Images

This clay tablet records the restoration of the temple of the sun god Shamash at Larsa (modern-day Sankarah or Tell as-Senkereh) by King Hammurabi. Old Babylonian Period, reign of Hammurabi, 1792-1750 BCE. From Larsa, Southern Mesopotamia...

This clay tablet was a letter from a person named Nanni to another one, Ea-nasir. The former complained that the wrong grade of copper ore has been delivered after a gulf (modern-day Arabic/Persian Gulf) voyage and that there was a misdirection...

The cuneiform inscription on this clay tablet claims various exemptions for the cities of Babylon, Nippur, and Sippar and warns rulers against disregarding them. This is a copy which was made about 700-650 BCE of an earlier composition. From...

This is an inquiry addressed to the sun-god Shamash. It asks whether the Assyrian army, commanded by Nabu-shar-utsur, will successfully recover the fortress captures by the Manneans, a people who lived in western Iran. Neo-Assyrian Period...

This clay tablet is one of a series that chronicles important events between 747-282 BCE. Here, the text narrates the events between 615-609 BCE, and includes an account of the destruction of the Assyrian capital, Nineveh. This is a copy...

Bronze foundation figurine, depicting a kneeling god holding an inscribed peg. From Southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq), 2144-2124 BCE. Pergamon Museum, Berlin.

Bronze figurine of a basket bearer with cuneiform inscriptions. Circa 1770 BCE. From Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. (Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany)

This limestone wall relief shows a man holding a gift for the king. The man wears the typical Persian garment. From Persepolis, the Palace Terrace of Darius I (521-486 BCE) or Xerxes I (485-465 BCE), modern-day Iran. (Pergamon Museum, Berlin...

This terracotta plaque depicts the goddess Ishtar standing on a lion. From Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Old-Babylonian Period, 19th to 17th century BCE. Pergamon Museum, Berlin.

A bronze candelabrum from Pompeii. 1st century CE. Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei, (National Maritime Museum, Sydney Australia)