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Funerary Head of an
Elamite
Elamite Male,
Susa
Louvre
Excerpt
Funerary Head of an Elamite
Susa
15th-14th centuries BC
Painted unbaked clay
H 0.24 m; W 0.15 m
Sb 2836
Description
"In the middle of the second millennium, the Susians buried their dead in family vaults under their houses. Next to the head of the deceased, which was probably veiled, they frequently placed a portrait, executed at the moment of death. It is the only example from the East of a genuinely funerary art which aims at personal likeness. This one shows the typical Elamite, with its severe expression characteristic of a tough population which had strong links with mountain dwellers." - Louvre
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