Oriental Institute, Chicago, Sumerian, 2010 B.C.

King Urnammu, founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur was originally a general who took the title of 'king of Sumer and Akkad'. Urnammu succeeded to construct a well organized empire, in which Sumer and Akkad were united. Urnammu strived to achieve the law and order of past times.

Urnammu built ziggurats with a three stage system and a temple on the highest level. Use was made of mud bricks each stamped with the name of the city, city deity and the name of the temple. His development in temple construction was an innovation used for many centuries. Urnammu rebuilt and enlarged one of the most famous temples in ancient times, the E-kur temple in the city of Nippur devoted to Enlil, the chief god in the pantheon.

This figurine statue of King Urnammu, which was buried in a foundation box beneath one of the temple towers, represents the king at the start of the building project, carrying on his head a basket of clay from which would be made the critically important first brick.