Babylonian terracotta plaque with erotic scene

This baked clay plaque shows a man and woman copulating a tergo. Ceramic baked plaques were mass- produced from moulds in Southern Mesopotamia already from the second millennium BC. and represent a form of art available to a wide audience. The casting of plaques was a simple and inexpensive way to produce relief images, since numerous plaques could be made from a single mould. They have been excavated in temples as well as in household shrines of private homes. Though their exact purpose is not clear, they may have had magical or religious significance. Their subject matter varies widely, as they show informal scenes and reflect the private face of life, by including religious images, mythological and erotic scenes and representations of rulers and gods. – (SF.355)