This piece belongs to the Early Dynastic Period II, a period when Mesopotamian art began experimenting and refining its craft. The administrative and political events of the Early Dynastic Periods are highly disputed due to a lack of documentation or recorded evidence, and legendary rulers including Gilgamesh and Enmerkar are attributed to the era. The Early Dynastic Periods are thus organised and understood via archaeological material and artistic trends, making pieces such as this essential to decoding life and culture in Mesopotamia during this time.
Iconographies of bulls were common decorative motifs in ancient Mesopotamian art as a testament to the great reverence which Mesopotamian society held for the animal. Bovines were essential for everyday life, particularly in agriculture, but also held a primary role in Mesopotamian religion and mythology: in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the goddess Innana sends the Bull of Heaven to attack the hero Gilgamesh.
