head (Frankfort 1939 : 116 , pl. 82 ).
Sometimes, the hair was braided and left to fall on either side of the face and the
shoulders (ibid.: 123 , pl. 85 ). On a plaque from Ur, the female figures on the upper
register are wearing what appear to be cloaks over their long garments, their hair falling
–– Lamia al Gailani Werr ––Figure 19.2Hoard of Sumerian statues from Tell Asmar, Iraq
(courtesy of the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)