Vessel stand with ibex support ca. 2600-2350 B.C. Sumerian Temple rituals during the Early Dynastic period included making offerings of food, drink, and probably incense to the gods. This stand, with four rings supported by a magnificent ibex, would have supported lamps or bowls holding offerings or incense and may have been used in temple or in banquet rituals.This stand was made by a sophisticated method of metalwork known as the lost-wax technique. The desired image was sculpted in wax and surrounded with clay that hardened into a mold when baked. When the mold was fired, the wax was melted and "lost," leaving a negative space that corresponded to the wax image. Molten metal was then poured into the cavity to form a reproduction of the original wax model.. Vessel stand with ibex support. Sumerian. ca. 2600-2350 B.C.. Copper alloy, inlaid with shell and lapis lazuli. Early Dynastic III. Mesopotamia