In 2019, a limestone carving dating back to 2400 BC appeared on the London art market. It was illegally removed from Iraq and only identified by the Art and Antiques Unit of the Metropolitan Police. This is the story of the Sumerian plaque — an extraordinary archaeological discovery that almost disappeared forever.
The plaque is a low-relief carving that once formed part of a larger votive wall plaque in a Sumerian temple in southern Iraq, during the Early Dynastic III period. It was fixed to the wall next to a door, where a rope could be tied around a central peg to securely shut it.
The carving shows a clean-shaven, elite male figure — perhaps a high-priest or ruler — sitting on a decorated stool, wearing a kaunakes (a Sumerian long skirt). In his upraised right hand, he holds a ceremonial goblet; in his left, a palm frond.
The plaque's original findspot is unknown. It was illegally excavated and smuggled out of Iraq, then said to come from a private collection formed in the 1990s. Nothing else is known about its provenance.
However, analysis by the British Museum suggests it may come from the site of Tello (ancient Girsu), where looting within the religious precinct is known to have taken place between 1994 and 2003. Its style matches other plaques found at Early Dynastic III sites in southern Iraq.
This matters because temple plaques of this type are rare — only about 50 examples are known to exist. They are found at major Sumerian city-sites in southern and central Iraq and eastern Syria, including Ur, Nippur, Khafajah, and Mari.
There is no record of this plaque in existing literature, making it an important discovery that could enhance our understanding of Mesopotamian art. Its stylistic similarities to pieces from the Sumerian heartland (southern Iraq) — a centre of rich urban civilisation with trade connections to the Indus, Iran, and Syria — make it especially significant.
Because the plaque came to light as a result of looting, we have been robbed of crucial information about its archaeological context. Yet its possible connection to Tello/Girsu, where excavations are still ongoing, offers hope that the missing parts of the plaque may be found in the future. As of December 2020, the plaque was displayed at the British Museum in Room G53 before being repatriated to the Iraq Museum in Baghdad.
This story originally appeared in Current World Archaeology, issue 104. It is a powerful reminder that every looted artifact represents lost knowledge — but sometimes, even a single object can still speak across millennia.