Images

This basalt wall relief depicts four people playing on musical instruments. From Sam'al (modern-day Sinjerli, Gaziantep, Turkey). Late Hittite period, 8th century BCE. (Istanbul Archeological Museums/Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul, Turkey...

This terracotta cuneiform tablet is about the myth of "Inanna prefers the farmer." In this myth, Enkimdu (the god of farming) and Dumuzi (the god of food and vegetation) tried to win the hand of the goddess Inanna. From Nippur (modern Nuffar...

In this basalt wall relief, King Barrekub prays in front of divine symbols. The Hittite hieroglyphic inscriptions talk about the construction of a new palace. Sam'al (modern-day Sinjerli, Gaziantep, Turkey). Late Hittite period, 8th century...

The right arm of this standing nude statue of Hercules is lost while the left arm holds a lion's skin. From Hatra (modern Al-Jazira region, Ninawa Governorate, Iraq), Mesopotamia. 2nd-3rd centuries CE. The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

In this partially survived terracotta plaque, the god Adad stands on the back of a bull. Adad was the God of weather, hurricanes, storms, thunder, and rain. From Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Old-Babylonian period, 2000-1500 BCE. The Sulaimaniya...

Only this fragment of a large Assyrian terracotta prism has survived. From Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Neo-Assyrian period. 8th and 7th centuries BCE. The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

This fragment of a clay tablet mentions certain formulas of naming years depending on major historical events. From Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. Early dynastic period, 2800-2300 BCE. The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

Details of the various designs which decorate panels of the House of the Columns, Mitla, Mexico. Post-Classic period. The designs may have been originally inspired by textile patterns and may actually represent family lineages or geographical...

This literary text narrates the war between Gilgamesh (king of Uruk) and Aga (the last king of the first dynasty Kish). The Epic of Gilgamesh mentioned that Aga had besieged Uruk. Purchase. From Southern Mesopotamia (precise provenance unknown...

The upper halves of terracotta plaques, depicting a male figure (on the left, who has a long beard) and a female figure (on the right, with bare breast) wearing a horned headdress (symbol of divinity) and appearing to hold a long bar in both...