Ancient Armoury & Collectibles
Mesopotamian/Assyrian Art
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| Foundation
Statue of Sumerian King Urnammu |
|
 Size: 13.5"H (34.5cm) |
Oriental Institute, Chicago, Sumerian, 2010 B.C. King Urnammu, founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur was originally a general who took the title of 'king of Sumer and Akkad'. Urnammu succeeded to construct a well organized empire, in which Sumer and Akkad were united. Urnammu strived to achieve the law and order of past times. Urnammu built ziggurats with a three stage system and a temple on the highest level. Use was made of mud bricks each stamped with the name of the city, city deity and the name of the temple. His development in temple construction was an innovation used for many centuries. Urnammu rebuilt and enlarged one of the most famous temples in ancient times, the E-kur temple in the city of Nippur devoted to Enlil, the chief god in the pantheon. This figurine statue of King Urnammu, which was buried in a foundation box beneath one of the temple towers, represents the king at the start of the building project, carrying on his head a basket of clay from which would be made the critically important first brick. Item Name: Foundation Statue of Sumerian King Urnammu
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| Moon
Fest Jewish Lunar Calendar Plaque |
|
 Size: 5.5 X 5.5 X 1 |
This zodiac plaque represents the celebration of the
Jewish lunar calendar. The Hebraic script for the months (center
ring) is transliterated into phonetic English (outer ring).
Item Name: Moon Fest Jewish Lunar Calendar Plaque
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| Ishtar
/ Inanna Mesopotamian Goddess |
|
 Size: 11.5"H (29cm) |
Louvre Museum, Paris. 2000 B.C. So common in the Mesopotamian area were the clay figurines of Ishtar/Inanna/Ashtart in her characteristic breast-offering pose, that this has come to be known among archaeologists as "The Ishtar Pose". She was addressed as"Mother of the Fruitful Breast", Queen of Heaven, Light of the World, Creator of People, Mother of Deities, River of Life, Etc. The breast-offering pose suggested her function as the Goddess of all nourishment and fertility. Ishtar, also known as Innana in Sumeria is, above all, a lunar Goddess who gives life as the waxing moon and then withdraws it as the waning moon. The light and dark dimensions to her power, her dying and resurrected son-lover Tammuz, who annually descends to the underworld and rises again from it-all suggest a lunar mythology which revolves around the connection made between the light and dark lunar phases and rhythmic alteration of the Earth's fertility. Item Name: Ishtar / Inanna Mesopotamian Goddess
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| Leaping
Stags Assyrian Relief |
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 Size: 9"w x 2.5"H (23 x 6cm)
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Original in the collection of the Pierpont Morgan
Library, New York, 1250 B.C. This Leaping Stags in a Landscape Relief is taken from a cylinder seal or roller stamp dating back to the Middle Assyrian period (ca. 13th century) from Mesopotamia. The relief is the impression one sees when the original cylinder seal is rolled across clay. Cylinder seals were engraved with visual stories about mythology, historical events and scenes from everyday life. Sometimes they were used to notarize documents. The cylinder seal was made of a hard material such as limestone, glass or ceramics. Later seals also included hieroglyphs. Item Name: Leaping Stags Assyrian Relief
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| Small
Ashurbanipal hunting |
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 Size: 17.5"W x 14.5"h (45 x 37cm) |
Based on an ancient artifact housed at the British
Museum, London. 645 B.C. From Ashurbanipal Palace, Nineveh This fragment from a wall originally found in the Assyrian palace of Nineveh depicts King Ashurbanipal as part of a larger scene hunting wild asses with the help of hounds. These animals were considered a nuisance and their killing was a meritorious activity suitable for the king. Ashurbanipal reigned at a time when the Assyrian empire was at its zenith. He waged wars against the Elamites, defeating them in several occasions and also quelled revolts in Babylon thus keeping the empire under his firm control. After his reign however, the Assyrian empire fell apart in the span of twenty years. Item Name: Small Ashurbanipal hunting
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| Ashurbanipal
hunting |
|
 Size: 27.5"W x 22"H (70 x 56cm) |
Based on an ancient artifact housed at the British
Museum, London, 645 B.C. From Ashurbanipal Palace, Nineveh This fragment from a wall originally found in the Assyrian palace of Nineveh depicts King Ashurbanipal as part of a larger scene hunting wild asses with the help of hounds. These animals were considered a nuisance and their killing was a meritorious activity suitable for the king. Ashurbanipal reigned at a time when the Assyrian empire was at its zenith. He waged wars against the Elamites, defeating them in several occasions and also quelled revolts in Babylon thus keeping the empire under his firm control. After his reign however, the Assyrian empire fell apart in the span of twenty years. Item Name: Ashurbanipal hunting
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| Ashurnasirpal
relief |
|
 Size: 24"W x 13"H (60 x 34cm) |
From Nimrud, 865 B.C., Based on an ancient artifact
housed at the British Museum, London. This Assyrian stone relief from the northwestern palace at Nimrud shows two nearly asymmetrical carved figures of King Ashurnasirpal II facing a stylized sacred tree and flanked by protective deities. The king is in his role as high priest and he is lifting his hand in worship towards a winged disk where the god Ashur resides. Ashur is the supreme national god of Assyria (Ashur). The sacred tree is related to the palmette symbol and represents the fertility of the Earth, especially the land of Ashur. The two protective deities are called “Apkalle”. They have the horned cap of divinity and hold a cone in the raised hand (to provide magical protection) and a bucket in the left. Item Name: Ashurnasirpal relief
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| Assyrian
eagle headed spirit |
|
 Size: 18"H (45 cm) |
New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, 865 B.C. The eagle-headed winged protective spirit shown here is known as an “Apkallu” spirit. The eagle-headed being touches traditions and beliefs that go back thousands of years in Mesopotamia, when similar images of terracota would be buried under doorways or set up at the entrances of palaces and temples. Their supposed magical strength would frighten away evil-wishing demons. In this representation, the eagle-headed being carries a bucket and a cone used to sprinkle, presumably, water from the bucket for purification. Across the body runs the so called “standard inscription” of King Ashurnasirpal which records some of the King’s titles and achievements and is repeated on many of his stone reliefs. Item Name: Assyrian Eagle headed spirit
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| Assyrian
protective spirit |
|
 Size: 18"H (45 cm) |
From Nimrud, 865 B.C., Based on an ancient artifact
housed at the British Museum, London. This relief, carved on gypsum, guarded an entrance into the throne room of King Ashurnasirpal II (reigned 883-859 B.C.) at his palace in Nimrud, the Assyrian capital. The tradition of protecting the entrances of buildings using magic was very old in Mesopotamia. Images of protective deities would be buried under doorways or set up at the entrances of palaces and temples. Their supposed magical strength would frighten away malevolent demons. The figure of a man with wings shown here is known as an “Apkallu” spirit. The significance of the deer and branch which the figure carries is unknown. Across the body runs the so called “standard inscription” of Ashurnasirpal which records some of the King’s titles and achievements and is repeated on many of his stone reliefs. Item Name: Assyrian protective spirit
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