King Uthal

myminifactory

This image of King Uthal stands out as the finest sculpture unearthed in Hatra, discovered in the first stage of excavation in 1951 within the Third Temple - commonly known as Baalshamin Temple. The head and body of this marble statue were found separately due to the statue's exposure to war when the Persian army under Shapur I of the Sasanian Dynasty invaded Hatra. A glance at the statue reveals a strong emphasis on frontality, similar to that seen in the bronze statue of a Parthian nobleman unearthed in the Shami Temple on Iranian highlands. The King stands erect with his left leg placed forward, his left hand resting on the handle of his long sword and his right hand extended palm-outward in a prayer for peace. On his head rests a distinctive crown unique to Hatra, while his lower form is covered by trousers in the Parthian manner. A long coat reaching down to his knees covers his upper frame, topped with an over-coat made of furry material. When viewed from the side, the peculiar Hatrian crown features a sprinkling of precious stones in squares composed of pearl-like objects. The extremities of the strings that tie the crown to the King's head float down his back, unfinished like the back of the statue itself. The King's eyes are wide open, resembling apricots in shape, with slightly upward-slanting pupils due to their near-upper-lid position. His nose is high and shapely, accompanied by a thick mustache that hangs over his mouth with both ends turned upward. Both ears of the King are adorned with earrings, while rich sideburns transformed into beards through simple carved lines in parallel. A metal choker surrounds the statue's throat, along with a metal sword belt around its waist, featuring open-work griffins with stately wings on either side of the buckle. On the part of the sword where the leather belt passes through, there are also open-work animals - this time without wings and resembling lions or dragons. The upper coat bears the same ornamental patterns found on the crown, consisting of comma-shaped beads (probably gems) enclosed in squares composed of pearl-like objects. The King wears a pair of shoes with points slightly extended outward, peculiar to northern nomads that helped secure horse-rider's feet in double leather belts used instead of stirrups. An inscription in Aramic on the pedestal reads "The Image of King Uthal, the merciful, noble-minded servant of God, blessed by God", confirming the statue as that of King Uthal. However, this sculpture was later recreated through 3D printing technology by new media artist Morehshin Allahyari as part of her project "Material Speculation: ISIS". This project aims to create a practical and political possibility for artifact archival while proposing 3D printing technology as a tool both for resistance and documentation. Morehshin Allahyari is an Iranian-American artist, activist, educator, and occasional curator who thinks about technology as a philosophical toolset to reflect on objects. Her work extensively deals with the political, social, and cultural contradictions we face every day.