The Lilith Relief: Sumerian Terra-Cotta Relief (circa 2000 BCE)
First known as the Burney Relief -- the original 1936 owner was Mr. Sydney Burney -- this relief "became associated with the character of Lilith and subsequently has been referred to in the literature as the Lilith Relief" (Pereira 28). Shown in illustration #1, this relief is believed to date from "the last third of the Third millennium BCE" (Frankfort 128). While the identification of its central figure was once much contested, it is generally accepted today that this figure is indeed Lilith.
An examination of the figure gives rise to interesting details which link this image with the descriptions of Lilith which arise in literature both before and after the relief's creation. Unclothed and beautiful, Lilith here can easily be associated with her role as a succubus who destroys her lovers. The "ring and staff" symbols (found in Lilith's hands) have been interpreted, almost universally, as symbols of justice. This would coincide with the idea that Lilith's murdering of infants was a punishment on parents for some unknown sin (Pereira 33). The owls symbolize nocturnal flight, associated with the "winged she-demon of the night" characterization of Lilith.
- "Gilgamesh and the Huluppu-Tree"
- The Lilith Relief
- Isaiah 34:14
- Testament of Solomon
- The Talmud
- The Nippur Bowls
- The Alphabet of Ben Sira
- Book of Raziel
- The Zohar
- Hebrew Amuletic Tradition
amy.scerba@english.cmu.edu