Temples with eyes raising above them

found in Northern Syria

These 4 remarkable Eye Idols were dug up in Tell Brak, an ancient city in Northern Syria.
In 1937 Max Mallowan began to excavate this city and there he found a ruin that he called
‘Eye Temple’ because thousands of these ‘Eye Idols,’ were found there.
It was believed that this temple was dedicated to the Sumerian goddess Inanna or the Semitic
goddess Ishtar, and it was also believed that the ‘Eye Idols’ represented these all-seeing
goddesses.
However, I suppose that these Idols represent various deities, such as the mother goddess
Asherah and the father god ʼĒl.
And I also suppose that the above Idols represent 4 temples.
 Number 1

Let us start with this temple miniature: it has a door and two windows carved on its façade
and on top two eyes raise above it.
It could be a model of the E-igi-kalama (House which is the eye of the Land).
‘O E-igi-kalama (House which is the eye of the Land), your foundation is firmly laid, growing hill
which stands broadly on the earth, …… the enemies' land, (3 lines fragmentary) (approx. 1 line
missing)…… has erected a house in your precinct, O ……, and taken a seat upon your dais’.
The temple hymns: c.4.80.1

It appears that these temples have feelings: their eyes can be greedy:
‘Enlil's temple is a collecting (?) of wages (?); yet to reach out, to look with greedy eyes and to seize
should be abominations there’.
Proverbs: collection 14: c.6.1.14

And they can be in tears too:

‘How long will the brickwork strain its eyes upwards in tears and lamentations? Even now your
lord, the Great Mountain Enlil, supreme in the universe, has removed lamentation from your brick
buildings and made favourable your humour!’
The lament for Nibru: c.2.2.4
 Number 2

Here is another temple with two doors in the façade and two eyes on a pillar.
According to a hymn houses are watchmen, they keep an eye on the just and on evildoers;
‘House, furious storm of heaven and earth, battering its enemies; prison, jail of the gods, august
neck-stock of heaven and earth! Its interior is evening light, dusk spreading wide; its awesomeness is
frightening. Raging sea which mounts high, no one knows where its rising waves flow. House, a
pitfall waiting for the evil one; it makes the wicked tremble! House, a net whose fine meshes are
skilfully woven, which gathers up people as its booty! House, which keeps an eye on the just and on
evildoers; no one wicked can escape from its grasp. House, river of the ordeal which leaves the just
ones alive, and chooses the evil ones! House, with a great name, nether world, mountain where Utu
rises; no one can learn its interior! Big house, prison, house of capital offences, which imposes
punishment! House, which chooses the righteous and the wicked; An has made its name great!’
A hymn to Nungal (Nungal A): c.4.28.1

They raise their head as high as heaven:

6-7. ‘At the giguna shrine, the sacred house, evildoers ……. The E-unir -- the shrine raises its head
as high as heaven. Its shadow …….’
The temple hymns: c.4.80.1

And look into the heart of the gods:

‘Ĝipar, princely shrine of the holy divine powers, shining like the …… sun, E-kiš-nu-ĝal, beaming
moonlight which comes forth in the Land, broad light of midday which fills all lands, house, your
platform is a great snake, a marsh of snakes. Your foundation is the abzu, fifty in number, and the
engur, seven in number, a shrine which looks into the heart of the gods. Your prince, the prince
who makes decisions, the crown of the wide heaven, the sovereign of heaven, Ašimbabbar, has
erected a house in your precinct, O shrine Urim, and taken his seat upon your dais’.
The temple hymns: c.4.80.1

This means that houses and temples are living objects that can see, feel and judge and that
they are situated in-between the human realm and the divine realm.
 Pictographic signs representing temple households
Figure 2.19 Visible Language inventions of writing in the Ancient Middle East and beyond

According to the above table the temple miniatures also can be considered as a sign
meaning ‘nun’, which can be translated as: ‘object’:
nun [OBJECT]
(4 instances)
nun [OBJECT] (4x: Old Babylonian) wr. nun "a metal object" Akk. nunnu

[1] nun
http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/nepsd-frame.html

It can also be translated as: ‘prince’:

nun [PRINCE]
(656 instances)
nun [PRINCE] (656x: ED IIIa, ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Old Babylonian)
wr. nun "prince; (as attribute) foremost, best" Akk. rubû

[1] nun
http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/nepsd-frame.html

According to some hymns these houses have princely divine powers:

‘We are going to the shrine Nibru, Dur-an-ki, to …… brick-built Tutub, to the majestic Abzu, brick-
built Eridug, to the E-šu-me-ša with the princely divine powers, in Urim to the house of Suen, to the
E-kiš-nu-ĝal of Nanna, to the Agrun-kug, the beloved house of the lady, to the E-ḫursaĝ, the house
of the king, to the E-namtila of Prince Šulgi. In the …… place of Suen, may you be Utu.’
A hymn to Nanna (Nanna O): c.4.13.15

And their peak is a princely platform:

‘House of Enlil, your interior is cool, your exterior determines destiny. Your door-jambs and
architrave are a mountain summit, your projecting pilasters a dignified mountain. Your peak is a
…… peak of your princely platform. Your base serves heaven and earth.’
The temple hymns: c.4.80.1

So, all in all we can say that standing in-between the human realm and the divine realm the
temples are ‘princly objects’: two of them are even called ‘House Prince’:
E-nun, the abzu in Eridu
E-nun-ana (House of the prince of heaven), temple to Utu in Sippar
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › É_(temple)
 Number 3

The façade of this temple miniature look like the façade of a mudhif, a reed house that is
still being built in Iraq.
The zigzags below symbolize water, indicating that this temple is build on water.

Number 4

Just like this mudhif seems to be build on water too.

 Number 5

Here is another temple with two eyes.

Again, the zigzags below demonstrate that this temple floats on the water, like Eridug is an
artfully built mountain, which floats on the water too:
‘As it has been built, as it has been built; as Enki has raised Eridug up, it is an artfully built
mountain which floats on the water. His shrine (?) spreads (?) out into the reedbeds; birds brood in
its green orchards laden with fruit. The suḫur carp play among the honey-herbs, and the eštub carp
dart among the small gizi reeds. When Enki rises, the fish rise before him like waves. He has the
abzu stand as a marvel, as he brings joy into the engur’.
Enki's journey to Nibru: c.1.1.4

Number 6

Just like this mudhif seems to float on the water.

 Number

On this façade of one of the temple miniatures the upper lintel of the gate looks like a
crescent, which symbolizes the moon in the first place.
It means that this gate is dedicated to the moon: in Sumer it is called: ‘The Suen Gate’:
‘The house of Ninlil is as great as a mountain. The gate Kan-innamra is as great as a mountain. The
E-itida-buru is as great as a mountain. The courtyard of the Egal-mah is as great as a mountain. The
lofty E-itida-buru is as great as a mountain. The Entum-galzu is as great as a mountain. The Innam-
gidazu is as great as a mountain. The Suen Gate is as great as a mountain. The Du-kug, the holy
place, is as great as a mountain. The field of E-dima is as great as a mountain. The Ane-jara is as
great as a mountain. The Acte, the pure place, is as great as a mountain. The E-tilla-mah is as great
as a mountain. The Ja-apina is as great as a mountain’.
A hymn to the E-kur: c.4.80.4

But the moon crescent also looks like a barge and on this façade it is filled with grain:
‘The bird presents himself before him, rejoices over him, Anzud presents himself before him, rejoices
over him. Anzud says to holy Lugalbanda,’ Come now, my Lugalbanda. Go like a boat full of
precious metals, like a grain barge, like a boat going to deliver apples, like a boat piled up high with
a cargo of cucumbers, casting a shade, like a boat loaded lavishly at the place of harvest, go back to
brick-built Kulaba with head held high!’ -- Lugalbanda who loves the seed will not accept this’.
Lugalbanda and the Anzud bird: c.1.8.2.2

Besides that, in the façade grain is depicted everywhere: like E-bur-sigsig the house is
abundance of the midst of the river, or like E-mah it is an area of abundance:
‘O E-bur-sigsig (House with beautiful bowls) set up under heaven, mighty banqueting hall, fulfilling
(?) the commands, abundance of the midst of the sea in ......, at whose holy ...... there is entreaty and
joy. The faithful man has enlarged E-mah (Magnificent house), the house of Cara, for you in plenty.
Your house E-mah -- whose prince is the princely son of the Mistress -- continues (?) in good
fortune, an area of abundance and well-being.’
The temple hymns: c.4.80.1
 Number 7

This is a photograph of reed houses and reed fences build on the reedbeds of the river.
 Number 8

But this is a completely different Eye Idol, it can depict a reedbed with eyes proving that
even reedbeds lift their heads beautifully:
‘At that time, the water was drained away from the reeds ……, and they were visible at the
sheepfold. The aštaltal plant, spreading its seeds from the reedbeds, and the little kumul plants came
out of the earth: they are good as little ones. The small enbar reed tighten her headdress: it is good
as a young maiden. The ubzal reed goes about the city: it is good as a young man. The pela reed is
covered from bottom to top: it is a good daughter-in-law. The pela reed turns from bottom to top: it
is a good young son. The gašam reed digs in the ground: it is good as an old man. The zi reed ……
on its own: it is good as an old woman. The reedbed lifts its head beautifully: it is a good Gudea.
The ildag tree lifts its head in the irrigation ditch: it is good as a king. …… with bright branches: it
is a good prince’.
The heron and the turtle: c.5.9.2
 Number 9

And this Eye Idol may show two doors of a reed fence with two pair of eyes raising above
them. (About these eyes, see page 15)
Together with the reed fences they form a cattle-pen:
‘There were no paths on either of its banks, long grass grew there. The reed fence of the well-
stocked cattle-pen of Nanna was split open. The garden's fence was violated and breached. The
cows and their young were captured and carried off to enemy territory. The munzer-fed cows took an
unfamiliar path in an open country that they did not know. Gayau, who loves cows, dropped his
weapon in the dung. Šuni-dug, who stores butter and cheese, did not store butter and cheese. Those
who are unfamiliar with butter were churning the butter. Those who are unfamiliar with milk were
curdling (?) the milk. The sound of the churning vat did not resound in the cattle-pen. Like mighty
coals that once burnt, its smoke is extinguished. The great dining hall of Nanna …….’
The lament for Sumer and Urim: c.2.2.3
 Number 10

And here the lines below may depict the reed fence of a cattle-pen.
The eyes above them may belong to this fence, but they may also belong to the sun god who
gazes upon this cattle-pen like Utu gazes upon the bulls in the cattle-pen as well as on the
sheep in the fold:
‘Gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O Utu, gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O wild bull of the E-babbar,
gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O bearded one, son born to Ningal, ……, gaze upon him! When you
gaze upon the bulls in the cattle-pen, bulls fill the cattle-pen. When you gaze upon the sheep in the
fold, sheep fill the fold. When you have gazed upon the man, …….’
A šir-namšub to Utu (Utu E): c.4.32.e
 Number 12

On this imprint of on a cylinder seal is a reed house with a crook (?) raising above it. It may
have been E-kiš-nu-ĝal, cattle-pen of Suen, and a tall crook lifting its head towards heaven:
‘City worthy of the divine powers, according to its name: shrine Urim, raging storm of Sumer,
battleground -- and well established! Origin of human seed, consolidating the foundations of the
Land, abundance -- and well established! Lofty dais of An, pure place, holy place, provider of first-
fruit offerings for An to refresh himself, dripping with syrup and wine -- and well established! Du-ur,
celebrated place of Enlil, in whose interior are the assigned divine powers, place whose destiny was
decreed by Father Enlil, great dais -- and well established! Eridug, shrine expert in decreeing the
fates, with princely divine powers, pure divine powers -- and well established! E-kiš-nu-ĝal, cattle-
pen of Suen, where fecund cows, breed-bulls and holy calves gambol together, producing fine cream
-- and well established! Abzu, holy residence of youthful Suen, tall crook lifting its head towards
heaven, a marvel -- and well established!’
A praise poem of Šulgi (Šulgi O): c.2.4.2.15

The above imprint shows a reed house with cows and calves around it: sentences of the
above praise poem may perfectly describe it: E-kiš-nu-ĝal, cattle-pen of Suen, where fecund
cows, breed-bulls and holy calves gambol together, producing fine cream -- and well
established! Abzu, holy residence of youthful Suen, tall crook lifting its head towards heaven,
a marvel -- and well established!’
 Number 12

Here is the imprint of the cylinder seal is another reed house with a so-called ball and rod
sign raising above it.
I believe that this ball and rod sign symbolizes fertility and thus this reed house may
represent O Iri-kug (Holy city), shrine of holy An, which caused the human seed to come
forth:
‘O Iri-kug (Holy city), shrine of holy An, which caused the human seed to come forth, called by a
good name, within you is the river of ordeal which vindicates the just man.’
The temple hymns: c.4.80.1

This sign also means: ‘Tur’, which can be translated as: ‘stall’. This sign can be recognized
in the two above reed houses as well as in the temple miniatures.
tur [STALL]
(277 instances)
tur [STALL] (277x: ED IIIb, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. tur3; 2tur3 "animal stall" Akk. tarbaşu
e

[1] tur3
http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/nepsd-frame.html
 Number 13

And this is a plaquette of a house with two eyes carved above its two gates.
In the middle is a gong, a music instrument known to the Hittites:
‘Akiia responded by striking a giant gong and blowing an enormous, deep trumpet blast.
As the reverberations quieted, he beat the gong a second, then a third time.
The village of Hattus erupted with light and the noises of hunting preparations.
As each small group readied itself, they took enough provisions to last the day and readied their
mounts’.
The Hittite Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago

Because of the sound of the gong the village can have erupted with light and the noises of
hunting preparations.
But the gong can also indicate that this carving represents a house in which music can have
been made and gods like Inanna and Dumuzid can have made love:
‘The queen ……. Outside (?) the city, the house (?) …… lapis lazuli ……. In my sanctuary, …… in
prayer, in holy prayer, ……. I am Inana …… powerful garment. The gala singer …… in song, the
musician performs a hymn. My bridegroom rejoices beside me, the wild bull Dumuzid rejoices
beside me.
…… a desire in laudatory words. The lady of all the lands ……, who raises up prayers in Nibru ……,
who lowers prayers ……, the lady praises herself; the gala singer …… in song. Inana praises ……
her genitals in song:
‘These genitals, ……, like a horn, …… a great waggon, this moored Boat of Heaven …… of mine,
clothed in beauty like the new crescent moon, this waste land abandoned in the desert ……, this
field of ducks where my ducks sit, this high well-watered field of mine: my own genitals, the
maiden's, a well-watered opened-up mound -- who will be their ploughman? My genitals, the
lady's, the moist and well-watered ground -- who will put an ox there?’
A balbale (?) to Inana (Dumuzid-Inana P)
 Number 14

On the previous plaquette and on Eye Idol number 9 eyes are carved above gates.
It was not unusual that gates were living objects, just like these doors with the all seeing eyes
of Buddha at the Hanuman Royal Palace grounds within Kathmandu.
It is also similar to a gate described in the Egyptian Book of the Dead: every part of this gate
is able to speak and the person who wants to pass through this gate has to know the names of
all these different living objects:
‘I quenched the flame of fire and I broke the sceptre-amulet, and I made a lake of water. [Then shall
the Two and forty gods say unto me]: ‘Come now, pass in over the threshold of this door of the Hall
of Maati, for thou hast knowledge of us.’
‘We will not allow thee to enter in over us,’ say the bars of this door, ‘unless thou tellest us our
names.’ [And I reply], ‘Tekh-bu- maa’ is your name.
The right lintel of this door saith: ‘I will not allow thee to pass over me unless thou tellest me my
name.’ [And I reply], ‘Henku-en-fat-maat’ is thy name.
The left lintel of this door saith: ‘I will not allow thee to pass over me unless thou tellest me my
name.’ [And I reply], ‘Henku-en-arp’ is thy name.
The ground of this door saith: ‘I will not allow thee to pass over me unless thou tellest me my name.’
[And I reply], ‘Aua-en-Keb’ is thy name.
And the bolt of this door saith: ‘I will not open the door to thee unless thou tellest me my name.’
[And I reply], ‘Saah-en-mut-f’ is thy name.
The socket of the fastening of this door saith: ‘I will not open unto thee unless thou tellest my name.’
[And I reply], ‘The Living Eye of Sebek, the Lord of Bakhau,’ is thy name.
The Doorkeeper of this door saith: ‘I will not open to thee, and I will not let thee enter by me unless
thou tellest my name.’ [And I reply], ‘Elbow of the god Shu who placeth himself to protect Osiris’ is
thy name.
The posts of this door say: ‘We will not let thee pass in by us unless thou tellest our name.’ [And I
reply], ‘Children of the uraei-goddesses’ is your name.
The Doorkeeper of this door saith: ‘I will not open to thee, and I will not let thee enter in by me
unless thou tellest my name. [And I reply], ‘Ox of Keb’ is thy name. [And they reply], ‘Thou knowest
us, pass in therefore by us.’
The Papyrus Of Ani (The Egyptian Book Of The Dead)Translated by E.A. Wallis Budge
All in all, temples, reed houses, fences and gates are living objects that can see and feel.
Besides that, reed houses are places of abundance and fertility, more or less similar to the
Kec temple:
‘House ...... inspiring great awe, called with a mighty name by An;
House ...... whose fate is grandly determined by the Great Mountain Enlil!
House of the Anuna gods possessing great power, which gives wisdom to the people;
House, reposeful dwelling of the great gods!
House, which was planned together with the plans of heaven and earth, ...... with the pure divine
powers;
House which underpins the Land and supports the shrines!
House, mountain of abundance which passes the days in glory;
House of Ninhursaja which establishes the life of the Land!
House, great hillside worthy of the purification rites, altering (?) all things;
House without whom no decisions are made!
House, good ...... carrying in its hands the broad Land;
House which gives birth to countless peoples, seed which has sprouts!
House which gives birth to kings, which determines the destinies of the Land;
House whose royal personages are to be revered! Will anyone else bring forth something as great as
Kec? Will any other mother ever give birth to someone as great as its hero Acgi? Who has ever seen
anyone as great as its lady Nintur?}’
The Kec temple hymn
 Other Eye Idols from Tell Brak

Number 15

Here is an Eye Idol that could depict the sun goddess Shapash:
‘Shapash, Shapsh, Shapshu or sometimes Shemesh was the Canaanite goddess of the sun, daughter
of El and Asherah. She is known as ‘torch of the gods’ and is considered an important deity in the
Canaanite pantheon and among the Phoenicians. She is not to be confused with the Akkadian sun
god, Shamash’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapash

Like the sun god Utu she may have lifted her gaze over the mountains:

A hymn to Utu (Utu B)

‘The lord, the son of Ningal, holds the 50 ...... in his hand and thunders over the mountains like a
storm. He has lifted his head over the Land. My king Utu, you cross the shining mountains, the
shining mountains like an eagle! He has lifted his gaze over the mountains’.
 Number 16

She may also look favourably upon the city Tell Brak like Utu looks favourably upon Larsan:
Letter from Sîn-iddinam to the god Utu
‘O youthful Utu, for that reason look favourably upon your city Larsam! Say ‘Alas!’ for your city!
Say ‘Alas for the sanctuary!’ ……! Extend sympathetic compassion to Larsam! Take heed of the
causes of distress, and make …… leave …… Larsam! Remove …… and distress from within Larsam!
…… the frightful (?) …… in Larsam, so that …… may escape the clutches of death. …… may its seed
be great! May …… sing your praise!
45-46. And as for me, for my reverence give me life! Bestow on me long life as a gift!’

Number 17

Roughly comparable to God who does not withdraweth his eyes from the righteous:
Job 36:7
‘He withdraweth not his eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, he doth
establish them for ever, and they are exalted’.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?q=his+eyes&page=2&order=0&bsec=&qte=
 Number 18

The sun goddess may be a compassionate mother, and like Numgal she may keep an eye
upon the black-headed people:
A hymn to Nungal
‘Mercy and compassion are mine. I frighten no one. I keep an eye upon the black-headed people:
they are under my surveillance. I hold the tablet of life in my hand and I register the just ones on it.
The evildoers cannot escape my arm; I learn their deeds. All countries look to me as to their divine
mother. I temper severe punishments; I am a compassionate mother. I cool down even the angriest
heart, sprinkling it with cool water. I calm down the wounded heart; I snatch men from the jaws of
destruction.’

Number 19

Like the eye of God looking upon the ways of man and seeing all his goings:
Job 34:21
‘For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings’.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?q=his+eyes&page=2&order=0&bsec=&qte=
 Number 20

Idols may also depict the life-giving eyes of a god:

A man and his god

‘I have set my sights on you as on the rising sun. Like Ninmaḫ ……, you have let me exert great
power. My god, you looked on me from a distance with your good life-giving eyes. May I proclaim
well your …… and holy strength. May your …… heart be restored towards me. May you absolve my
sin. May your heart be soothed towards me’.

Number 21

Like the Eye of Ra is a life-giving goddess who begets the renewed form of Ra that is born at
dawn:
‘The Eye of Ra or Eye of Re is a being in ancient Egyptian mythology that functions as a feminine
counterpart to the sun god Ra and a violent force that subdues his enemies. The Eye is an extension
of Ra's power, equated with the disk of the sun, but it also behaves as an independent entity, which
can be personified by a wide variety of Egyptian goddesses, including Hathor, Sekhmet, Bastet,
Wadjet, and Mut. The Eye goddess acts as mother, sibling, consort, and daughter of the sun god.
She is his partner in the creative cycle in which he begets the renewed form of himself that is born
at dawn’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Ra
 Number 22

The eyes of this Idol with a sheep below may depict the life-giving eyes of Shapash,
similar to Utu she may gaze upon sheep and fill the fold:
A šir-namšub to Utu
‘Gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O Utu, gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O wild bull of the E-
babbar, gaze upon him, gaze upon him! O bearded one, son born to Ningal, ……, gaze upon him!
When you gaze upon the bulls in the cattle-pen, bulls fill the cattle-pen. When you gaze upon the
sheep in the fold, sheep fill the fold. When you have gazed upon the man, …….’

Number 23
An Eye of Horus or Wedjat pendant
Just like the Eye of Horus is able to make: the hieroglyph which usually represents this eye:
‘ir.t’ also has the meaning: ‘to make’ or ‘do’ or ‘one who does’:

As hieroglyph and symbol

‘There are seven different hieroglyphs used to represent the eye, most commonly ‘ir.t’ in Egyptian,
which also has the meaning to make or do or one who does. In Egyptian myth the eye was not the
passive organ of sight but more an agent of action, protection or wrath. The Eye of Horus was
represented as a hieroglyph, designated D10 in Gardiner's sign list. It is represented in the Unicode
character block for Egyptian hieroglyphs as U+13080 (𓂀)’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Horus
 Number 24

And thus the gazing of the eyes of the big Idol, which are full of life, may have brought forth
the small Idol (a king?):
A hymn to Ḫaia for Rīm-Sîn
‘Leader, leader (?) of the gods, complete the great fates of the people. Look favourably upon the
king with your gracious gaze that is full of life. Duly grant a joyous reign of long days to prince
Rīm-Sîn, marking its years on the tablet of life, forever unalterable. May An and Enlil love the
shepherd Rīm-Sîn in the office of high priest. The singers will make your praise resound sweetly in
their mouths; Ḫaia, the singers will make your praise resound sweetly in their mouths. Lord of
heaven and earth, king of the abzu, its praise is august. Father Enki, king of the abzu, your praise is
sweet’.
 Number 25

This Idol with a headgear may represent ʼĒl a Northwest Semitic word meaning ‘god’ or
‘deity’:

Gilded statuette of El from Megiddo

Consort: Asherah/Athirat/Anath

ʼĒl a Northwest Semitic word meaning ‘god’ or ‘deity’, or referring (as a proper name) to any one
of multiple major ancient Near Eastern deities. A rarer form, ʼila, represents the predicate form in
Old Akkadian and in Amorite. The word is derived from the Proto-Semitic archaic biliteral ʼ‑l,
meaning ‘god’.
Specific deities known as ʼEl or ʼIl include the supreme god of the ancient Canaanite religion and
the supreme god of East Semitic speakers in Mesopotamia’s Early Dynastic Period.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_(deity)
 Number 26

And this Idol may represent Asherah, the queen consort of Ēl.
‘Asherah is identified as the queen consort of the Sumerian god Anu, and Ugaritic ʾEl, the oldest
deities of their respective pantheons, as well as Yahweh, the god of Israel and Judah. This role gave
her a similarly high rank in the Ugaritic pantheon’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah

Like Inanna she may put a turban, headgear for the open country, on her head:

Inana's descent to the nether world

‘She took the seven divine powers. She collected the divine powers and grasped them in her hand.
With the good divine powers, she went on her way. She put a turban, headgear for the open
country, on her head. She took a wig for her forehead. She hung small lapis-lazuli beads around her
neck’.
 Number 27

And here the Ēl and may be united with his spouse Asherah. The zigzags beneath them may
symbolize Asherah’s son: ‘Yam’, the god of the sea:
‘Sources from before 1200 BC almost always credit Athirat with her full title rbt ʾaṯrt ym (or rbt
ʾaṯrt). The phrase occurs 12 times in the Baʿal Epic alone. The title rbt is most often vocalised as
rabītu, though rabat and rabīti are sometimes used by scholars. Apparently of Akkadian origin,
rabītu means ‘(great) lady’. She appears to champion her son, Yam, god of the sea, in his struggle
against Baʾal. Yam's ascription as 'god of' the sea in the English translation is somewhat incorrect,
however, as 'yām' (Hebrew: ‫ )יָם‬is a common western Semitic root that literally means 'sea'. As a
result, one could understand Yam to be the sea itself, deified, as opposed a god who holds dominion
over it. Athirat's title can therefore been translated as ‘the lady ʾAṯiratu of the sea’, alternatively,
‘she who walks on the sea’, or even ‘the Great Lady-who-tramples-Yam’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah
 Number 28

The zigzags on the Idol and these zigzags symbolize the Sumerian word: ‘A’, which can be
translated as: ‘water’, ‘semen’ and ‘progeny’:

Archaic Sumerian Pictographic Signs by Ashur Cherry

These are the non-numerical sign forms for water.

[1] a (e4, ea)

According to the dictionary of the Pennsylvania Museum the Sumerian word ‘A’ means:
‘water’, ‘semen’ and ‘progeny:’
‘Water (2329x: ED IIIa, ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Lagash II, Ur III, Early Old Babylonian, Old
Babylonian, 1st millennium, unknown) wr. a water; semen; progeny Akk. mû; rihûtu
See a de[irrigate], a dug[irrigate], a gi[deflower], a ĝar[irrigate], a rah[drown], a ri[impregnate],
a ru[dedicate], a sur[urinate], a tu[wash]’.
http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/nepsd-frame.html
 Number 29

This Idol with the zigzags may depict Yam, the god of the sea, the son of Asherah:
‘Sources from before 1200 BC almost always credit Athirat with her full title rbt ʾaṯrt ym (or rbt
ʾaṯrt). The phrase occurs 12 times in the Baʿal Epic alone. The title rbt is most often vocalised as
rabītu, though rabat and rabīti are sometimes used by scholars. Apparently of Akkadian origin,
rabītu means ‘(great) lady’. She appears to champion her son, Yam, god of the sea, in his struggle
against Baʾal. Yam's ascription as 'god of' the sea in the English translation is somewhat incorrect,
however, as 'yām' (Hebrew: ‫ )יָם‬is a common western Semitic root that literally means 'sea'. As a
result, one could understand Yam to be the sea itself, deified, as opposed a god who holds dominion
over it. Athirat's title can therefore been translated as ‘the lady ʾAṯiratu of the sea’, alternatively,
‘she who walks on the sea’, or even ‘the Great Lady-who-tramples-Yam’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah
 Number 30

Yam is also titled as the ‘Judge River’:

‘Yam (also Yamm) is the god of the sea in the Canaanite pantheon. Yam takes the role of the
adversary of Baal in the Ugaritic Baal Cycle.
Yam (‫ ים‬ym), the Canaanite word for ‘Sea’ , is one name of the Ugaritic god of Rivers and Sea. Also
titled ṯpṭ nhr ‘Judge River’, he is also one of the 'ilhm (Elohim) or sons of El, the name given to the
Levantine pantheon.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asherah

Here the dots beneath the zigzags may symbolize: ‘semen’.

The zigzags and the dots may indicate that Yam is lord of the water and lord of semen, just
like Enki:
‘Enki was characterized as the lord of the Abzu (Apsu in Akkadian), the freshwater sea or
groundwater located within the earth. In the later Babylonian epic Enûma Eliš, Abzu, the "begetter
of the gods", is inert and sleepy but finds his peace disturbed by the younger gods, so sets out to
destroy them. His grandson Enki, chosen to represent the younger gods, puts a spell on Abzu
"casting him into a deep sleep", thereby confining him deep underground. Enki subsequently sets up
his home "in the depths of the Abzu." Enki thus takes on all of the functions of the Abzu, including
his fertilising powers as lord of the waters and lord of semen’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enki
 Number 31

But the zigzags may also means: ‘(to be) full, replete, satisfied (with); (to be) grown (tall); to
fruit; (to be) fructified; to shine’:
lum [FRUIT] (107x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. lum ’(to be) full, replete,
satisfied (with); (to be) grown (tall); to fruit; (to be) fructified; to shine’ Akk. enēbu; unnubu;
namāru; šebû; šihu
[1] lum

http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/nepsd-frame.html

The word ‘satisfied’ was not used very often in the Sumerian literature, the words ‘filled’
and ‘full’ were used more frequently and may have had about a similar meaning:
Enki and the world order: c.1.1.3
‘After he had turned his gaze from there, after Father Enki had lifted his eyes across the
Euphrates, he stood up full of lust like a rampant bull, lifted his penis, ejaculated and filled the
Tigris with flowing water. He was like a wild cow mooing for its young in the wild grass, its
scorpion-infested cow-pen. The Tigris …… at his side like a rampant bull. By lifting his penis, he
brought a bridal gift. The Tigris rejoiced in its heart like a great wild bull, when it was born ……. It
brought water, flowing water indeed: its wine will be sweet. It brought barley, mottled barley indeed:
the people will eat it. It filled the E-kur, the house of Enlil, with all sorts of things. Enlil was
delighted with Enki, and Nibru was glad. The lord put on the diadem as a sign of lordship, he put on
the good crown as a sign of kingship, touching the ground on his left side. Plenty came forth out of
the earth for him’.
 Number 32

By the way, the zigzags may also stand for Sumerian word: ‘lum’, which means:
‘Excremant’:
lum [EXCREMENT] wr. lum ’excrement’ Akk. Tabāštānu

[1] lum

1. excrement
http://psd.museum.upenn.edu/nepsd-frame.html

lum [FRUIT] (107x: ED IIIb, Old Akkadian, Ur III, Old Babylonian) wr. lum ’(to be) full, replete, satisfied
(with); (to be) grown (tall); to fruit; (to be) fructified; to shine’ Akk. enēbu; unnubu; namāru; šebû; šihu

It is obvious that the river ‘cleans’ the city and takes the excrements away.
 Number 33

And thus, on this Idol both the zigzags may symbolize Yam, the god of the waters and of
semen.
This means that Yam is a fertilizing god.
Besides that, his eyes may also be life-giving, like the favourable eyes of life of Nanaya who
turned them onto the bedchamber of Išbi-Erra:
A tigi to Nanaya for Išbi-Erra
Great lady, worthy source of inspiration, counselled (?) by the Mistress: luxurious divine powers
have been generously given to you by the Mistress. Nanaya, great lady, worthy source of inspiration,
counselled (?) by the Mistress! Išbi-Erra, you are the king and shepherd of the people! Nanaya, by
the command of An you are the queen of all the countries. In the shrine, in Kulaba, …… he declares
it, and the people turn their hearts towards you as you address them. Nanaya, good woman, you are
the favourable (?) name of the black-headed! O youth chosen in beauty by the Mistress, son of Enlil,
your wise word is brightly made good for the goddess Inana! O Nanaya, the goddess has created
your holy powers …… for you. You have …… turned the favourable eye of life onto the
bedchamber, and Išbi-Erra is the youth chosen for his beauty.

So, the Eye Idols generally may represent fertility deities.

Tom van Bakel

Sint Pancras
Nederland
19-1-2020
Email: tom.vanbakel@xs4all.nl

All hymns etc. are published in: The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature.
Number 1
A Mesopotamian Steatite Spectacle Idol
Syria, Circa 3000-2500 B.C.
The rectangular architectonic base with curving shoulders, sculpted on all four sides with a tiered
façade , composed of several friezes including hatching, beading, zigzag, and crosshatching,
centered by a doorway on each long side with a concave upper surface, the disk ‘eyes’ above the
waisted rectangular neck
5 7/8 in. (14.9 cm.) high
Provenance with Elie Borowski, Basel, 1965.
https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-mesopotamian-steatite-spectacle-idol-syria-circa-5443197-details.aspx

Number 2
A Large Mesopotamian Stone Spectacle Idol
Circa 3000 B.C.
The architectonic base of rectangular form with rounded edges, decorated with reed houses with
characteristic arching doorways, band of zigzags and chevrons above, the ‘eyes’ on a long conical-
shaped neck
10¼ in. (26 cm.) high
Provenance: Collection of an aristocratic Italian family, acquired before 1960.
https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-large-mesopotamian-stone-spectacle-idol-circa-5358333-details.aspx

Number 3
Idole Aux Yeux. Grande idole aux yeux, le corps quadrangulaire sculpté sur chaque face de façades
de temple entre des registres de chevrons, de croisillons et de losanges. Le long cou tronconique est
surmonté de deux grands yeux percés. Chlorite ou stéatite noire. Cassure au sommet des yeux.
Proche-Orient, ca. 3000 av. J.-C. H_20,2 cm Les idoles aux yeux seraient la représentation abstraite
d'une divinité à une époque où les dieux étaient très rarement montrés avec une apparence humaine.
Elles ont été retrouvées dans des sanctuaires et avaient un lien avec les pratiques religieuses ou
cultuelles. Les représentations des façades de temples se rencontrent sur de nombreux vases de
pierre de la fin du IVe millénaire av. J.-C. Pour un modèle similaire, cf. Christie's, Londres, 7
octobre 2010, n° 69. Bibliographie: C.J. Dury, Art of the Ancient Near East and Middle East, New
York, 1970, p. 43.
https://www.pba-auctions.com/lot/16862/3399478

Number 4
Mudhif
http://www.iraqwho.com/photos/index.php/category/19-marshes-houses?start=20

Number 5
Chalcolithic Basalt Eye Idol, 4000 B.C. - 3000 B.C.
Basalt
Enquire: In 1937, archaeological excavations in Northern Syria at the site of Tell Brak uncovered
evidence of the ‘Eye Temple,’ named after the hundreds of small eye idols found fixed into...
https://barakatgallery.eu/artworks/categories/168/70842-chalcolithic-basalt-eye-idol-4000-bce-3000-bce/

Number 6
Reed homes in the Iraqi Marshlands
https://nl.pinterest.com/safaa1974916/reed-homes-in-the-iraqi-marshlands/

Number 7
Iraqi reed house neighbourhood, built on a marsh. ’They made columns from the thick, giant rushes
and gather 30-40 of them together to make pillars, and interweave them for a skeleton frame
https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/303781937339785692/
Number 8
Figure 4.2
An In-Depth Study of the Tell Brak Eye Idols in the 4th Millennium BCE: with a primary focus on
function and meaning.
Arabella Cooper 430145722

Number 9
Figure 4.1
An In-Depth Study of the Tell Brak Eye Idols in the 4th Millennium BCE: with a primary focus on
function and meaning.
Arabella Cooper 430145722

Number 10
Figure 2.7
An In-Depth Study of the Tell Brak Eye Idols in the 4th Millennium BCE: with a primary focus on
function and meaning.
Arabella Cooper 430145722

Number 12
British Museum number: 123280
Description: Grey or green limestone cylinder seal; a human figure, with bowl, raises both hands
and squats on bench or mat before post with ring. Shrine between posts with ring. In field; torch
(brazier?) or grain?; pots.
Culture/period: Uruk Jemdet Nasr
Date4000BC-2900BC
Found/Acquired: Nuzi, Hurrian level? (?) North Iraq, Nuzi
Materials: limestone
Dimensions: Height: 17 millimetres, Diameter: 15 millimetres
Number 13
Plaquette votive aux idoles aux yeux. Elle est rectangulaire, sculptée de deux idoles aux yeux de part
et d'autre d'un motif cordé. À la base et au sommet, registres de chevrons. Calcite noire. Vallée de
l'Euphrate, fin du IVe millénaire av. J.-C. H_8,1 cm L_6,1 cm Euphrates Valley black calcite plaque
carved with two eye idols. Late 4th millennium B.C. 3,2 by 2,4 in.
https://www.pba-auctions.com/lot/12242/2420156

Number 14
Image of an ancient door with the all seeing eyes of Buddha at the Hanuman Royal Palace grounds
within UNESCO's World Heritage Site of Kathmandu
Number 15
British Museum number126202
Description Carved calcite eye-idol with large stylised eyes; carved and lightly polished.
Culture/period: Jemdet Nasr
Date3000 BC
Excavated/Findspot: Syria (North East),Al-Hasakah (governorate),Chagar Bazar)
Materials: calcite
Technique: polished, carved
Dimensions: Height: 3 centimetres, Width: 3.2 centimetres, Thickness: 0.7 centimetres
Number 16
Period: Middle Uruk
Date: ca. 3700–3500 B.C.
Geography: Syria, Tell Brak
Medium: Gypsum alabaster
Dimensions:3 5/8 in. (9.3 cm)
Classification: Stone-Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of The Institute of Archaeology, The University of London, 1951
Accession Number:51.59.1
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324145

Number 17
Painted leaded window with eye in triangle
All Seeing Eye St Mary's painted church at High Hill near Schulenburg Texas USA

Number 18
A selection of 'eye idols' from Tell Brak, Mesopotamia.
On display in the University College London Institute of Archaeology.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tell_Brak_Eye_Idols_in_the_UCL_Institute_of_Archaeology.jpg

Number 19
The George Washington Masonic National Memorial
https://gwmemorial.org/blogs/news/the-eye-of-providence

Number 20
A Syrian Marble 'Eye Idol'
Tell Brak Region, Circa 4th Millennium B.C.
The thin plaque with a bell-shaped body, the cylindrical neck off-set by a distinctive V, the two large
eyes and single brow incised
1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) high
Provenance: European Private Collection, 1980s.
https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-syrian-marble-eye-idol-tell-brak-4205293-details.aspx

Number 21
The Eye of Ra.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Ra

Number 22
Schaffhausen, Museum zu Allerheiligen, Sammlung Ebnöther, (Abteilung ‘Idole’) Zwei Augenidole,
links: Kalkstein (Höhe 19,3 cm), rechts: Alabaster (Höhe: 4,6 cm), aus Syrien, 2. Hälfte des 4.
Jahrtausend vor Christus; genaue Provenienz nicht angegeben; solche Idole wurden lt. Katalog
gefunden in Tepe Gaura und im Augentempel von Tell Brak (Katalog 1999, S. 22)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Tell_Brak#/media/File:Augenidole_Syrien_Slg_Ebn%C3%B6ther.jpg

Number 23
As hieroglyph and symbol
‘There are seven different hieroglyphs used to represent the eye, most commonly ‘ir.t’ in Egyptian,
which also has the meaning to make or do or one who does. In Egyptian myth the eye was not the
passive organ of sight but more an agent of action, protection or wrath. The Eye of Horus was
represented as a hieroglyph, designated D10 in Gardiner's sign list. It is represented in the Unicode
character block for Egyptian hieroglyphs as U+13080 (𓂀)’.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_Horus
Number 24
A Syrian Marble ‘Eye’ Idol
Tell Brak Region, Circa 3500-3300 B.C.
The thin plaque adorned on one side with a smaller figure superimposed onto a larger, each
similarly designed with a short neck off-set from the bell-shaped body by a shallow V, the two large
eyes and single brow incised
2¾ in. (7 cm.) high
Provenance: European Private Collection, 1980s.
https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-syrian-marble-eye-idol-tell-brak-4505441-details.aspx

Number 25
Period: Middle Uruk
Date: ca. 3700–3500 B.C.
Geography: Syria, Tell Brak
Medium: Gypsum alabaster
Dimensions:3 in. (7.6 cm)
Classification: Stone-Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of The Institute of Archaeology, The University of London, 1951
Accession Number:51.59.5
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324149

Number 26
Catalogue Number: NM50.287
Measurements: Height:5.88cm, Width:2.64cm, Depth:0.48cm
General Information: Excavated by M.E.L. Mallowan from the Eye Temple at Tell Brak, Northern
Syria, during 1937-1938 excavations.
Acquired by the Nicholson Museum as a donation of a group of 6 Eye-Idols from the Institute of
Archaeology, London 1950.
Dated to the 4th Millennium BCE.
Material is identified as alabaster.
Description: Single Eye-Idol type, made of alabaster with dark uneven colouration, the back of the
artefact is blotchy and uneven in colour. This dark colouring is perhaps indicative of burning which
like occurred pre-deposition, but the porous nature of the stone could have also caused the darker
colouring during deposition.
The Idol has a squat, and square body, with a slight bulge carved into the neck. The artefact is
shown with what is generally labelled as a triangular head piece with 4 horizontal lines carved upon
it. The headpiece appears as an extension of the eye section.
The Eyes Have It, An In-Depth Study of the Tell Brak Eye Idols in the 4th Millennium BCE by Arabella Cooper

Number 27
A Syrian Marble Double ‘Eye’ Idol
Tell Brak Region, Circa 3500-3300 B.C.
The thin plaque in the form of two conjoined figures, engraved on one side, each with a short neck
off-set from the body by a V, three zigzags across their bodies, each with two large eyes and a single
brow, surmounted by a striated cone
2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm.) high
Provenance: European Private Collection, 1980.
https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-syrian-marble-double-eye-idol-tell-4722440-details.aspx
Number 28
Cylinder seal with geometric design
ca. 9th–7th century B.C.
Assyrian or Iranian
Object Details
Period: Iron Age II
Date: ca. 9th–7th century B.C.
Geography: Mesopotamia, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu)
Culture: Assyrian or Iranian
Medium: Faience
Dimensions:1.3 in. (3.3 cm)
Classification: Faience-Cylinder Seals
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1957
Accession Number:57.27.43
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324636

Number 29
Sumerian stone head and eye figurines made of glazed faience and clay. From the Eye Temple, Tell
Brak, Syria; during the Late Uruk period, 3300-3000 BC - Image ID: EX73F3
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-sumerian-stone-head-and-eye-figurines-made-of-glazed-faience-and-clay-84978967.html

Number 30
Unique Mysterious Figurines With Enormous Eyes (Eye Idols of Tell Brak)
https://nl.pinterest.com/pin/651544271072281951/visual-search/

Number 31
Catalogue Number: NM59.17
Measurements: Height:5.4cm, Width:3.9cm, Depth:0.6cm
General Information
Excavated by M.E.L. Mallowan from the Eye Temple at Tell Brak, Northern Syria, during 1937-1938
excavations.
Acquired as 1 of a group of 3 through purchase by the Nicholson Museum in 1959.
Material is identified as crystalline alabaster. Dated to the Jemdet Nasr Period but based on the
style and context they are to be dated from the mid to late 4th Millennium BCE.
Number 32
Tell Brak Alabaster Eye Idol
Description: Ancient Near East, northeastern Syria, Tell Brak, Middle Uruk Period, ca. 4th
millennium BCE. A hand-carved alabaster idol of an abstract form defined by a wide trapezoidal
body, sloped shoulders, and a slender neck surmounted by an enormous pair of incised diamond-
shaped eyes. The body boasts a trio of concentric zigzagging lines that imbue the figure with a regal
and personalized presentation. Tell Brak was a major Mesopotamian city in northeastern Syria,
located on a trade route between the Tigris River Valley north to Anatolia, the Euphrates, and the
Mediterranean Sea. The most famous building excavated at this site was the ‘Temple of the Eyes,’
where thousands of figures made of stone with incised eyes have been found. Archaeologists believe
that these idols were placed there as offerings, as wide eyes meant religious attentiveness and
devotion to the gods in Mesopotamian art. Size: 2.25’ W x 3.25’ H (5.7 cm x 8.3 cm); 4’ H (10.2 cm)
on included custom stand.
https://www.auctionzip.com/auction-lot/lot_10644939E2
The Eyes Have It, An In-Depth Study of the Tell Brak Eye Idols in the 4th Millennium BCE by Arabella Cooper
Number 34
Period: Middle Uruk
Date: ca. 3700–3500 B.C.
Geography: Syria, Tell Brak
Medium: Gypsum alabaster
Dimensions:3 in. (7.6 cm)
Classification: Stone-Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of The Institute of Archaeology, The University of London, 1951
Accession Number:51.59.7
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324151
https://www.lotsearch.de/auction-catalogues/antiquities-77629?page=2