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Terracotta head of a ewe, Late Prehistoric period, 3.300-3000 BCE. Sheep played an important part in the ancient Sumerian economy. Woollen textiles were sometimes produced in large factories, employing hundreds of women, and probably exported throughout the region. Images of sheep were especially common at this time. ANE, 132092
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Terracotta head of a ewe, Late Prehistoric period, 3.300-3000 BCE. Sheep played...

Statue of a bearded man, Early Dynastic period, 2.600-2,500 BCE. This broken statue was probably deposited in a temple as a votive offering. Figures of men and women were set up in temples in ancient Mesopotamia to symbolically represent their donor in prayer before a god. ANE, 91667 (1854.4-1.31)
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Statue of a bearded man, Early Dynastic period, 2.600-2,500 BCE. This broken sta...

Stone mould, Old Babylonian Period from Ninveh, northern Iraq, 18th BCE. The mould shows a bearded god wearing a high hat and a goddess with an elaborate necklace. Both deities wear a flounced garment often depicted on cylinder seals. The dowel holes and the pour-channels indicate that this was a closed mould, but one half is missing. ANE 92666
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Stone mould, Old Babylonian Period from Ninveh, northern Iraq, 18th BCE. The mou...

The Sargon Vase from Nimrud, northern Iraq. Neo-Assyrian, 8th century BCE. A cuneiform inscription on it reads:"Palace of Sargon King of Assyria". An engraved lion occurs often with inscriptions of Sargon II (722-705 BCE) and is probably an official mark that the article derives from or belongs to Sargon's palace or treasury. ANE, 90952
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The Sargon Vase from Nimrud, northern Iraq. Neo-Assyrian, 8th century BCE. A cu...

The Rassam obelisk from Nimrud, Mesopotamia, northern Iraq. Neo-Assyrian, 883-859 BCE. This fragment of a stone relief formed part of an obelisk discovered by archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam. The obelisk decorated one of the central squares in Nimrud, the site where King Ashurbanipal II chose to build his new administrative centre of the Assyrian Empire. This panel shows the king watching treasure being weighed on a pair of scales. ANE, 118800.
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The Rassam obelisk from Nimrud, Mesopotamia, northern Iraq. Neo-Assyrian, 883-85...

Stone panel from the South-West palace of Sennacherib, Ninveh, northern Iraq, Neo-Assyrian, 700-695 BCE. The two figures on this panel formed part of the king's bodyguard. The archer on the left is a lightly-armed soldier who was probably drawn from the Aramaic-speaking communities, while the spear-man on the right, with a turban and kilt, comes from around Palestine. See also 08-02-05/23,47. ANE, 124901
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Stone panel from the South-West palace of Sennacherib, Ninveh, northern Iraq, Ne...

Stone panel from the South-West Palace of King Sennacherib Niniveh,northern Iraq. This alabaster panel was part of a series on the siege of Lachish. On the left, inhabitants of Lachisch leave to be resettled elsewhere in the Assyrian Empire. On the right foreigners (possibly Nubians) are tortured and probably flayed alive. See also 08-02-03, 08-02-05, 08-05-12 and 08-05-13. ANE 124909
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Stone panel from the South-West Palace of King Sennacherib Niniveh,northern Ira...

The Taylor-Prism, Neo-Assyrian, from Niniveh,northern Iraq, 691 BCE. This six-sided baked clay document is a foundation record, intended to preserve Sennacherib's achievements for posterity and the gods.The prism records Sennachrib's third campaign, the destruction of 46 cities in Judah and the deportaion of 200.150 people. Hezekiah, king of Judah, is said to hve sent tribute to Sennacherib. ANE 91032
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The Taylor-Prism, Neo-Assyrian, from Niniveh,northern Iraq, 691 BCE. This six-si...

Bronze statuette of a rider, Achaemenid, 5th-4th century BCE, a rare representation of a Persian horseman. He wears a short Iranian sword, an akinakes, known from Achaemenid art, particularly from reliefs at Persepolis. The use of trousers is Median, or Parthian of the third to second century and makes it difficult to date the figurine. ANE,117760
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Bronze statuette of a rider, Achaemenid, 5th-4th century BCE, a rare representat...

Ivory cosmetic box in the shape of a fish, Canaanite, from Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, Jordan, 13th century BC. This ivory fish-shaped cosmetic box was found inside a bronze bowl which had been strapped, using Egyptian linen, to the genitals of a body found in a grave at Tell es-Sa'idiyeh. Most unusually, the body had been placed face down in the grave, and over the back of the skull were found the skeletons of three fishes. The site of Tell es-Sa'idiyeh controlled a shallow ford across the river Jordan. In the 13th century it was under Egyptian control. This was the final phase of Egypt's domination of the Levant. Most of the graves at Sa'idiyeh consist of simple, sub-rectangular pits, but the items found in them either show strong Egyptian influence or are purely Egyptian. ANE, 1987-7-27,138
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Ivory cosmetic box in the shape of a fish, Canaanite, from Tell es-Sa'idiyeh, Jo...

Stone bowl from Khafajeh, Iraq, Early Dynastic period, c2600-c2400 BC. The carving on this vessel is particularly fine. The design is probably linked to Iranian mythology. A man in a net skirt kneels on two humped-backed bulls, or zebus, standing back to back, and grasps streams watering vegetation and a palm tree; above are two undulating lines, a crescent moon and a rosette sun. A similar figure with a rosette grasps two snakes and stands between two felines lying back to back. A lion and eagle attack a bull with a small animal below. The zebus are not native to Mesopotamia, and their presence here indicates a connection with the civilization which was developing at this time along the Indus Valley in Pakistan and north-west India. This vessel was found in Mesopotamia on a major trade route though the mountains on to the Iranian plateau. ANE, 128887
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Stone bowl from Khafajeh, Iraq, Early Dynastic period, c2600-c2400 BC. The carvi...

Wallpainting: "L'investiture" Beginning 2nd millenium BCE; Mari, amorrite palace Fresco on clay coating AO 19826
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Wallpainting: "L'investiture" Beginning 2nd millenium BCE; Mari, amorrite pala...