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Antiquity


Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Imperial Roman Period, Ancient Middle East.



6 subcategories
Ancient Egypt

ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Greece

ANCIENT GREECE

Ancient Israel

ANCIENT ISRAEL

Ancient Jordan

ANCIENT JORDAN

Ancient Middle East

ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST

Imperial Roman Period

IMPERIAL ROMAN PERIOD

7,469 photos
Clay plaque showing a banqueter, from Uruk (Warka), 1st CE. The plaque shows a reclining man in Parthian dress of belted tunic and baggy trousers. He holds a drinking cup in one hand. The figure was made by pressing clay into a simple mould. ANE 91786
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Clay plaque showing a banqueter, from Uruk (Warka), 1st CE. The plaque shows a...

Queen's lyre from Ur, southern Iraq, 2600-2400 BCE. Stringed instrument with a bull's head, found in the grave of Queen Pu-abi, part of the Royal Tombs in the cemetery at Ur. Along with the lyre were the bodies of ten women with fine jewellery, presumed to be sacrificial victims. One woman lay right against the lyre, the bones of her hands placed where the strings wuld have been. ANE 121198A
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Queen's lyre from Ur, southern Iraq, 2600-2400 BCE. Stringed instrument with a b...

Silver fluted tumbler from Ur, southern Mesopotamia, early dynastic period,2.600-2.400 BCE. The tumbler comes from the Royal graves at Ur. Metal was expensive in Mesopotamia where there are no metal deposits. Several vessels like this one were found at Ur, often made from gold. Silver was widely used but unlike gold the metal corrodes and does not survive. ANE, 122258
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Silver fluted tumbler from Ur, southern Mesopotamia, early dynastic period,2.60...

Stone vessel from Ur,Mesopotamian,southern Iraq. Dis- covered in the grave of Queen Pu-abi in the cemetery at Ur, 2600-2400 BCE. It was first roughly chipped to shape, then hollowed out using a bow-drill and finally the exterior was finely cut and polished. ANE 121717
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Stone vessel from Ur,Mesopotamian,southern Iraq. Dis- covered in the grave of Qu...

Gold cup from Ur,Mesopotamia,southern Iraq, 2.600 - 2.400 BCE. Found on the floor of the pit of the Queen's grave alongside the sacrificial victims. There are no gold deposits in Mesopotamia, and the metal would probably have come from Iran or Anatolia. Manufactured in Mesopotamia. ANE 121346
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Gold cup from Ur,Mesopotamia,southern Iraq, 2.600 - 2.400 BCE. Found on the floo...

The silver object was discovered in the cemetery at Ur, early Dynastic period, 2.600-2.400 BCE. In shape it resembles shell vessels also found in the Royal graves. Although often described as "lamps" both the conch shells and their metal imitations were probably used for pouring, perhaps in temple rituals. ANE 120696
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The silver object was discovered in the cemetery at Ur, early Dynastic period, 2...

Plaque depicting King Eannatum, around 2450-2300 BCE. Fragment of a stone plaque with a cuneiform inscription which identifies the figure as Eannatum, ruler of the kingdom of Lagash. The plaque would have been dedicated to a temple by Eannatum himself and was probably originally fixed to the wall. ANE 130828
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Plaque depicting King Eannatum, around 2450-2300 BCE. Fragment of a stone plaque...

Juglet from the Middle Euphrates region, Syria, Amorite, 2400-2000 BCE. The juglet, with its applied figurine, is pierced at the base and may have been a strainer or a sprinkler. ANE 138756
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Juglet from the Middle Euphrates region, Syria, Amorite, 2400-2000 BCE. The jug...

Lion's head from the temple of Ninhursag, a mother goddess "lady of the steppe land", Tell al-Ubaid near Ur, southern Iraq 2600-2400 BCE. The head, made of sheet copper over a bitumen core was found at the foot of a brick platform of the former temple building. The lions may have decorated the fcade of the temple, perhaps acting as guardian figures at the entrance. ANE 114312
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Lion's head from the temple of Ninhursag, a mother goddess "lady of the steppe...

Stone mace head, possibly from Tello (ancient Girsu), southern Iraq, Kingdom of Lagash, 2400-2300 BCE. This mace head is too large to have been attached to a staff and used in battle and is probably an object dedicated in temples. An eagle grasps two lions. ANE 23287
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Stone mace head, possibly from Tello (ancient Girsu), southern Iraq, Kingdom of...

Terracotta plaque showing a bull-man holding a post, Mesopotamian, Old Babylonian, 2.000-1.600 BCE. The relief shows a creature with head and torso of a human but lower body and legs of a bull. He may be supporting a divine emblem and this acting as a protective deity. Baked clay tablets were mass-produced using moulds in southern Mesopotamia from the second millenium BCE. ANE 103225
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Terracotta plaque showing a bull-man holding a post, Mesopotamian, Old Babylonia...

Clay mask of the demon Humbaba, 1800-1600 BCE. One method for predicting the future in ancient Mesopotamia was the study of the shape and colour of the internal organs of a sacrificed animal. A cuneiform inscription on the back of this mask suggests that the intestines have the shape of Humbaba's face. Humbaba was the guardian of the Cedar forest and was defeated by Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The divination expert who made the mask is named in the inscription as Warad-Marduk. The mask was founs at Sippar, the cult center for the sun-god Shamash. ANE 116624
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Clay mask of the demon Humbaba, 1800-1600 BCE. One method for predicting the fut...