Circa 2500 BC Depicting the water-god Ea with streams flowing from his body, unusually shown with two faces; this may be an amalgamation of Ea with Usmu, his minister. It illustrates the myth in which the bird-man Zu is led before his judge Ea, for his attempt to usurp the authority of the supreme god Enlil by stealing the "tablet of destiny" upon which was inscribed the fates of all gods and man. The god of agriculture, identified by the plough over his shoulder, represents the deities of vegetation injured by the theft. Size: L:34mm / W:18mm; 18.15g Provenance: From the important collection of a London doctor A.R; passed by descent to his son; formerly acquired the 1980s on the UK art market.