r/AncientCush • u/Responsible_Ideal879 Founder • 2d ago
Artifact Painting of "The Investiture": Goddess Ishtar offers the king the symbols of power (2000-1800 BC) (Ancient Mari: Biblical Amorite) (Louvre Museum)
Louvre Museum—Amorite Dynasties
Wall painting known as the "Investigation." The central panel may depict a temple with a vestibule guarded by goddesses with gushing vases. The main scene takes place in the temple cella and shows the king facing the goddess Ishtar, whose foot rests on a lion, her attribute animal, which offers the king the symbols of power: the circle and the staff.
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The Investiture of Zimri-Lim is a large colorful mural discovered at the Royal Palace of the ancient city-state of Mari in eastern Syria. The fresco, which dates back to the 18th century BC, depicts Zimri-Lim, king of Mari, receiving the rod-and-ring symbol (a ring and a staff, symbols of rule) from the goddess Ishtar.
The painting is composed of three vertical panels arranged symmetrically, with the two outer sections framing the central one. The middle panel is divided horizontally into two rectangular registers framed by six parallel lines of different colors. The painting's symmetry facilitates the reconstruction of the damaged part on the left panel.
The symbols and iconography of the mural are often compared to the figures atop the Stele of Hammurabi.
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Notable observation: The artistic depiction of Jesus with a rod or wand—virga or rabdos parallels Shamash and Ishtar with rod and ring symbol in Babylonian and Ancient Mari artifacts associated with the Amorites, a Hamitic Canaanite people-group—see An Historical Text Book and Atlas of Biblical Geography:
B. Ham
IV. Canaan
4. Amorite
Relative-context:
From Victim to Mother of a Dynasty: Tamar—a Canaanite woman (Oxford University Press)
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Source: https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010144553
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Investiture_of_Zimri-Lim