In view of the fact that he protected the foundations of his city from danger, (the citizens of his city requested from Astar in Eanna, Enlil in Nippur, Dagan in Tuttul, Ninhursag in Kes, Ea in Eridu, Sin in Ur, Samas in Sippar, (and) Nergal in Kutha, that (Naram-Sin) be (made) the god of their city, and they built within Agade a temple (dedicated) to him.

During the theft, it had been dropped several times, as could be determined from a trail of cracks in the floor of the museum.

Its recovery came about after the American 812th Military Police Company raided a house and arrested three people in October 2003.

They revealed the location of the Bassetki Statue, which turned out to be coated in axle grease and hidden in a cesspool.

It was subsequently fished out and displayed in the Iraq Museum on 11 November, together with over 800 stolen small objects that had also been retrieved.