Images

This is the 4th tablet of the story of Etana, which tells us how Etana was carried to Heaven on the back of an eagle. Etana did this long journey in order to find the plant of birth. He was a Sumerian king of Kish. This story is one of the...

This limestone statue is the only discovered statue which depicts a completely naked woman. It is very likely that the statue represents an attendant of goddess Ishtar or Ishtar herself in her role as a goddess of love. The cuneiform inscriptions...

This black stone statue was found inside one of the palaces at Kar Tukulti-Ninurta (modern-day Tilul Al-Aqar, Salah Aldin Governorate, Iraq). Monkeys were imported to Mesopotamia from Africa or India; they are not native to Mesopotamia. Several...

Only the upper half of this clay statue of a naked woman has survived. It represent a worshipper. Traces of red color (original paint) can still be seen. She has an elaborate hair style and wears a 4-strand necklace and broad bracelets. Date...

This ivory plaque is part of the so-called "Nimrud Ivories." The sphinx wears the typical Egyptian Pharaohs' double crown and an apron with cobra. This indicates that the plaque was made by a Phoenician craftsman. From Nimrud (ancient Kalhu...

Lahmu (also Lakhmu or Lache, which mean hairy) was a a son of Abzu and Tiamat. Lahmu was a minor protective and beneficent deity and was often associated with Ea, God of the sweet water and wisdom. From Nineveh (modern Ninawa Governorate...

A close-up image of a colorful scene on a tile from Assyria which shows that the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II is accompanied by a bodyguard and attendants. This tile was probably part of a sequence showing the king as triumphant warrior...

This limestone head of a woman was probably inlaid with colorless glass. There is a circular hole through the center of the head, by which it was probably mounted on a wooden shaft. The overall depiction of the woman's face is not fine; her...

This drinking vessel was made in the shape of an adult woman and was probably used for votive purposes. It was found at the temple of Ishtar at Ashur (Assur), the Assyrian capitals at that time. 1500-1200 BCE. Northern Mesopotamia, Iraq...

A fragment of a circular stone vessel which was dedicated to the temple of God Nergal by a high official. The carved scenes in low relief depict the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III on his knees before a central object (lost), probably a sacred...