Representing the elites in Middle Bronze I-II Ebla

In the Middle Bronze I-II public buildings of Ebla several images of members of the elites were found: life-size or smaller basalt statues were displayed in – or rather outside – temples, inside palaces and close to city-gates; human characters were represented in cylinder seals, cult basins, stele and in wood inlays and figures in the round. I will present the evidence concerning monumental art and will try to discuss several issues about this production. The style of statuary changes in time: was this only a consequence of the influence of Aleppo school or depended also from an evolution of the local taste? Is there a meaning in the use of the standing or sitting position, both for men and women? Can a parallel be detected with the use of human figures in the mature Early Syrian period, the Age of the State Archives of Ebla?