Ashurbanipal hunting

Our Price: $281.00

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.
bonded stone
27.5"W x 22"H (70 x 56cm)

Assyrian eagle headed spirit

Our Price: $77.00

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.
bonded stone
18"H (45 cm)

Assyrian protective spirit

Our Price: $77.00

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.
bonded stone
18"H (45 cm)

Foundation Statue of Sumerian King Urnammu

Our Price: $72.00

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.
bonded stone
13.5"H (34.5cm)

Ishtar / Inanna Mesopotamian Goddess

Our Price: $72.00

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.
bonded stone
11.5"H (29cm)

Leaping Stags Assyrian Relief

Our Price: $15.50

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.
bonded stone
9"w x 2.5"H (23 x 6cm)

Moon Fest Jewish Lunar Calendar Plaque

Our Price: $49.50

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).
bonded stone
5.5 X 5.5 X 1

Small Ashurbanipal hunting

Our Price: $61.00

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.
bonded stone
17.5"W x 14.5"h (45 x 37cm)

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