Ram in a Thicket

The pair of figures known as the Ram in a Thicket was discovered in 1928 by the British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley. They were found in the "Great Death Pit" at the Royal Cemetery of Ur, which is located in modern-day Iraq.

One of the figures is currently on display at the British Museum in London, while the other is housed at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. They were divided between the institutions as part of the joint excavation agreement.

The figures were crafted around 2600 BC using a wooden core overlaid with gold leaf for the ram's face, legs, and belly. The fleece is made from lapis lazuli, while the horns, ears, and hooves are made from copper and shell.

The artifact gets its name from the biblical passage in Genesis 22:13, where Abraham sacrifices a ram caught in a thicket instead of his son Isaac. Woolley gave it this biblical name because the ram was standing upright on its hind legs to reach the branches of a flowering tree, mirroring the religious narrative.