#third dynasty

[lionofchaeronea]

Ancient Egyptian statue (limestone with plaster and paint) of the upper part of a hippo goddess.  Artist unknown;  ca. 2649–2528 BCE (Dynasty 3-4, Old Kingdom).  Now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

[yaellaharpe-blog]

Staircase leading to the southern tomb of the pharaoh Djoser at Saqqara, Egypt. This staircase is dated to 4700 years ago. Djoser's step pyramid, or proto-pyramid, was the first real monumental cenotaph and probably the first pyramid in history.

Escalera que conduce a la tumba sur del faraón Zoser en Saqqara, Egipto. La antigüedad de esta escalera es de 4700 años. La pirámide escalonada de Zoser, o proto-pirámide, fue el primer cenotafio monumental real y, probablemente, la primera pirámide de la historia.

[kirbyarthistory]

GUDEA OF LAGASH HOLDING THE PLAN OF A TEMPLE, Girsu (now Telloh, Iraq)

Gudea was the ensi of Lagash during the Third Dynasty of Ur. His statues show him seated or standing, hands usually tightly clasped, head shaven. sometimes wearing a brimmed sheepskin hat, and always dressed in a long garment that leaves one shoulder and arm exposed. He has a youthful face with large, arching, herringbone-patterned eyebrows framing wide-open eyes. Gudea was zealous in granting the gods their due, and the numerous statues he commissioned are an enduring testimony to his piety, wealth, and pride. All his portraits are of polished diorite, a rare and costly dark stone that was hard to carve.

The overflowing water jar that Gudea holds symbolizes the prosperity he brings to the people of Lagash. In Mesopotamian art, normally only gods and goddesses are the sources of life-giving water.