Search Results: Nimrud Ivories

In 1845 CE, the archaeologist Austen Henry Layard began excavations at the ruins of the city of Nimrud in the region which is northern Iraq in the present day. Layard's expedition was part of a larger movement at the time to uncover ancient...

The Nimrud Dogs, five canine figurines found at the ancient Mesopotamian city of Nimrud, were only a few of the many startling finds in the region during the 19th century when expeditions were sent to corroborate biblical narratives through...

This carved ivory statue was made of different ivory pieces, which were joined together. The legs are now missing. It depicts an adult Assyrian beardless male figure. He stands in a gesture of worship. It was found (by an Iraqi team in the...

This is one of the finest examples of the so-called "cow-and-calf" motif and is the only known to date to have been carved in the distinctive style of the "Ornate Group". On the right, a cow stands and turns her head toward her suckling calf...

This ivory piece is part of the so-called "equestrian bridle-harness ornaments". It represents the lower part of a hinged frontlet, virtually complete. Most of the hinges and much of the iron pin have survived. A figure of the Egyptian...

This ivory plaque is virtually complete but burnt (partly black and partly grey). It depicts the bearded head and forequarters of a sphinx, advancing left with head turned outwards. This is one of the rare examples of the combination of Syrian...

For whom have I labored? For whom have I journeyed? For whom have I suffered? I have gained absolutely nothing for myself, I have only profited the snake, the ground lion! The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XI This is how...

A woman looking out of a balustraded window was a popular theme in Phoenician art. This is possibly related to the goddess Astarte and ritual prostitution. This piece belongs to a large collection of the so-called "Nimrud ivories." These...

Never seen by the public before 2011. A small fragment of an ivory plaque from Nimrud. This winged-sphinx is Egyptian and wears the double crown of Egypt as well as a chest apron, the typical royal costume of Egyptian pharaohs. Phoenician...

Never seen by the public before 2011. A small fragment of an ivory plaque from Nimrud. A winged human-headed sphinx wears the double crown of Egypt. An apron hangs down on the chest with a projecting uraeus (rearing cobra) similar to those...