# Mesopotamia

> A chronological documentary of 1,000 moments spanning 5600 BC–2026.
> Source: https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia · Loreline (loreline.live)

Three thousand years of cities between two rivers, and then the long argument about who gets to keep them. People wrote here first, though "invented writing" flatters it: the earliest tablets are accounting notes that do not encode grammar, and the overwhelming majority of everything ever written in cuneiform is receipts. The law codes are older than Hammurabi and less merciful as they get later. The kings who look most brutal are simply the ones who carved their own conquests into stone while their neighbours did not. Then the diggers came, and the objects left: Botta and Layard shipping reliefs down the Tigris, Woolley splitting Ur between London and Philadelphia, the Ishtar Gate rebuilt inside a Berlin museum. In 2003 about fifteen thousand things were taken from the Baghdad museum, not the hundred and seventy thousand that got reported, and the larger loss was the sites themselves, pitted by shovels where no camera was pointing. This archive runs from the fifth millennium BC to now, and states for each object where it is and how it got there.

_Curated by Olivier · last updated 2026-09-20._

## Eras

- **Seals**, Cylinder seals and stamp seals, and the impressions they were made to leave. A seal is a few centimetres of carved stone that produces a continuous scene when rolled across wet clay, which makes it both a signature and a picture. They survive in enormous numbers, they were the single largest category taken from Baghdad in 2003, and museums almost always photograph the seal beside its modern impression so you can read what the object was for.
- **Statues**, Sculpture in the round and the small figures people kept. The Tell Asmar hoard with its enormous eyes, the Gudea statues, Ebih-Il the seated steward, the bronze head from Nineveh, the Warka mask, foundation pegs driven into temple corners, and the apotropaic figures like Pazuzu that were meant to keep worse things away.
- **Vessels**, Everything worn, poured from or carried, and the material where the Royal Cemetery at Ur dominates. Puabi's headdress, the gold and lapis work, the Ram in a Thicket, the Royal Game of Ur, the Standard of Ur, the Warka Vase, the Nimrud ivories, beads and metalwork and glazed ware. On the death pits that produced much of this: human sacrifice is better supported now than in Woolley's day, but his account of a gentle poisoning was overturned by later imaging that found blunt-force trauma, and no cup he described was ever chemically tested.
- **Tablets**, Everything written on clay, which is where this civilisation is loudest. Literary tablets, school exercises, omen compendia, mathematical tablets like Plimpton 322, letters, the map of the world, and the Flood Tablet that George Smith read in 1872. But the honest proportion matters: the overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform is administrative, receipts and ration lists and accounts of barley, and that is the real texture of the record. Also the modern life of tablets: being read, conserved, digitised, seized and repatriated.
- **Reliefs**, Carved stone, and the most spectacular material in the archive. The Assyrian palace orthostats above all: the lion hunts, the siege of Lachish, Ashurnasirpal's winged genii, the Black Obelisk, the Stele of the Vultures, the victory stele of Naram-Sin, the Hammurabi stele, and the lamassu that guarded the gates. Read them knowing what they are: royal self-documentation, carved by the people making the claims, which is why Assyria reads as uniquely violent when its neighbours simply left no comparable record of themselves.
- **Sites**, The places themselves, mostly mounds now. Uruk, Ur, Eridu, Nippur, Girsu, Babylon, Nineveh, Nimrud, Assur, Khorsabad and Mari, and the ziggurats at Ur, Aqar Quf and Choga Zanbil. Aerial and satellite imagery, including the looting pits that only show from above. Also the reconstructions built on top of the ruins, which are their own kind of historical document.
- **Museums**, Where the objects live now, which is the facet that carries provenance because provenance is a question about location. The Ishtar Gate reassembled in Berlin, the British Museum Assyrian galleries, the Louvre Khorsabad court, the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Penn, ISAC in Chicago, the Sulaymaniyah Museum. Galleries, storerooms, conservation labs and the labels themselves. Every object here from the Metropolitan carries its accession number and the museum's own credit line, so a viewer can see how it was acquired rather than only that it is held.
- **Excavation**, The digging itself, then and now. Botta at Khorsabad and Layard at Nimrud and Nineveh in the 1840s, Rassam, Koldewey at Babylon, Andrae at Assur, Woolley at Ur with Agatha Christie and Max Mallowan on site, and current work at Girsu with Iraqi teams. Much of the best material here is not photography at all but the great nineteenth-century published folios, engraved and printed before cameras could do the job, which record objects that were later lost, damaged or dispersed.
- **Looting**, Loss, and what was done about it. The 1991 and 2003 museum losses, the pitted sites, the damage done at Babylon by a military camp, the demolitions at Nimrud and the Mosul Museum, then the seizures, the forfeitures and the repatriations, including the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet. On the 2003 looting the number everyone knows is wrong: about fifteen thousand items were taken, not a hundred and seventy thousand, and roughly six thousand had come back by 2009. The larger and less filmable loss is the looting of unexcavated sites. Note that this is the thinnest facet in the archive, because free imagery of loss barely exists while imagery of possession is abundant.

## Timeline

### 5600 BC
- **5600 BC**, Stamp seal and modern impression: geometric pattern. 5600 to 5000 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1986. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/325ad45d-e57a-4641-bb60-fb8f360014c4) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327236
- **5600 BC**, Seated female. 5600 to 5000 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, Leon Levy and Shelby White Gift, 1985. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/81771f6a-f7c3-4c9b-94ed-ee23478422e5) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327066
### 5000 BC
- **5000 BC**, Loop-handled circular seal. 5th to 4th millennium BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Bequest of Lester Wolfe, 1983. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9dc54f3c-643e-4c3d-9c6d-57720aa4d041) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326901
### 4000 BC
- **4000 BC**, Figurine. 4th to 1st Millennium BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e5ee0e91-4580-488e-9cb4-b7c6713a06d5) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324859
### 3600 BC
- **3600 BC**, Conoid seal with pinched apex. 3600 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1985. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2ec30374-01bd-491f-ada4-f474ba9e0b9b) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327090
### 3500 BC
- **3500 BC**, Ritual scene before a temple facade Late Uruk ca. 3500, 3100 BCE. The seal impression depicts a procession of three nude figures approaching a schematically represented temple. The first figure is pouring something from one vessel into another, the second stands but is partially obscured by damage, and the third raises an object, likely a vessel, in his clasped hands. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/05cc0b1f-4cbe-4b18-a119-2fe53d385a8a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ritual_scene_before_a_temple_facade_Late_Uruk_ca._3500%E2%80%933100_BCE.jpg
- **3500 BC**, Seal amulet in the form of a recumbent fox. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0989f021-36d2-4d32-8554-045e2f5281cf) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321880
- **3500 BC**, Seal amulet in the form of a fish. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1987. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/186ea659-d7d9-4e2f-b2aa-0923565b060b) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327297
- **3500 BC**, Drilled cushion-rectangular plaque seal. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1942. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/419d0e8d-b79b-4a30-bc8f-fe783a29034b) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/323942
- **3500 BC**, Drilled hemispheroid seal. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1983. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dba31a8b-5e47-46f9-98c0-097c5e346e42) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326740
- **3500 BC**, Seal amulet in the form of a recumbent bovid. 3500 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f1cd9f94-0619-4776-a9b4-0c50b0ca9e5f) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324826
### 3300 BC
- **3300 BC**, Seal amulet in the form of a bird of prey. 3300 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1958. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0016a16b-d2d7-45c2-826d-e9ad36e088a8) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324732
- **3300 BC**, Amulet of a lion. 3300 to 2900 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Miss Helen Miller Gould, 1910. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/326a70e5-6c0d-49c6-adb9-ca9733d0e80c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322442
- **3300 BC**, Jar with a spout and punctate decoration. 3300 to 3100 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of the Robert Haber family, 1993. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5baeb362-ee83-4aa7-9117-1a8af4ca506e) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327490
- **3300 BC**, Seal amulet in the form of a lion's head. 3300 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1958. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/69f455e9-62c2-4e62-8039-d1064772b171) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324731
- **3300 BC**, Cylinder seal and modern impression: "pigtailed" ladies in front of loom (?); containers with loop handle. 3300 to 2900 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cb342e42-6d52-4b88-9263-c33fd05c7f87) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326963
- **3300 BC**, Seal amulet in the form of a reclining cow. 3300 to 2900 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1955. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ddfb0375-fc4b-42d6-969f-41487704df1a) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324427
- **3300 BC**, Fragment of a bowl with a frieze of bulls in relief. 3300 to 2900 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Alastair Bradley Martin, 1950. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e9fcdac6-7572-40cd-ad4a-b1a516600d87) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324111
### 3100 BC
- **3100 BC**, Cylinder seal and modern impression- ritual scene before a temple facade MET DP270679. 3100 BC. Cylinder seal; Stone-Cylinder Seals. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8ee6b4f1-bcdc-4f71-8f23-ae6c47c3f52d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cylinder_seal_and_modern_impression-_ritual_scene_before_a_temple_facade_MET_DP270679.jpg
- **3100 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: administrative account with entries concerning malt and barley groats. 3100 to 2900 BC, probably from Uruk (modern Warka). The earliest tablets from Uruk IV, roughly 3350 to 3200 BC, are accounting notations recording commodities and quantities. They do not encode Sumerian grammar, so writing that can record connected speech is a later development. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Gift, 1988. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b8168c62-efb9-463a-9816-82f3e54f8298) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327385
### 2900 BC
- **2900 BC**, Cylinder seal. 2900 to 2700 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1987. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0916d1a2-141f-4e16-b21d-e96d113ba0cb) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327279
### 2700 BC
- **2700 BC**, Duck amulet. 2700 to 2600 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1e8f4886-0ca8-43d7-bdd7-584f7676f360) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325472
- **2700 BC**, Bead. 2700 to 2600 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1fdc5767-a75d-4679-97bc-d040a8c744bf) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325446
- **2700 BC**, Vessel. 2700 to 2350 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/55d7f228-e57d-44c3-a64d-17f5bf867183) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324843
- **2700 BC**, Adze head (?). (?), ca. 2700 to 2600 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dabb0fbe-f5b7-48dc-831f-68b47d5c0297) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325443
- **2700 BC**, Cow amulet. 2700 to 2600 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ffdf15a6-ac8a-41ce-9591-8293ef33fd30) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325467
### 2600 BC
- **2600 BC**, Bowl. 2600 to 2500 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1ffe6f97-840e-4fb7-9138-07b514795d91) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325416
- **2600 BC**, Rim sherd. 3rd millennium BC, from Tell Taya. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1972. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4adc9bcf-3de8-4cb2-b6bc-13fcdbdf9f1a) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326111
- **2600 BC**, Female head with elaborate hairstyle. 2600 to 2500 BC, from Khafajah. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund and Gifts of Lucy W. Drexel, Theodore M. Davis, Helen Miller Gould, Albert Gallatin, Egypt Exploration Fund and Egyptian Research Account, by exchange, 1950. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/50c7cc1e-242a-4e6f-80ee-bba14901ba1b) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324116
- **2600 BC**, Jar fragment with reclining bulls. 2600 to 2500 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/534b78d3-2bed-4bd9-912b-136bf19fb5ee) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325406
- **2600 BC**, Sherd. 3rd millennium BC, from Tell Taya. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1972. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8579cc9f-4ae6-49e7-ad0a-548386509bda) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326133
- **2600 BC**, Eye inlay for a statue. 2600 to 2500 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8d6aad14-6f02-4f0e-8527-b83d664d72f7) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325489
- **2600 BC**, Cylinder seal with animal contest and banquet scene. 2600 to 2350 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/917e959a-1254-45d6-8097-44b91dd8ace5) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327598
- **2600 BC**, Necklace. 2600 to 2500 BC, from Ur (modern Tell al-Muqayyar). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Dodge Fund, 1933. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9d206c12-f6a7-4aeb-9c6b-de6c336e369e) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322909
- **2600 BC**, Beaker. 3rd millennium BC, from Tell Taya. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1972. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a1be4c97-0eb8-45f6-acac-68cd8ccb92a8) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326061
- **2600 BC**, Earring. 2600 to 2500 BC, from Ur (modern Tell al-Muqayyar). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Dodge Fund, 1933. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bcc0980f-cbfb-422f-80cf-5be1f8efffe8) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322908
- **2600 BC**, Female head. 2600 to 2350 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1952. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d9388ca3-7723-421c-aaf9-292c527b4dee) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324241
- **2600 BC**, Ritual vessel or stand. 2600 to 2500 BC, from Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e5fc3ac9-bd6d-4d6a-87b1-d9b333b5e048) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325418
- **2600 BC**, Cylinder seal and modern impression: seated goddess before figures carrying boxes, one placed on "altar". ", ca. 2600 to 2500 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ebd8ca0b-3374-4393-a063-c67c486a3805) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326966
- **2600 BC**, Cylinder seal and modern impression. 2600 to 2500 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fd6bd4ce-ff9f-40bc-b86b-ab339aca8712) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326968
- **2600 BC**, Cylinder seal and modern impression: bull-man, bearded hero, and lion contest frieze. 2600 to 2350 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Walter Hauser, 1955. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ffea7f96-b863-4a12-8436-cc268cb93a9c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324421
### 2350 BC
- **2350 BC**, Bowl rim sherd. 3rd millennium BC, from Tell Taya. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1972. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/07e1d61c-1f49-4991-853b-c55f4e0d56df) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326118
- **2350 BC**, Sherd with incised decoration. 3rd millennium BC, from Tell Taya. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1972. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/60285b6a-ce5e-4e82-aa0c-05ae315a9ca2) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326112
- **2350 BC**, Cuneiform tablet- distribution of copper knives MET vs62 70 95.jpeg (color). ), 2350 BC. Cuneiform tablet; Clay-Tablets-Inscribed. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7bdccbd5-bb7d-4811-b613-e96bad13e21e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuneiform_tablet-_distribution_of_copper_knives_MET_vs62_70_95.jpeg_(color).jpg
- **2350 BC**, Bowl sherd. 3rd millennium BC, from Tell Taya. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1972. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d98dc5b8-eb0b-413a-a735-e2eda37eb54a) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326121
- **2350 BC**, Jar rim sherd. 3rd millennium BC, from Tell Taya. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1972. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d9e5282c-7d50-48f7-a021-953ce72aa136) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326108
- **2350 BC**, Axe head. 2350 to 2150 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, Mrs. Vladimir S. Littauer Gift, 1969. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dfcbb2a8-c496-4bd2-ba2c-9e6dac058390) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326003
### 2300 BC
- **2300 BC**, Head of a ruler. 2300 to 2000 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1947. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dba8fec0-7f5c-467a-b360-40d90e3c5189) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329077
### 2250 BC
- **2250 BC**, Rectangular plaque seal with stepped pyramidal back. 2250 to 2000 BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874, 76. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bfcfc767-341e-43a9-93bc-46c7b17e4e4c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321453
### 2112 BC
- **2112 BC**, Statue fragment. 2112 to 2004 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Bequest of W. Gedney Beatty, 1941. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/56323901-ea08-4880-b5a0-b6fe68c02ab1) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/323753
- **2112 BC**, Cylinder seal and modern impression: worshiper pouring a libation before a seated god. 2112 to 2004 BC, from Nippur. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/85dc7d7d-f484-4a22-bb17-87a71a519409) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324867
- **2112 BC**, Cylinder seal with ritual scene. 2112 to 2004 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8c8ef225-3782-44eb-a21f-c9c04c3dd182) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327606
### 2100 BC
- **2100 BC**, Bull's head. 2100 to 2000 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Alastair Bradley Martin, 1973. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/88f104d8-5c70-4f06-bdad-f38cb280b93b) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325273
### 2094 BC
- **2094 BC**, Foundation figure of king Shulgi of Ur, carrying a basket. 2094 to 2047 BC, from Nippur. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7c80e998-afde-40de-99f5-1ce643fe691d) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324831
### 2090 BC
- **2090 BC**, Head of Gudea. 2090 BC, probably from Girsu (modern Tello). Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Fletcher Fund, 1949. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5ab0c41c-a0fb-47c8-990c-4b0d71e5edfb) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324061
- **2090 BC**, Statue of Gudea, named “Gudea, the man who built the temple, may his life be long”. ”, ca. 2090 BC, probably from Girsu (modern Tello). Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ea7015eb-eeea-45c1-b99e-17226fd8d6f4) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/329072
### 2080 BC
- **2080 BC**, Human-headed bison. 2080 BC, probably from Girsu (modern Tello). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1996. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d5c33c4a-ce6f-45a4-8779-3cc828c2dc12) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327527
### 2051 BC
- **2051 BC**, Cuneiform tablet case impressed with cylinder seal, for cuneiform tablet 86.11.249a: receipt of a kid. 2051 BC, probably from Drehem (ancient Puzrish-Dagan). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/aca8bc48-2d86-4c7a-8ac5-a3bdb31050e3) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321824
- **2051 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: receipt of a kid. 2051 BC, probably from Drehem (ancient Puzrish-Dagan). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ddd27f8e-3bdc-47ee-b39b-057ad1e20186) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321825
### 2046 BC
- **2046 BC**, Statue fragment bearing incised cuneiform inscription of Amar-Sin. 2046 to 2038 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Bequest of W. Gedney Beatty, 1941. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c2ef8ac5-5d2f-46d2-b068-0e11177a1092) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/323751
### 2040 BC
- **2040 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: receipt of straw. 2040 BC, probably from Drehem (ancient Puzrish-Dagan). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/39b9f624-1c9e-4022-97bc-008c15c12f3d) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321823
- **2040 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: receipt of reeds. 2040 BC, probably from Drehem (ancient Puzrish-Dagan). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cbb5c0e8-76fc-44b0-9317-a8e38883ed92) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321822
### 2029 BC
- **2029 BC**, Cuneiform tablet impressed with cylinder seal: shipment of barley. 2029 BC, probably from Umma (modern Jokha). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8c13013e-09a8-48ac-b9fb-9377a4b03929) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321819
- **2029 BC**, Cuneiform tablet impressed with cylinder seal: balanced account of barley. 2029 BC, probably from Lagash (modern al Hiba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f7d00be5-e599-4aaf-a234-32deb150eedd) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321820
### 2000 BC
- **2000 BC**, Plaque. 2000 to 1600 BC, from Nippur. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/515b64d2-0a65-4004-8d3f-512fdb34af24) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324858
- **2000 BC**, Plaque with a nude female between two bearded males wearing kilts. 2000 to 1600 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, Friends of Inanna Gifts, 1998. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/71608a34-8c0c-4a42-8e11-0ecec0a7b963) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327537
- **2000 BC**, Head of a bull or bison. 2000 to 1600 BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, Nathaniel Spear Jr. Gift, 1989. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/92e7f16d-05b3-4f0d-a98b-0c64ef522e8a) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327433
- **2000 BC**, Openwork plaque with figures. 2000 to 1600 BC. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Mrs. Elias S. David, in memory of Elias S. David, 1984. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a6943cb1-c653-491f-87e1-2611ba381aad) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327044
- **2000 BC**, Plaque of Humbaba. 2000 to 1600 BC. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Mrs. Elias S. David, in memory of Elias S. David and Edward S. David, 1974. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c5eb8d40-dc72-4c61-8332-1ad3bf611ca3) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326164
- **2000 BC**, Molded plaque: bull-men flanking a tree trunk surmounted by a sun disc. 2000 to 1600 BC. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1932. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d076af11-df5a-4583-a7ec-61bac65403a5) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322604
### 1900 BC
- **1900 BC**, Jar sherd. 2nd millennium BC, from Tell Taya. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1972. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/37807b2f-71c2-4f01-9abb-7a7a79fae14f) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/326090
- **1900 BC**, Part of a necklace: pendant and beads. 19th to 18th century BC. Looting pits at an Iraqi archaeological site. The larger loss was never the Iraq Museum: unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Bequest of W. Gedney Beatty, 1941. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3dde6942-d053-4eef-9979-29bc416b4b88) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/323743
### 1800 BC
- **1800 BC**, Roller. 18th century BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Mrs. Elias S. David, in memory of Elias S. David, 1984. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/951e4077-f1bf-407a-a5b8-f8e8a9eb3110) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327045
### 1780 BC
- **1780 BC**, Cuneiform tablet impressed with two cylinder seals: loan of barley. 1780 BC, probably from Dilbat. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/029ab076-9ae5-407f-a094-72b136ea234c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321821
### 1700 BC
- **1700 BC**, Cylinder seal and modern impression: suppliant goddess. 17th to 16th century BC, said to be from Dilbat. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Georg Hahn, 1947. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3548b149-3677-41e9-8c11-5fa548546a09) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324032
- **1700 BC**, Cylinder seal cap. 17th to 16th century BC, said to be from Dilbat. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Fletcher Fund, 1947. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/822091a3-eea1-489e-bed8-bb1fb65ddb16) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/328887
### 1600 BC
- **1600 BC**, Seal-shaped inscribed amulet. 16th to 12th century BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1952. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/26b93e54-35b8-46a0-b402-ced0bd4d7c5e) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324239
- **1600 BC**, Mace head. 2nd Millennium BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/94a72fe9-7e0b-4e1d-8108-ed12221995f9) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321888
### 1400 BC
- **1400 BC**, Head. 14th to 13th century BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1932. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4042675f-e6a5-425f-ae31-0b35268bc84c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322601
### 1000 BC
- **1000 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: lunar procedure text (?). (?), ca. late 1st millennium BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7255d2e1-6545-4e5e-ac01-788c1589ef46) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321869
- **1000 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment, content uncertain. 1st millennium BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9186b882-4a9a-41cb-9f34-7e90dd1d3957) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321862
- **1000 BC**, Inscribed clay ball. 1st millennium BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a7abc3ca-43c4-4947-b541-194a01652b00) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321960
- **1000 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of Syllabary A. 1st millennium BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b5ce94ee-e8f7-4d38-ae05-a1d4900155ce) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321843
- **1000 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: commentary on Enuma Anu Enlil, tablet 5. 1st millennium BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c9d90505-bc06-40e6-9031-9774d5fc63b0) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321874
- **1000 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: unidentified fragment. 1st millennium BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d40ebf85-d955-4181-9c75-a89da16d2921) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321846
- **1000 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of school exercise tablet, Urra=hubullu, tablets 14, 20, 21. 1st millennium BC. Lexical series such as Urra equals hubullu are vast catalogues of trees, vessels, animals, stones and professions, copied for over two thousand years. They are the world's first reference works and they are how scribes learned. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f2ee3e88-b64f-4345-a653-a6f74724751c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321925
- **1000 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: hymn to Marduk. 1st millennium BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f7c06fe8-eeed-4ce8-8916-f2dea6478309) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321937
- **1000 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of Syllabary B. 1st millennium BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/faacefb1-053c-4d77-afcf-2d9597023476) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321863
### 900 BC
- **900 BC**, Beads. 9th to 7th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1952. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0bdac7bd-4aab-420a-aad3-8e05a5af0668) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324209
- **900 BC**, Furniture plaque carved in relief with sphinx. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1964. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/30cb10eb-0e91-45e7-baea-bbf3a01f6fd6) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325669
- **900 BC**, Cylinder seal with mythological contest scene. 8th century BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/33855878-fc68-4316-8d94-1cfd02e79cc4) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327665
- **900 BC**, Incised horse frontlet carved into the shape of a flowering, volute palmette tree. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1960. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/37477f83-c556-4f57-accf-d52b108940a4) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325081
- **900 BC**, Cloisonné furniture plaque with a figure holding a sword. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1967. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/41f58e8d-2a4b-4aaf-8746-9a440a213628) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325867
- **900 BC**, Furniture or cosmetic box plaque carved in relief with a striding bull. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1964. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4e267bab-d401-4893-9b34-f3265523af67) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325664
- **900 BC**, Cylinder seal with cultic banquet scene. 9th to 8th century BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of The Right Reverend Paul Moore Jr., 1985. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4ea96c5f-d10b-456f-a692-1e9f2255fb2f) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327228
- **900 BC**, Champlevé furniture or cosmetic box plaque with a griffin and a floral frieze. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1960. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5a2a6beb-3619-488c-a992-c92f0c340605) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325084
- **900 BC**, Head of mushhushshu. 9th century BC, from Balawat. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1957. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9131d0a8-1478-4f0c-b35f-331c4661888f) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324605
- **900 BC**, Border strip. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1958. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/af9ee0a6-6456-4707-bdfc-5f9a2f64225f) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324750
- **900 BC**, Drinking vessel ("istikan"). "), ca. 9th to 7th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ca0c5e56-d905-4a19-a944-a3f24178968e) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325575
- **900 BC**, Plaque in the form of a tree. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1958. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cb61a732-fcfc-4048-acd8-f1b679d55936) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324759
- **900 BC**, Head of a female or goddess wearing a necklace. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1954. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/db3707f7-864c-46a0-9737-c8ee09ac2126) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324323
- **900 BC**, Furniture plaque carved in relief with a striding, falcon-headed winged sphinx supported by two kneeling figures. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1964. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dc37d019-eefa-4599-b7c5-f06c4e643ea8) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325665
- **900 BC**, Bearded warrior holding a spear. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1954. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fb47a8d7-f3cc-49e7-80a8-d867d8dffbc4) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324337
- **900 BC**, Head of a male or female figure. 9th to 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1962. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fd6797d1-2a08-494b-bce8-322f83e0f43d) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325563
### 883 BC
- **883 BC**, Miniature corbel ("hand of Ishtar") MET DP-13085-001. 883 BC. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6ca4cc7c-a830-4fa9-811d-f6626027461e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Miniature_corbel_(%22hand_of_Ishtar%22)_MET_DP-13085-001.jpg
- **883 BC**, Relief panel. 883 to 859 BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1932. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8c9c213d-9afb-4645-82df-b3b9571b6ef2) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322616
- **883 BC**, Brick with inscription of Ashurnasirpal II MET DP247101. 883 BC. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d9c8efca-7111-49cc-992d-6d6bdafe81bc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brick_with_inscription_of_Ashurnasirpal_II_MET_DP247101.jpg
- **883 BC**, Brick with inscription of Ashurnasirpal II MET DP249702. 883 BC. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e33f6681-e118-43a5-8707-e38290632662) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brick_with_inscription_of_Ashurnasirpal_II_MET_DP249702.jpg
- **883 BC**, Human-headed winged bull (lamassu). ), ca. 883 to 859 BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). A lamassu, the human-headed winged bull that guarded Assyrian palace gateways. Several were carved with five legs, so the figure reads as standing when seen from the front and as walking when seen from the side. The Nergal Gate lamassu at Nineveh was destroyed in 2015. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 1932. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ea5aee67-9ba0-42a9-bb25-9dc71ea90599) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322608
### 800 BC
- **800 BC**, Cylindrical box fragment with female figures. 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1954. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0ebd5cc2-84c5-461b-a1a5-c81c2354c851) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324326
- **800 BC**, Stamp seal (octagonal pyramid, worn) with musician. 8th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1893. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2be3ffd9-0f8d-4ceb-9b02-9b8fc3350a48) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322118
- **800 BC**, Jar with geometric decoration. 8th to 7th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1954. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/34278c78-e8f5-4782-a7d1-ca78183ecc8a) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324345
- **800 BC**, Furniture or cosmetic box plaque carved in the round with striding bull. 8th to 7th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1954. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3f3fd415-31ac-4e9c-8f40-900b1024672e) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324331
- **800 BC**, Stamp seal (octagonal pyramid, worn) with cultic scene. 8th to 7th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1893. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4a3212b9-1337-47e9-8d31-a81fac649968) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322120
- **800 BC**, Stamp seal (scaraboid) with deity and divine symbols. 8th to 6th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1893. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4d1a7324-012a-4742-a4a5-030f98a23ebc) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322197
- **800 BC**, Plaque carved in relief with sphinx trampling figure. 8th to 7th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1964. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6a81009d-7c9f-4d5c-9622-d34432ce565f) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325672
- **800 BC**, Stamp seal (bull-shaped) with animal. 8th to 7th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/770386b7-ab2a-47c2-a491-7b882057c53d) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321882
- **800 BC**, Inlay. 8th to 7th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1958. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/81549dd3-cfa6-4e95-8229-63a464586589) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324788
- **800 BC**, Plaque fragment. 8th to 7th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1958. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8c004544-cb3b-4ebd-b9f2-67e21c5692de) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324744
- **800 BC**, Cylinder seal with cultic scene. 8th to 7th century BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8f70910a-aa86-4f48-aaa6-0db14618c91d) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327679
- **800 BC**, Openwork furniture plaque with a "woman at the window". ", ca. 8th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/996235ec-1812-4421-9979-76f2a8368068) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324938
- **800 BC**, Stamp seal (oval conoid) with cultic scene. 8th to 6th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/eac28793-0a28-4aa4-a80d-15b4041f8c1d) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327005
### 750 BC
- **750 BC**, Stamp seal (bifacial disk) with cultic scene and monsters. 8th to 7th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1984. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/88c365a8-5103-4f13-9832-cab19a4ea773) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327003
### 725 BC
- **725 BC**, Relief plaque. 8th to 7th century BC, probably from Ashur (modern Qal 'at Sherqat). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1951. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/66e6b521-cc95-42cb-8e31-0e64e9bba141) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324162
### 721 BC
- **721 BC**, Panels of a writing board MET DP110589. 721 BC. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/298bb1f6-a5bc-472e-96de-d627ac36f073) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panels_of_a_writing_board_MET_DP110589.jpg
- **721 BC**, Panels of a writing board. 721 to 705 BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1954. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/58a7c9db-4e81-44e0-b3b4-ac2ac3f336bb) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324332
### 700 BC
- **700 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of a field lease. 7th to 4th century BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0520641a-5f08-438f-bfd1-04ee53cc0e54) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321827
- **700 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of an accounting record (?). (?), ca. 7th to 4th century BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/085acf52-aa7c-4582-9e1e-1326a4f05716) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321855
- **700 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of a contract (?). (?), ca. 7th to 4th century BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/09b71217-8448-42bb-9102-8e2587a32582) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321834
- **700 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment. 7th to 4th century BC, probably from Babylon (modern Hillah). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7d0a405f-eaa2-4c77-866f-d66d50864158) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321864
- **700 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: agreement regarding division of property. 7th to 4th century BC, probably from Babylon (modern Hillah). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/827309b4-fe79-490e-8a28-2d7938dc520c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321917
- **700 BC**, Cylinder seal with three-figure contest scene. 7th century BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Martin and Sarah Cherkasky, 1985. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/94fd1907-7486-456f-abae-5f3ff701dc36) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327072
- **700 BC**, Stamp seal (conoid) with monsters. 8th to 6th century BC or later. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a43025e4-b3e7-4062-9a7d-43e893d51bd3) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327693
- **700 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of a contract involving a house. 7th to 4th century BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d4783dd7-a467-4f73-b1f5-766dfa410a56) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321842
- **700 BC**, Stamp seal (octagonal pyramid) with cultic scene. 7th to 6th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Frederic Newlin Price, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e1bfa315-03e0-482a-bc9c-74c721acb5d6) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324958
- **700 BC**, Stamp seal (oval conoid) with two-figure contest. 8th to 6th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e718b612-3082-4c38-8c43-af6fb614033f) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327694
### 676 BC
- **676 BC**, Cuneiform prism describing the restoration of Babylon by Esarhaddon, stamped with Assyrian hieroglyphic inscription. 676 to 672 BC, probably from Babylon (modern Hillah). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b438e3ac-546b-47f3-a898-12664738a2e5) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321907
### 650 BC
- **650 BC**, Figurine of animal (dog or mushhushshu). ), ca. late 7th century BC, from Nimrud (ancient Kalhu). Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Rogers Fund, 1959. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d8078680-7ff9-43d4-8915-08f3d26ec340) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324386
### 626 BC
- **626 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of a promissory note for dates. 626 to 539 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/07fa3d62-a5ad-4a53-af7d-0ac9d1e5101d) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321848
### 625 BC
- **625 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of a quittance (?). (?), ca. 625 or 603 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/baa3119c-0220-48af-9884-8157953980eb) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321839
### 606 BC
- **606 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: account of dates as imittu-rent, Ebabbar archive. 606 BC, probably from Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/10b8b926-23f8-4279-a084-6872179ecda0) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321807
### 604 BC
- **604 BC**, Processional Way, Babylon - Google Art Project-x1-y1. 604 BC. The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0e08c773-3b96-4d20-8eb4-c36e26359fa2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Processional_Way,_Babylon_-_Google_Art_Project-x1-y1.jpg
- **604 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: account of delivery of halilu-tools, Ebabbar archive. 604 to 562 BC, probably from Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/30ac9a80-515f-4768-8aec-37c70c7b2119) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321811
- **604 BC**, Processional Way, Babylon - Google Art Project-x0-y1. 604 BC. The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3aed702d-dd40-4f38-88bf-6a38a0cfdb9c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Processional_Way,_Babylon_-_Google_Art_Project-x0-y1.jpg
- **604 BC**, Cuneiform cylinder: inscription of Nebuchadnezzar II commemorating the reconstruction of Etemenanki, the ziggurat at Babylon. 604 to 562 BC, from Babylon (?). Etemenanki, the ziggurat of Babylon, is commonly identified with the Tower of Babel. The identification is a reasonable inference rather than an attested fact, and almost nothing of the structure survives above foundation level. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4368d9f3-7556-4a95-bc89-075a788850e5) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321908
- **604 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of an account record (?). (?), ca. 604 to 562 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/52b6901f-38cc-4795-858c-5a214e46f792) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321840
- **604 BC**, Processional Way, Babylon - Google Art Project-x0-y0. 604 BC. The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/57167b52-05ce-43e6-893f-4c02037b49fa) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Processional_Way,_Babylon_-_Google_Art_Project-x0-y0.jpg
- **604 BC**, Processional Way, Babylon - Google Art Project. 604 BC. The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/962536da-9aad-4846-a766-bcb4fea19dac) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Processional_Way,_Babylon_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
- **604 BC**, Processional Way, Babylon - Google Art Project-x1-y0. 604 BC. The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cd364fa8-55f2-44b7-a9f4-83a45ee9cf61) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Processional_Way,_Babylon_-_Google_Art_Project-x1-y0.jpg
### 600 BC
- **600 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: promissory note for silver, Esagilaya archive. 6th century BC, probably from Babylon (modern Hillah). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/22b2d60e-094c-4b95-9a28-a9e46151428e) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321838
- **600 BC**, Stamp seal (octagonal pyramid) with animal contest. 6th to 4th century BC. Stamp seals predate cylinder seals and reach back into the Halaf and Ubaid periods, well before the first cities. They were pressed rather than rolled, and they mark ownership and authority on sealings that survive where the sealed goods do not. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in memory of Charles Dikran and Beatrice Kelekian, 1999. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/24d280ef-5a05-4e33-9e46-26c3146f4213) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/327692
### 586 BC
- **586 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: account of barley issue for a prebendary, Ebabbar archive. 586 BC, probably from Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/08619dba-3846-4b12-9e8f-e44f8dd3061a) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321813
### 580 BC
- **580 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment, Ebabbar archive. 580 BC, from Sippar (?). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8a6e4e1c-8647-424e-88ef-d5ab82adfd05) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321816
### 576 BC
- **576 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: account of barley for bird-fodder, Ebabbar archive. 576 BC, probably from Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/572fcc76-e57b-4c4c-b0af-7ce589508743) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321806
### 575 BC
- **575 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: record of silver for supplies, Ebabbar archive. 575 BC, probably from Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/085f271a-5eb4-4601-996e-1e7aa6f5f10c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321812
### 569 BC
- **569 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of a promissory note for dates, Esagilaya archive. 569 BC, probably from Babylon (modern Hillah). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/be21485e-b566-4578-8563-f1e116b7d915) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321861
### 566 BC
- **566 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: account of barley as agricultural dues, Ebabbar archive. 566 BC, probably from Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/195fb0ce-daff-42d3-a52e-cca93c0211d9) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321814
### 558 BC
- **558 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: declaraton before witnesses (?), Esagilaya archive. 558 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7617ab79-d65c-4236-a5ee-51202133ed41) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321809
### 556 BC
- **556 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: promissory note for cress and barley, Esagilaya archive. 556 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7b233cdd-df3f-48c1-b7f2-5cfe4d713967) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321919
### 555 BC
- **555 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: promissory note for barley, Esagilaya archive. 555 to 539 BC, probably from Babylon (modern Hillah). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6f467458-eba5-44c4-8be9-990ba0d25a93) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321808
### 550 BC
- **550 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: promissory note for barley. 550 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/de2e19d2-811c-42d8-9074-3a41a299ff4c) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321817
### 549 BC
- **549 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: account of flour, Ebabbar archive. 549 BC, probably from Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/88cf7688-9830-488e-8866-a2825c3d66e8) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321810
### 544 BC
- **544 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of a hire contract. 544 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8b546bbe-5b5d-47eb-ba5a-4497aaaa5bd4) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321853
### 522 BC
- **522 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: list of workmen, Ebabbar archive. 522 to 486 BC, probably from Sippar (modern Tell Abu Habba). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/324ef46e-d3c0-4cc6-b6ad-ac4eca76a178) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321915
- **522 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of a receipt for silver. 522 to 486 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d51e7148-a5c9-4028-bb70-baeff5ab396f) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321850
### 500 BC
- **500 BC**, Cuneiform tablet: fragment of an agreement concerning a dowry (?). (?), ca. late 5th century BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Purchase, 1886. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/236f8e00-43ea-4db9-884c-85eda4cc0aca) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/321837
- **500 BC**, Alabastron. 1st millennium BC. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2a0cd905-f7fa-4e92-b3ca-8dded5bd5a43) Source: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/322492
### 1572
- **1572**, Philips Galle, Babylons mure, 1572, KKSgb10002-6, Statens Museum for Kunst. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/aa9c2ff4-b619-4144-a3c2-48786dd0749d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philips_Galle,_Babylons_mure,_1572,_KKSgb10002-6,_Statens_Museum_for_Kunst.jpg
### 1664
- **1664**, Entrée d'Alexandre dans Babylone - Charles Lebrun - Musée du Louvre Peintures INV 2898 ; MR 1919. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1dc38d50-01d4-4793-afa0-314740a9961c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Entr%C3%A9e_d%27Alexandre_dans_Babylone_-_Charles_Lebrun_-_Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre_Peintures_INV_2898_;_MR_1919.jpg
### 1665
- **1665**, Charles Le Brun - Entry of Alexander into Babylon. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f1aa15fd-c67b-4a77-b5e3-ae2de4344b4d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_Le_Brun_-_Entry_of_Alexander_into_Babylon.JPG
### 1800
- **1800**, Plimpton 322 [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e0482a93-6c84-40d2-b89a-f30152d496e1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plimpton_322.jpg
### 1849
- **1849**, Coupe sur la ligne a" b" du plan général (du monument) (NYPL b14308483-1534701). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2604ece6-9f1a-430c-87ff-8846de63021f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coupe_sur_la_ligne_a%22_b%22_du_plan_g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral_(du_monument)_(NYPL_b14308483-1534701).jpg
- **1849**, Armes diverses (NYPL b14308483-1534858). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/96fa5d75-756a-405a-a4b9-422e0e16f8b3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Armes_diverses_(NYPL_b14308483-1534858).tiff
- **1849**, Boucliers et béliers de formes diverses (NYPL b14308483-1534859). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/309964e4-8626-40eb-954c-be70a67e8bc5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Boucliers_et_b%C3%A9liers_de_formes_diverses_(NYPL_b14308483-1534859).jpg
- **1849**, Coiffures diverses (NYPL b14308483-1534862). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d7ddd138-6abe-4729-90cf-d111656a374b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coiffures_diverses_(NYPL_b14308483-1534862).tiff
- **1849**, 1. Bord de l'autel; 2. Salle VIII, 25; 3. Salle VIII, 17; 4. Salle VIII, 12; 5. Fragment provenant de la Salle VIII (NYPL b14308483-1535070). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b04f467b-0cfb-4679-b27c-e31ecaf7ea33) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1._Bord_de_l%27autel;_2._Salle_VIII,_25;_3._Salle_VIII,_17;_4._Salle_VIII,_12;_5._Fragment_provenant_de_la_Salle_VIII_(NYPL_b14308483-1535070).tiff
- **1849**, Façade L. Plan et élévation des faces sud-ouest, sud-est, et de la partie K (NYPL b14308483-1534703). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2243cb78-0bab-4264-9ed5-c13871a312be) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_L._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vation_des_faces_sud-ouest,_sud-est,_et_de_la_partie_K_(NYPL_b14308483-1534703).tiff
- **1849**, Façade L. Plan et élévations de la face nord-ouest (NYPL b14308483-1534704). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f519927d-948a-43e0-bff3-60fdb4d92e47) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_L._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vations_de_la_face_nord-ouest_(NYPL_b14308483-1534704).tiff
- **1849**, Façade L. Revers du No. 26 (NYPL b14308483-1535058). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4c3b296e-54d0-48d8-9006-ad8f83c79c1b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_L._Revers_du_No._26_(NYPL_b14308483-1535058).tiff
- **1849**, Façade L. Revers du No. 9 (NYPL b14308483-1535068). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cb9163db-8132-4bfa-bcef-f5d8fa3051f4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_L._Revers_du_No._9_(NYPL_b14308483-1535068).tiff
- **1849**, Façade N. Plan et élévation de la face nord-est (NYPL b14308483-1534717). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1b93a7b3-1925-4ec8-93f6-4b5067d5e861) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_N._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vation_de_la_face_nord-est_(NYPL_b14308483-1534717).jpg
- **1849**, Façade N. Plan et élévations des la faces nord-ouest, sud-est (NYPL b14308483-1534718). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c5c8149a-5d49-483c-8fe4-a6632e39cafe) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_N._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vations_des_la_faces_nord-ouest,_sud-est_(NYPL_b14308483-1534718).jpg
- **1849**, Façade N. Taureau 9 (NYPL b14308483-1534942). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e8fd4223-c1ae-4d45-80cb-608e68d0e542) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_N._Taureau_9_(NYPL_b14308483-1534942).tiff
- **1849**, Façade N. Taureau 17 (NYPL b14308483-1534946). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bfc965a0-150a-4994-90dc-b11cfb0231aa) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_N._Taureau_17_(NYPL_b14308483-1534946).tiff
- **1849**, Façade n. Revers du No. 37 (NYPL b14308483-1535060). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9a9d02bb-65de-44e6-9e56-af1ceb941932) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_n._Revers_du_No._37_(NYPL_b14308483-1535060).tiff
- **1849**, Façade n. Revers du No. 33 (NYPL b14308483-1535062). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3c83ddcb-e952-4196-b5ef-95be06b60b50) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_n._Revers_du_No._33_(NYPL_b14308483-1535062).tiff
- **1849**, Façade n. Revers du No. 34 (NYPL b14308483-1535063). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/20a828bb-0777-47f9-b7ec-1c917ae6b088) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_n._Revers_du_No._34_(NYPL_b14308483-1535063).tiff
- **1849**, Façade m. Revers du No. 19 (NYPL b14308483-1535064). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8eee767e-34b5-42ec-8c99-b6f986045142) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_m._Revers_du_No._19_(NYPL_b14308483-1535064).tiff
- **1849**, Façade n. Revers du No. 28 (NYPL b14308483-1535065). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8b427189-db33-4c59-b4c8-36567e8f8ef7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_n._Revers_du_No._28_(NYPL_b14308483-1535065).tiff
- **1849**, Façade N. Plan et élévations des portes M, P, Q (NYPL b14308483-1534719). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5d5da623-9c5a-47b7-8f88-cfbf58ca9eb5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_N._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vations_des_portes_M,_P,_Q_(NYPL_b14308483-1534719).jpg
- **1849**, Façade n. Plan et élévations de la face sud-est (NYPL b14308483-1534722). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/36db7973-b631-401b-9e22-81638ef4333e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_n._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vations_de_la_face_sud-est_(NYPL_b14308483-1534722).jpg
- **1849**, Façade n. Plan et élévations de la face nord-est (NYPL b14308483-1534723). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/454ab2cb-f756-434c-aff4-0c7bcf5c4de2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_n._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vations_de_la_face_nord-est_(NYPL_b14308483-1534723).jpg
- **1849**, Façade m. Taureau (porte k, 1), de profil (NYPL b14308483-1534738). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1ac5aca8-ebc4-4689-baaa-7fb9f60dbf20) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_m._Taureau_(porte_k,_1),_de_profil_(NYPL_b14308483-1534738).jpg
- **1849**, Fragment (NYPL b14308483-1535052). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/96a51bfb-59a0-4f8d-b640-7c00a218d7ac) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fragment_(NYPL_b14308483-1535052).jpg
- **1849**, Façade n. Revers du No. 48 (NYPL b14308483-1535053). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c288eca2-1ed3-4fa5-a517-3f13776c829f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_n._Revers_du_No._48_(NYPL_b14308483-1535053).jpg
- **1849**, Montants de la porte O (NYPL b14308483-1534953). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/937084e6-5a6b-4ae0-a0d5-4b0de46755c7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montants_de_la_porte_O_(NYPL_b14308483-1534953).tiff
- **1849**, Parasol, chasse-mouches, bracelets et pendants d'oreilles (NYPL b14308483-1534860). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e4e538b0-fb62-4d9a-aa60-367a8f249643) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parasol,_chasse-mouches,_bracelets_et_pendants_d%27oreilles_(NYPL_b14308483-1534860).jpg
- **1849**, Plan topographique général de l'enceinte et du monticule de Khorsabad (NYPL b14308483-1534694). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7e9e64ba-0a76-49f9-9396-959ae8f3b49e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plan_topographique_g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral_de_l%27enceinte_et_du_monticule_de_Khorsabad_(NYPL_b14308483-1534694).jpg
- **1849**, Plan, coupe, élévations et détails de construction de l'enceinte (NYPL b14308483-1534695). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/54ccffec-b5f4-47ae-bec2-729b7df53b66) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plan,_coupe,_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vations_et_d%C3%A9tails_de_construction_de_l%27enceinte_(NYPL_b14308483-1534695).jpg
- **1849**, Plan général du monument (NYPL b14308483-1534698). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fd6bdba5-aa4b-4c07-9375-5a71d7a9ec40) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plan_g%C3%A9n%C3%A9ral_du_monument_(NYPL_b14308483-1534698).jpg
- **1849**, Pavé de la porte d (grecque) (NYPL b14308483-1534906). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a94353c1-9de8-43f4-9265-4b164e09cb86) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pav%C3%A9_de_la_porte_d_(grecque)_(NYPL_b14308483-1534906).jpg
- **1849**, Plan du monumnet isolé x, situé à l'angle occidental du monticule (NYPL b14308483-1534846). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4847399b-2481-4f06-959a-4af57b157458) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plan_du_monumnet_isol%C3%A9_x,_situ%C3%A9_%C3%A0_l%27angle_occidental_du_monticule_(NYPL_b14308483-1534846).jpg
- **1849**, Salle II. Plan (NYPL b14308483-1534744). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/73885e37-be3c-46bf-988f-2f98e5b440e6) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salle_II._Plan_(NYPL_b14308483-1534744).jpg
- **1849**, Salle I. Plan et élévations des trois faces et de la porte A (NYPL b14308483-1534741). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6542e8c6-8c4c-4c13-bad1-7ba9e248d163) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salle_I._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vations_des_trois_faces_et_de_la_porte_A_(NYPL_b14308483-1534741).jpg
- **1849**, Salle II. Élévations des quatre faces et des portes B, C, F, G, H (NYPL b14308483-1534745). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1c80c3c5-11d4-4480-889e-d05adbb046ec) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salle_II._%C3%89l%C3%A9vations_des_quatre_faces_et_des_portes_B,_C,_F,_G,_H_(NYPL_b14308483-1534745).jpg
- **1849**, Salle IX. Plan et élévations des quatre faces et des portes Y, Z (NYPL b14308483-1534819). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/185e9a0b-6ebc-48d6-bf85-d3497b0d14fd) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salle_IX._Plan_et_%C3%A9l%C3%A9vations_des_quatre_faces_et_des_portes_Y,_Z_(NYPL_b14308483-1534819).jpg
- **1849**, Salle IV. Plan (NYPL b14308483-1534774). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/255154ae-5de9-404d-ac45-b54586ac982f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salle_IV._Plan_(NYPL_b14308483-1534774).jpg
- **1849**, Salle IV. Élévations des quatre faces et des portes D, I, T (NYPL b14308483-1534775). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e36d8ca6-bd09-48df-a103-c54c28362755) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salle_IV._%C3%89l%C3%A9vations_des_quatre_faces_et_des_portes_D,_I,_T_(NYPL_b14308483-1534775).jpg
- **1849**, Ornement symbolique attenant au timon d'un char. Étendard figurant dans un bas-relief de la salle II (NYPL b14308483-1534857). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b3fa85e8-7192-4a1a-80e2-83337d47fd5c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ornement_symbolique_attenant_au_timon_d%27un_char._%C3%89tendard_figurant_dans_un_bas-relief_de_la_salle_II_(NYPL_b14308483-1534857).tiff
- **1849**, Plan, (sur une grande échelle,) des façades principales et des salles, avec numéros de renvoi correspondants à ceux des planches représentan. (NYPL b14308483-1534699). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/886c5e7c-4cf0-4fc1-bc10-a1e4e5213fff) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plan,_(sur_une_grande_%C3%A9chelle,)_des_fa%C3%A7ades_principales_et_des_salles,_avec_num%C3%A9ros_de_renvoi_correspondants_%C3%A0_ceux_des_planches_repr%C3%A9sentant_chaque_bas-relief_(NYPL_b14308483-1534699).jpg
- **1849**, Façade n. Bas-relief 5 (NYPL b14308483-1534728). \* Contents: t. 1-2. Architecture et sculpture. 1849.--t. 3-4. Inscriptions. 1849.--t. 5. Texte. 1850. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b47b6501-61a5-43a2-ae60-c8ade9544a25) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fa%C3%A7ade_n._Bas-relief_5_(NYPL_b14308483-1534728).jpg
### 1853
- **1853**, Austen Henry Layard - Monuments of Ninevah- Plate 6, Fish-god (Nimroud); Figure near an Entrance - 2010.668 - Cleveland Museum of Art. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4dbb152e-e82a-427f-91a3-bde49ed201d3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Austen_Henry_Layard_-_Monuments_of_Ninevah-_Plate_6,_Fish-god_(Nimroud);_Figure_near_an_Entrance_-_2010.668_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tif
- **1853**, Austen Henry Layard - Monuments of Ninevah- Plate 3, Human-headed Bull and Winged Figure from a G - 2010.669 - Cleveland Museum of Art. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/52ed863d-3b1d-4eef-9f5d-44e0551f99b5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Austen_Henry_Layard_-_Monuments_of_Ninevah-_Plate_3,_Human-headed_Bull_and_Winged_Figure_from_a_G_-_2010.669_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tif
- **1853**, Austen Henry Layard - Monuments of Ninevah- Plate 32, Huntsmen with Gazelle, Hare and Birds (Khor - 2010.564 - Cleveland Museum of Art. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f63d68e2-8434-4771-949e-d56706f0c9eb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Austen_Henry_Layard_-_Monuments_of_Ninevah-_Plate_32,_Huntsmen_with_Gazelle,_Hare_and_Birds_(Khor_-_2010.564_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tif
### 1855
- **1855**, Vestiges of Assyria. Sheet lst an Ichnographic Sketch of the remains of ancient Nineveh with the enceinte of the modern Mosul... ; Sheet 2nd. 1b53102706h (1 of 3). Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/38bb09ad-0820-46fd-8866-2870b705a0b4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vestiges_of_Assyria._Sheet_lst_an_Ichnographic_Sketch_of_the_remains_of_ancient_Nineveh_with_the_enceinte_of_the_modern_Mosul..._;_Sheet_2nd_shewing_the_positions_and_plan_of_the_ancient_cities_of_Nimrud..._-_btv1b53102706h_(1_of_3).jpg
### 1869
- **1869**, Austen Henry Layard, Vanity Fair, 1869-08-28. Statesmen No.30: Caricature of The Rt Hon Austen Henry Layard . Caption reads: "He combines the love of truth and art with equal devotion and success.". The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8afdf0dc-2ab3-4563-a300-3ef6026e6741) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Austen_Henry_Layard,_Vanity_Fair,_1869-08-28.jpg
### 1871
- **1871**, Portret van Austen Henry Layard The right hon. Austen Henry Layard (titel op object), RP-F-2001-7-235B-16. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/865b3970-a07e-4e66-9877-19465bd4b9eb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portret_van_Austen_Henry_Layard_The_right_hon._Austen_Henry_Layard_(titel_op_object),_RP-F-2001-7-235B-16.jpg
### 1872
- **1872**, Portret van Austen Henry Layard The right hon. Austen Henry Layard (titel op object), RP-F-2001-7-236-16. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d3c459d0-4cf0-4480-8b49-4bbe57698851) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portret_van_Austen_Henry_Layard_The_right_hon._Austen_Henry_Layard_(titel_op_object),_RP-F-2001-7-236-16.jpg
### 1884
- **1884**, Cyrus cylinder extract. The Cyrus Cylinder, a Babylonian foundation deposit recording Cyrus the Great's capture of Babylon in 539 BC, the event that ends this archive's ancient span. It is often described as the first charter of human rights, a modern reading that the text itself does not support: it is a conventional Mesopotamian royal building inscription in form. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/579e7691-30a9-4e61-9ec7-a12cee0df1f9) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cyrus_cylinder_extract.png
### 1896
- **1896**, Gudea cylinder A (flat view). Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e7500e69-597d-45ed-a790-41e89b240a63) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gudea_cylinder_A_(flat_view).jpg
- **1896**, Nippur vase of Lugalzagesi. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a1f7f733-5a51-4767-89f8-7033665eabcb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nippur_vase_of_Lugalzagesi.jpg
### 1897
- **1897**, Ridpath's history of the world; being an account of the ethnic origin, primitive estate, early migrations, social conditions and present pro. (1897) (14803434373). The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/81b589f3-4fed-46f3-84b2-e32c1f02a6be) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ridpath%27s_history_of_the_world;_being_an_account_of_the_ethnic_origin,_primitive_estate,_early_migrations,_social_conditions_and_present_promise_of_the_principal_families_of_men_(1897)_(14803434373).jpg
### 1906
- **1906**, Black Obelisk, Jewish delegation to Shalmaneser III. The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, ninth century BC, from Nimrud. It carries what is generally identified as the earliest surviving depiction of an Israelite king, named as Jehu son of Omri, making it a rare point where the Assyrian record and the biblical narrative touch on a named individual. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bcd1b132-42af-4c8e-a03d-817f1428780b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Obelisk,_Jewish_delegation_to_Shalmaneser_III.jpg
### 1909
- **1909**, Restitution matérielle de la Stèle des Vautours. (a cast or replica, not the original object). The Stele of the Vultures, roughly 2450 BC, recording Eannatum of Lagash's victory over Umma. It is among the earliest surviving narrative reliefs and one of the earliest depictions of organised warfare. Louvre, from Girsu. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d1218f39-7adc-49a3-b1ba-a68a2225c72e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Restitution_mat%C3%A9rielle_de_la_St%C3%A8le_des_Vautours.jpg
### 1911
- **1911**, Scheil dynastic tablet (1911). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ec0a3a01-d567-49bc-9043-376030812c3e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scheil_dynastic_tablet_(1911).jpg
### 1913
- **1913**, Babylonian Marriage Market, by Sir Edwin Long. The larger loss was never the museum. Unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e634353a-aba4-4235-a213-b61407443da3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Babylonian_Marriage_Market,_by_Sir_Edwin_Long.jpg
### 1922
- **1922**, Book illustration showing the statue 'A ram caught in a thicket' found during the archaeological excavations at Ur LOC matpc.11531. The Ram in a Thicket, roughly 2600 BC, from the Royal Cemetery at Ur. Two were found. Woolley named it from Genesis, a borrowed title rather than an ancient one. The pair were split by partage between the British Museum and the Penn Museum. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/66a0a7d0-cf18-4206-894d-18e922fc9f49) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Book_illustration_showing_the_statue_%27A_ram_caught_in_a_thicket%27_found_during_the_archaeological_excavations_at_Ur_LOC_matpc.11531.jpg
### 1923
- **1923**, Baghdad 1923 Bell Cornwallis Eskell Bourdillon. Photograph of various British and Iraqi dignitaries in Baghdad in 1923 during the era of en:Mandatory Iraq . From second left to right in the front row, en:Kinahan Cornwallis , en:Sassoon Eskell , en:Gertrude Bell . Standing behind Gertrude Bell is en:Bernard Henry Bourdillon . Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/332369e0-97d1-4e7f-bdc5-da7b8752b6a6) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baghdad_1923_Bell_Cornwallis_Eskell_Bourdillon.jpg
- **1923**, Transcription of the Weld-Blundell Prism. Stephen Herbert Langdon (1876-1937) Published in 1923. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2c8a2b9a-2e06-4d52-a42a-1c1640b02676) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transcription_of_the_Weld-Blundell_Prism._Stephen_Herbert_Langdon_(1876-1937)_Published_in_1923.jpg
- **1923**, Translation of the Weld-Blundell Prism. Stephen Herbert Langdon (1876-1937) Published in 1923. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1909ed9a-2298-4da3-9f3d-f39158205b9f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Translation_of_the_Weld-Blundell_Prism._Stephen_Herbert_Langdon_(1876-1937)_Published_in_1923.jpg
### 1925
- **1925**, Meissner Babylonien und Assyrien clay map 1925. The Babylonian Map of the World, a clay tablet showing Babylon at the centre of a disc encircled by a bitter river. It is a schematic of a cosmology rather than a navigational map. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/71dccf2a-f45e-4626-a8a8-6bb7c07d117e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meissner_Babylonien_und_Assyrien_clay_map_1925.jpg
### 1932
- **1932**, Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. A general view of the ruins LOC matpc.16187. Title: Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. A general view of the ruins Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e3a0d4e7-b34d-4409-8f0e-f7007ff0dd83) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Ashur_(Qalat_Sherqat)._40_miles_S._of_Mosul._A_general_view_of_the_ruins_LOC_matpc.16187.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. The ruins showing remains of ancient castle in background LOC matpc.16186. Title: Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. The ruins showing remains of ancient castle in background Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/62f710fd-6a23-4bc5-a4c5-9d975ce8f9b8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Ashur_(Qalat_Sherqat)._40_miles_S._of_Mosul._The_ruins_showing_remains_of_ancient_castle_in_background_LOC_matpc.16186.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. El-Qala'a. The castle. A close view LOC matpc.16188. Title: Iraq. Ashur (Qalat Sherqat). 40 miles S. of Mosul. El-Qala'a. The castle. A close view Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c2658e03-f3f6-400a-97bd-035613b6dea8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Ashur_(Qalat_Sherqat)._40_miles_S._of_Mosul._El-Qala%27a._The_castle._A_close_view_LOC_matpc.16188.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). Temple of Nannar, the moon God LOC matpc.16103. Title: Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). Temple of Nannar, the moon God Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a14640eb-474c-4342-a167-a102d02aefb0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Ur._(So_called_of_the_Chaldees)._Temple_of_Nannar,_the_moon_God_LOC_matpc.16103.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Babylon 'the great.' Various views of the crumbling ruins. The Via Sacra LOC matpc.16076. Title: Iraq. Babylon "the great." Various views of the crumbling ruins. The Via Sacra Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/52c46860-2a4f-4352-8184-d388b7750ab4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Babylon_%27the_great.%27_Various_views_of_the_crumbling_ruins._The_Via_Sacra_LOC_matpc.16076.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Babylon 'the great.' Various views of the crumbling ruins. Among the great palaces LOC matpc.16073. Title: Iraq. Babylon "the great." Various views of the crumbling ruins. Among the great palaces Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a9aa934d-588a-40ad-a6fc-e72ac0dc86da) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Babylon_%27the_great.%27_Various_views_of_the_crumbling_ruins._Among_the_great_palaces_LOC_matpc.16073.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). The great ziggurat LOC matpc.16092. The Great Ziggurat of Ur, built by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC and partly reconstructed under Saddam Hussein. It is one of the few Mesopotamian sites with standing architecture, because most were built in mud brick and mud brick melts into mounds. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/239babb4-cf70-4466-af15-a2a8ae78e5a9) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Ur._(So_called_of_the_Chaldees)._The_great_ziggurat_LOC_matpc.16092.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Birs Nimrud. (Possibly the Tower of Babel). So-called Tower of Babel. Distant view LOC matpc.16129. Etemenanki, the ziggurat of Babylon, is commonly identified with the Tower of Babel. The identification is a reasonable inference rather than an attested fact, and almost nothing of the structure survives above foundation level. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/24d0f43a-8ab5-43d8-ac5e-681768d1dc4c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Birs_Nimrud._(Possibly_the_Tower_of_Babel)._So-called_Tower_of_Babel._Distant_view_LOC_matpc.16129.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). The ziggurat from the N.W. LOC matpc.16094. Title: Iraq. Ur. (So called of the Chaldees). The ziggurat from the N.W. Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3a873d3f-641f-4fd1-b4ba-3a0251cde97f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Ur._(So_called_of_the_Chaldees)._The_ziggurat_from_the_N.W._LOC_matpc.16094.jpg
- **1932**, Iraq. Babylon 'the great.' Various views of the crumbling ruins. Massive brick buildings LOC matpc.16072. Title: Iraq. Babylon "the great." Various views of the crumbling ruins. Massive brick buildings Abstract/medium: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection Physical description: 1 negative :. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49840d3d-895a-440f-b1d9-f1983af10328) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq._Babylon_%27the_great.%27_Various_views_of_the_crumbling_ruins._Massive_brick_buildings_LOC_matpc.16072.jpg
### 1933
- **1933**, CH-NB - Irak, Uruk (Warka)- Zikurrat - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-03-131. Irak, Uruk (Warka): Zikurrat; Ansicht Zikkurat aus der Ferne. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f3149652-a58c-49a9-b7e3-df6f28813571) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CH-NB_-_Irak,_Uruk_(Warka)-_Zikurrat_-_Annemarie_Schwarzenbach_-_SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-03-131.jpg
### 1934
- **1934**, Grave of Meskalamdug (PG 755, B) at Ur, next to royal tomb PG 779 (A) and royal tomb PG 777 (C). Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4a68e8df-3c77-4acb-a045-cc8a064944f6) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grave_of_Meskalamdug_(PG_755,_B)_at_Ur,_next_to_royal_tomb_PG_779_(A)_and_royal_tomb_PG_777_(C).jpg
### 1938
- **1938**, Oriental Institute Staff 1938. Oriental Institute staff photographed in 1938, the generation that ran the Khorsabad and Tell Asmar excavations. Institute publications from these decades carry enormous quantities of excavation photography. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f8913b93-f58b-448d-a6d8-54a3438af8fe) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od7bOLY2BXo
### 1952
- **1952**, Nippur, Part II \[1951-1952\]. Expedition film from the 1951 to 1952 season at Nippur, part two. This footage is the joint Penn and Oriental Institute work carried out with the Iraq Directorate of Antiquities under Fuad Safar and Taha Baqir. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f7140fbf-30f7-4e1f-aca1-52c8756df23b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVPibV2b8Ps
- **1952**, Nippur, Part III \[1951-1952\]. Nippur expedition film from the 1951 to 1952 season, part three. Iraqi archaeologists including Fuad Safar and Taha Baqir led the national side of postwar fieldwork after partage ended in 1936. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/51544467-9921-4fab-a859-1575ab3c569c) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr7H5Wck_28
### 1985
- **1985**, 1980s Baghdad, Iraq, Statues and Monuments, Baghdad Museum. Archive footage of Baghdad's statues, monuments and museum in the 1980s. Film of the Iraq Museum before 1991 is scarce, which is part of why the 2003 losses were hard to quantify. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/55db0f1d-3f07-4a45-bd25-54a98fc788db) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d7BFz511nw
### 1999
- **1999**, A Journey Through the Museum Galleries (1999). A 1999 tour of the Penn Museum galleries. Penn co-funded Woolley's excavation at Ur with the British Museum and holds half the finds under the partage division, including the Bull-Headed Lyre and Puabi's jewellery. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/341cbb8a-e769-42ee-8440-f681fb104d2f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb7FcedsE-U
- **1999**, Treasures From The Royal Tombs of Ur - Revised 1999. Penn Museum's 1999 presentation of treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. The Ur finds were split three ways between London, Philadelphia and Baghdad under partage. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cb6b795a-a45a-4647-91ae-4337b262ef70) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZS-Hbyupto
### 2003
- **2003**, Iraqi Looters in the Archaeological site of Isin 2. Looting pits at an Iraqi archaeological site. The larger loss was never the Iraq Museum: unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4d7065d9-f2a5-427f-937d-7280be5a0f6c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraqi_Looters_in_the_Archaeological_site_of_Isin_2.jpg
- **2003**, Iraqi Looters in the Archaeological site of Isin 1. Looting pits at an Iraqi archaeological site. The larger loss was never the Iraq Museum: unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bc4fa4b6-5415-4223-86cc-947836a1d4a7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraqi_Looters_in_the_Archaeological_site_of_Isin_1.jpg
- **2003**, WRAP Bremer tours mass grave site and Babylon. Paul Bremer tours Babylon during the occupation. The Coalition Provisional Authority period is when the base at Babylon was established. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ae562534-1a76-4bd7-b420-6f55afa08983) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFdCqhIxZVc
### 2004
- **2004**, Archaeologist critical of damage US military caused to ancient ruins. An archaeologist criticises damage caused by the US military to ancient ruins. Camp Alpha at Babylon involved trenching, vehicle traffic over archaeological deposits and the use of ancient material in defences. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3ff5975f-caf7-4661-8852-7a8e719b2585) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faklPNwRKc0
- **2004**, Ancient ruins of Babylon back under Iraqi control. Babylon returns to Iraqi control. The site was occupied by coalition forces after 2003 and Camp Alpha caused documented damage to ancient fabric. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2105aa1f-76e5-4756-86a0-7be1324ce31b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5b-GUk_gXI
### 2006
- **2006**, Hatra-26682. Looting pits at an Iraqi archaeological site. The larger loss was never the Iraq Museum: unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2a586991-51e0-4a3f-911a-30c0804e4837) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hatra-26682.jpg
### 2007
- **2007**, Saddam Hussein's Mission to Rebuild Babylon. Saddam Hussein's programme to rebuild Babylon, laying new brick on ancient foundations with his own name stamped into it. The reconstruction is now itself part of the site's documented history and a reason its World Heritage listing took so long. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dd8313ab-51dc-4c79-bbc1-221fd5e1ae26) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_v_uxAwR0
- **2007**, General Edgington visits Ali Air Base DVIDS64692. Chaplain (Capt.) Robert Borger gives a guided tour to Maj. Gen. David Edgington Oct. 26, at the Great Ziggurat of Ur. Borger explained to Edgington the historic and biblical importance of the area and how the ancient city of Ur was the blue print for future civilizations. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6bb8bca6-099c-4272-b8cf-8564d808ad53) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:General_Edgington_visits_Ali_Air_Base_DVIDS64692.jpg
- **2007**, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates meets with military policemen and security guards at the Great Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2007 Defen. 070119-D-7203T-021. The Great Ziggurat of Ur, built by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC and partly reconstructed under Saddam Hussein. It is one of the few Mesopotamian sites with standing architecture, because most were built in mud brick and mud brick melts into mounds. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f6f02eed-8d47-41a6-a78e-cc69b9476630) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Defense_Secretary_Robert_Gates_meets_with_military_policemen_and_security_guards_at_the_Great_Ziggurat_of_Ur,_Iraq,_Jan._19,_2007_Defense_Dept._photo_by_Cherie_A._Thurlby_Defense.gov_photo_essay_070119-D-7203T-021.jpg
- **2007**, Defense.gov photo essay 070119-D-7203T-016. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates receives a tour of one of the structures next to the Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq, Jan. 19, 2007. The ziggurat was believed to be a place of worship, dedicated to the moon god Nanna in the Sumerian city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/17e741df-48f0-4ce0-abf2-658c3b7df761) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Defense.gov_photo_essay_070119-D-7203T-016.jpg
### 2008
- **2008-06-04**, Royal Tombs of Ur. An overview of the Royal Tombs of Ur from the Penn Museum. Human sacrifice at Ur is better supported now than in Woolley's day; what changed is the manner, with evidence of heat and mercury treatment indicating bodies were preserved and displayed rather than simply buried. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4a0cf7d7-4381-4e8f-9d85-3d06d6154f66) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4uuoHc6k9w
- **2008**, Stolen Ancient Artifacts Returned to Iraq Museums. Stolen antiquities returned to Iraqi museums. The 2003 theft from the basement store took roughly 10,000 small objects, mostly cylinder seals and beads, and those are the hardest to trace. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ad631752-818d-44fa-9db2-181d97c8aa66) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq_5CLHuwZs
- **2008**, Flickr - The U.S. Army - www.Army.mil (130). Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d7f80f9a-eae6-438a-9695-e00fea6246e8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_www.Army.mil_(130).jpg
- **2008**, Flickr - The U.S. Army - 081215-F-5855M-047. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2b417988-65e5-4655-aefd-6c0b0ae354a5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_The_U.S._Army_-_081215-F-5855M-047.jpg
- **2008-09-21**, Art & Empire: Treasures from Assyria in the British Museum (MFA Boston). Art and Empire, treasures from Assyria in the British Museum, shown in Boston. Touring exhibitions are how Assyrian material reaches audiences beyond the few cities that hold it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/13abea8c-fa9b-4298-842d-659c72614ff7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8DsgbYE9rs
### 2009
- **2009-02-19**, Beyond Babylon - Curatorial Talk - Part 1 of 3. A Met curatorial talk on Beyond Babylon, part one, covering second-millennium exchange across the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East. The Amarna letters, written in Akkadian, show diplomacy conducted in Mesopotamian script far outside Mesopotamia. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2868bf48-0350-49f7-8ec7-a511dda635a4) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49stmL_VTD8
- **2009-02-19**, Inside the Gallery—Beyond Babylon, Ancient Near Eastern Art. Inside the Met's Beyond Babylon exhibition of ancient Near Eastern art. The Met's Ancient West Asian Art department, renamed from Ancient Near Eastern, holds Nimrud reliefs, Gudea material and a large cylinder seal collection. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/625a4ebf-5fda-4098-bf46-00d398b0f821) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Jbc8JczfqM
- **2009-02-19**, Beyond Babylon - Curatorial Talk - Part 3 of 3. Beyond Babylon curatorial talk, part three, at the Metropolitan Museum. The exhibition traced trade and gift exchange rather than a single civilisation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b09311bc-2088-49de-a2c3-14c75165380d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNYOUZBdBfU
- **2009-02-19**, Beyond Babylon - Curatorial Talk - Part 2 of 3. Beyond Babylon curatorial talk, part two. Akkadian cuneiform functioned as the diplomatic lingua franca of the Late Bronze Age, used by courts that spoke nothing like it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e69ef9df-b72b-48e1-80dd-8b0cab543a9b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVJzhAwWbQ8
- **2009**, The hidden treasures of the Iraqi National Museum. A walk through the hidden treasures of the Iraqi National Museum. The objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for any archive to show, because no Iraqi institution runs an open-access image programme, while the objects that left are photographed freely. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f9b1bef1-0b41-4c80-82c8-efedb4e2df99) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxXLwUm611U
- **2009**, Treasures of Iraq's national museum to go online. Iraq's national museum puts its holdings online. Digitisation is the practical route to visibility for a collection that is physically hard to reach. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f9f0c9eb-f218-42de-9169-fcde4913c084) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXi-heXzuPc
- **2009-09-04**, Cultural Heritage Project in Iraq - Part One. Penn Museum's cultural heritage project in Iraq, part one. American museums that hold Iraqi material have taken on training and conservation roles in Iraq itself. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d24ffe8d-f514-4c9f-bef5-6f61b7929e78) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XElV5i757JA
- **2009-11-06**, Iraq's Ancient Past. Penn Museum curators on Iraq's ancient past and the museum's long involvement in it. The partage system, under which excavators divided finds with the host country, ended in Iraq with the 1936 antiquities law. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3d993804-7d65-451e-87bc-c25b119aa8d3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvpQ88fUp-M
- **2009-12-14**, Dressing Queen Puabi. Penn Museum conservators dress a mannequin in Queen Puabi's reconstructed headdress of gold, carnelian and lapis. Her name is read from a lapis cylinder seal found on her body; the title can mean queen, lady or priestess, so calling her a queen is convention rather than a settled reading. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0e3aa2f8-784d-4c17-83d8-e35d8c1c036e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZngHY1nriA
### 2010
- **2010-01-05**, Conservation Project - Babylon, Iraq. A World Monuments Fund conservation project at Babylon. The site was used as a military base after 2003, and the resulting damage from Camp Alpha is documented in the WMF and UNESCO assessments. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/62544162-3c53-491d-95f9-4ba5e3363969) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjW5Oj6WNco
- **2010-06-03**, Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (UNESCO/NHK). Ashur, Qal'at Sherqat, presented by UNESCO. The city gave Assyria both its name and its chief god, and it remained the ceremonial centre after the political capital moved. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4b8c7316-b423-4026-8f61-83c36389ca1b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7TRSd76oo
- **2010-06-03**, Hatra (UNESCO/NHK). Hatra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Iraq. Hatra is a Parthian-era city, so it is not Mesopotamian in the third to first millennium BC sense, and it should be labelled as what it is. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8590ed12-4dbb-4bc2-bf64-772fb1178fc8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWKb8NSq9VE
- **2010**, Looters target Iraq antiquities. Looters target Iraqi antiquities. Site looting is the larger loss and gets less coverage than the museum precisely because there is no dramatic footage of a field being dug over. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8e684c34-4add-4f80-98e7-b964da3971b4) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76yWh3ongT0
- **2010**, Iraq National Museum, looted in 2003, is open for special visitors only. The Iraq National Museum open only to special visitors, years after the looting. For long stretches the collection existed but the public could not see it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2f0aa925-554d-4508-a2d1-20d512ce32fa) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg2nryaF3rg
- **2010**, Iraq elections: The palace that Nebuchadnezzar built. The palace built at Babylon under Saddam Hussein, overlooking the ancient city. Modern rulers have repeatedly used Mesopotamian antiquity to make claims about themselves. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f25cc5a9-c8fe-4cf0-9844-d73b0e10fdfa) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OFZJnlSucc
- **2010**, Burney Relief lions. The Burney Relief, also called the Queen of the Night, an Old Babylonian terracotta plaque of a winged goddess. Its authenticity was doubted for decades after it surfaced on the market and is now generally accepted. Whether the figure is Ishtar, Ereshkigal or Lilith is unresolved. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b674286b-443a-4508-bc61-16710f716ff7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burney_Relief_lions.jpg
- **2010**, Operation Iraqi Freedom DVIDS284466. The Great Ziggurat of Ur, built by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC and partly reconstructed under Saddam Hussein. It is one of the few Mesopotamian sites with standing architecture, because most were built in mud brick and mud brick melts into mounds. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/772d173b-bb4b-49f2-afc7-ffb1e852b25c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Operation_Iraqi_Freedom_DVIDS284466.jpg
- **2010**, Operation Iraqi Freedom DVIDS284469. U.S. Soldiers from 17th Fires Brigade walk the stair case of one of the most well-preserved monuments from the remote age of the Sumerians, the Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq near Contingency Operating Base Adder, May 18. The Ziggurat was constructed as a place of worship in the 21st century B.C. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5386598e-2c0d-409f-a89b-5020f46809a1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Operation_Iraqi_Freedom_DVIDS284469.jpg
- **2010**, Operation Iraqi Freedom DVIDS284470. U.S. Soldiers from 17th Fires Brigade visit a historical site, the Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq near Contingency Operating Base Adder, May 18. The Ziggurat was constructed by King Ur-Nammu as a place of worship in the 21st century B.C. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b665eb29-fc2d-4e08-801b-857781efea78) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Operation_Iraqi_Freedom_DVIDS284470.jpg
- **2010**, Enki Bilal 20100328 Salon du livre de Paris 1. Enki Bilal au Salon du livre de Paris lors de la conférence Dessine-moi un roman . Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b29a88b2-f2f5-429b-9d0b-33adf247850c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Enki_Bilal_20100328_Salon_du_livre_de_Paris_1.jpg
- **2010-08-10**, The Tower of Babel with British Museum curator Irving Finkel. Irving Finkel on the Tower of Babel and the ziggurat Etemenanki at Babylon. Etemenanki was real and really fell into ruin, but identifying it as the specific structure behind Genesis 11 is a scholarly hypothesis, and the confusion-of-tongues element is not attested in any Mesopotamian source. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/66e47bbf-7683-4c6f-9705-429a564aab12) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUotrPxq2pU
- **2010-10-07**, Exploring the Roots of Mesopotamian Civilization: Excavations at Tell Zeidan, Syria. Excavations at Tell Zeidan in Syria, exploring the Ubaid roots of Mesopotamian civilisation before the Uruk period. The Ubaid horizon precedes the first cities and the first tablets by centuries. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bf17a1c4-e25d-4218-b22f-d008a7edaa30) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHDPGUuAjIo
- **2010-10-15**, Death and the City: Recent Work at Tell Brak, Syria. Recent work at Tell Brak in Syria, an early urban centre in the north. Brak shows monumental building and large settlement independent of the southern Uruk sequence. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4b36044d-17ba-496e-94b6-1db4918005aa) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjUUMqypYnU
- **2010-11-15**, Le code d'Hammurabi - Musée du louvre. The Louvre presents the Code of Hammurabi stele, Sb 8, about 2.25 metres of stone carrying roughly 282 provisions. It is not the oldest law collection: the Code of Ur-Nammu precedes it by about three centuries, and Ur-Nammu prescribes fines where Hammurabi prescribes mutilation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b1e49854-2378-4366-b9d8-147611a10467) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMQQonopuOk
### 2011
- **2011-01-18**, Die geretteten Götter aus dem Palast vom Tell-Halaf \| Interview mit Eva Strommenger. Eva Strommenger on the Tell Halaf sculptures in Berlin, shattered by a wartime bomb and painstakingly reassembled from thousands of fragments. Tell Halaf is in Syria and its sculpture is Aramaean rather than Assyrian, but the reassembly is a landmark of museum conservation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/208cc9ed-4244-4a14-a277-5d15d42c83e3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGHi4nLtVZw
- **2011-04-25**, Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur. 1920s. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/eb5256d8-5cbe-45c7-91bd-70545191b552) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jge9uIUBdYc
- **2011**, A looter's pit (left) at the ancient Sumerian city of Kish, Iraq. Fragments of pottery (right) are scattered near the pit. Looting pits at an Iraqi archaeological site. The larger loss was never the Iraq Museum: unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c7f53997-133d-42ab-9710-f239b8ab4f93) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_looter%27s_pit_(left)_at_the_ancient_Sumerian_city_of_Kish,_Iraq._Fragments_of_pottery_(right)_are_scattered_near_the_pit.jpg
- **2011**, Dr. Donny George crop. Donny George Youkhanna, the Iraqi archaeologist who ran the Iraq Museum through the 2003 looting and the recovery programme that followed, and who later left Iraq under threat. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3f85b753-d33d-4f3d-bb7f-b34760372d88) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dr._Donny_George_crop.jpg
- **2011**, Record of 300 clothing items issued to workmen, Third Dynasty of Ur, Sumeria, c. 2035 BC - Royal Ontario Museum - DSC09608. Exhibit in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This exhibit is old enough so that it is in the public domain, and photography was permitted in the museum. I took this photograph and release it into the public domain. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/009cda91-8637-48d2-b630-b93c3fadbe41) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Record_of_300_clothing_items_issued_to_workmen,_Third_Dynasty_of_Ur,_Sumeria,_c._2035_BC_-_Royal_Ontario_Museum_-_DSC09608.JPG
- **2011**, Ebih-Il Louvre AO17551 n08. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4ef453b8-3898-407d-9508-3680e41b72fe) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ebih-Il_Louvre_AO17551_n08.jpg
- **2011**, Ebih-Il Louvre AO17551 n11. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/63eecf50-e759-48d4-ad25-76d50ad85f94) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ebih-Il_Louvre_AO17551_n11.jpg
- **2011**, Conservation worries for Iraq's ancient Ur site. Conservation concerns at Ur. Woolley dug here from 1922 to 1934, and the site has been managed with limited resources ever since. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6b375f93-383a-41ba-8fc5-4b713dad1314) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwY2nj0lmvo
- **2011**, Jemdet Nasr cylinder seal 1. Cylinder seal from the Jemdet Nasr period (3100-2900 BC). Find location: Khafajah Sin Temple IV (Iraq) Current location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago (USA). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ecdd17da-d154-48bd-9298-5d252345259a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jemdet_Nasr_cylinder_seal_1.jpg
- **2011**, Oriental Institute Museum. Three groups of fighting gods (5948893140). The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e38999bc-8966-47d1-9da6-ce95406f2877) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oriental_Institute_Museum._Three_groups_of_fighting_gods_(5948893140).jpg
- **2011**, Oriental Institute Museum. Hero, lions and intertwined snakes (5948228059). White limesotne, Early Dynastic (2700-2350 BC). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/03e595b1-a80c-43b6-bdc4-2d9643edac30) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oriental_Institute_Museum._Hero,_lions_and_intertwined_snakes_(5948228059).jpg
- **2011**, Jemdet Nasr cylinder seal 2. Cylinder seal from the Jemdet Nasr period (3100-2900 BC) Find location: Khafajah Houses I (Iraq) Current location: Oriental Institute Museum, Chicago (USA). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4e8f7d67-8879-43ef-8508-ce5b8b487a19) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jemdet_Nasr_cylinder_seal_2.jpg
- **2011**, Oriental Institute Museum. Design of Interlocked Lions (5948774430). The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/71b79a03-c026-4960-9d41-05098d46e17a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oriental_Institute_Museum._Design_of_Interlocked_Lions_(5948774430).jpg
- **2011**, Oriental Institute Museum. Hero with six curls subdues water buffalo, human-headed bull subdues lion (5948237393). Green limestone, Akkadian (2350-2150 BC). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9a7cbcd0-a623-4a23-83a8-01bbe316126a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oriental_Institute_Museum._Hero_with_six_curls_subdues_water_buffalo,_human-headed_bull_subdues_lion_(5948237393).jpg
- **2011**, Oriental Institute Museum. Kilted man subduing lion, lions attacking water buffalo (5948234199). Black limestone, Akkadian (2350-2150 BC). Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/da31e99a-a1f7-49b9-9979-4d25f930d464) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oriental_Institute_Museum._Kilted_man_subduing_lion,_lions_attacking_water_buffalo_(5948234199).jpg
- **2011**, ISS030-E-18301 - View of Iraq. View of Iraq taken during ISS Expedition 30. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/679e1ad6-a52b-4700-a9fa-cff053c6e3fc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ISS030-E-18301_-_View_of_Iraq.jpg
- **2011-06-16**, Iraq's Ancient Past. A short Penn Museum piece on Iraq's ancient past. Objects that left Iraq under partage are the easiest for museums to display; those that stayed are the hardest to show, which shapes what any archive like this can contain. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/530ee5ea-34b8-49a2-968f-7a122a1ad775) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1756jfH2lU
- **2011-06-16**, Ram Caught in a Thicket from Ur. The Ram Caught in a Thicket from Ur at the Penn Museum, 30-12-702, gold and lapis over a wooden core. Woolley found two; the other is British Museum 122200. The animal is more likely a goat than a ram, and the biblical title is Woolley's own. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e792a9ee-c25d-4a2b-942e-6a0ea77e3a47) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CoMq4uGXIU
- **2011-06-16**, Introduction to the Highlights Tour of the Penn Museum. An introduction to the Penn Museum highlights tour. Penn holds the largest collection of Sumerian literary tablets in the world, most of it from the nineteenth-century excavations at Nippur. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f448da2a-2375-4916-9988-2358fcd0a747) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HgkNPF5p94
- **2011-08-01**, Pergamonmuseum \| Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (DE/EN). The Pergamonmuseum in Berlin, home of the reconstructed Ishtar Gate. The gate was excavated by Robert Koldewey at Babylon from 1899 and rebuilt in Berlin from its glazed bricks, so the version most people know is a museum construction rather than a standing monument. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/edf37360-71ae-4716-b732-dc1df9c86570) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB8zsBH1rP8
- **2011-08-23**, Conservation Science - Documenting Babylon, Iraq. Documenting Babylon through conservation science. Recording condition precisely is the precondition for any conservation decision at a mudbrick site. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7d8a9002-94ad-43dd-a0a5-26f841853575) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV1pL6Fml-Q
- **2011-09-30**, Victory Stele of Naram-Sin. The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, Louvre Sb 4, showing the Akkadian king ascending a mountain over his enemies wearing the horned crown of divinity. Like the Hammurabi stele it was carried to Susa as Elamite booty, which is why it was excavated in Iran. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1fc6de57-4cb3-4cbb-9010-0710a3e7c66f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY79AuGZDNI
### 2012
- **2012-01-04**, Cuneiform Tablet Restoration [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e8662852-3001-4023-84d2-1ead5e3d4cd3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4saqIqZ508
- **2012-02-15**, Babylon: A Wonder of the Ancient World. A Metropolitan Museum lecture on Babylon. No archaeological trace of the Hanging Gardens has ever been found there despite Koldewey's extensive excavation, and Nebuchadnezzar II, who catalogued his building works obsessively, never mentions them. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d29030e2-0bea-4b7f-9ecb-7206e01dfa6e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPazqLjBHNw
- **2012-02-20**, Code Hammurabi - Ecriture. The writing on the Hammurabi stele examined at the Louvre. Most of the text concerns wages, prices, ox hire, irrigation, inheritance and debt; the retaliation clauses are a minority and are class-stratified, applying in kind between equals and in silver otherwise. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/931a1bbe-0b39-415e-95e2-b7ef32acd90a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r6u2K0KCvs
- **2012-02-22**, Decoding Plant and Animal Symbols from the Royal Cemetery (Ur, Iraq). Penn researchers read plant and animal symbols from the Royal Cemetery at Ur. Woolley excavated roughly 1,800 graves between 1922 and 1934 and designated sixteen as royal tombs, dated to about 2600 to 2450 BC. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bb426002-382d-4ba9-b0f6-fb9ad34d9c3e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZpGg1z51cY
- **2012-04-02**, Ishtar gate and Processional Way. The Ishtar Gate and Processional Way of Babylon, built under Nebuchadnezzar II. The glazed brick lions, bulls and mushhushshu dragons were moulded in relief and fired, and the surviving fabric was reassembled in Berlin. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/36f56869-687d-45cf-9672-2c2c406b303f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2iZ83oIZH0
- **2012-06-02**, See updated video link below for renewed Standard of Ur. The Standard of Ur, BM 121201, from Woolley's excavation of the Royal Cemetery. Its two shell and lapis panels are conventionally read as war and peace, though the object's actual function is not established. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3e2c0af0-4ea2-4bf3-b374-7be09848790f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nok4cBt0V6w
- **2012**, Abu Kemal pillage et destruction à Mari البوكمال تعديات حفر سري في ماري تل الحريري. Illegal digging and damage documented at Mari, Tell Hariri. Organised looting pits destroy stratigraphy, which is the information that makes an object more than a curiosity. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/191f2f1b-db1d-433f-a16f-daf4913b4fa4) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dydROS7PSjg
- **2012**, Standard of Ur - Peace. The Standard of Ur, roughly 2600 BC, excavated by Leonard Woolley from the Royal Cemetery at Ur and now in the British Museum. Its two panels are conventionally called War and Peace, though what the object actually was, a box, a soundbox or a standard, is not established. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e9ab5369-b5d8-4054-87c1-a870f1048bdc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Standard_of_Ur_-_Peace.jpg
- **2012**, Iraq battle pits oil against Babylon antiquities. A dispute over oil development at Babylon. Iraq's archaeological sites sit on land wanted for other uses, and the state must weigh both. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bc8d9724-334c-431f-a7b1-08d9aedbed9d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj8qq311d6g
- **2012**, -330-130 Assur Kesselpauken-Keilschrift-Text anagoria. Text on stretching of a membrane over the large kettledrum; Ashur (Iraq); ca. 330-130 BC. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/28701984-c5af-4817-a281-c4d8c143543b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:-330-130_Assur_Kesselpauken-Keilschrift-Text_anagoria.JPG
- **2012-08-08**, Lawrence Rothfield on Antiquities Under Siege. 2003 losses were foreseeable and that planning to prevent them was available and not acted on. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49775a95-169f-4ef6-b110-51126e7504b7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR0RleFXm_s
- **2012-12-31**, Mari- Tell el-Hariri ماري-تل الحريري. The site of Mari, Tell Hariri, on the Syrian Euphrates. Mari was a major Amorite centre destroyed by Hammurabi of Babylon around 1760 BC, which is why its archive stops abruptly. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/11287487-f04b-4775-99a6-bd815538c645) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVjDiwv8BdI
### 2013
- **2013-01-26**, Le royaume de Mari - Tell Hariri فلم وثائقي عن مملكة ماري تل الحريري. A documentary on the kingdom of Mari at Tell Hariri. The Mari letters are the richest surviving correspondence from the early second millennium BC and are written in Akkadian. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8a9d9b06-f33d-4800-93e1-78ae3e9608f8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDXv1bJ4auk
- **2013-04-24**, How Akkadian cylinder seals served as ancient signatures \| Art, Explained. The Met on Akkadian cylinder seals functioning as signatures. A seal was rolled across wet clay to leave a continuous impression, so its owner's mark could authenticate a document or a sealed container. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d00964e0-df16-49d3-b016-0950f707deba) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpZYCOFAI_4
- **2013-05-08**, Prof. Maynard Maidman \| Ancient Iraqi Clay Documents \| History. Maynard Maidman on ancient Iraqi clay documents. The Nuzi archives he worked on record family law and adoption practices in unusual detail for the fifteenth century BC. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/53c40c44-93d1-4bdf-a85b-39fba847084b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdNCzGws7EE
- **2013**, Aboukemal : Rapport sur Tell al-Hariri- Mari البوكمال : تقرير عن موقع تل الحريري ماري 30.10.2013. A report on the condition of Tell Hariri, Mari, during the Syrian conflict. Mari suffered heavy illegal digging after 2011. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/03019603-fac3-4f4f-a9a3-a17de72ad31b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=565p8KXCUCw
- **2013**, IRAQ: BAGHDAD: MUSEUM REOPENS AFTER 10 YEARS. Baghdad's museum reopens ten years after the invasion. Museum staff had moved much of the collection to secure storage before 2003, including the Treasure of Nimrud, which survived in a flooded Central Bank vault and was found intact. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ee1a444c-5ab4-4f96-8520-c0a3202c65d8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRC2rDDQp48
- **2013**, Royal Akkadian Head from Nineveh (inv.nr. IM 11331). The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bd50b134-4f23-47bf-9c74-3d51269fff0e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Royal_Akkadian_Head_from_Nineveh_(inv.nr._IM_11331).jpg
- **2013**, Denis Bourez - British Museum, London (8747049029) (2). The Standard of Ur, roughly 2600 BC, excavated by Leonard Woolley from the Royal Cemetery at Ur and now in the British Museum. Its two panels are conventionally called War and Peace, though what the object actually was, a box, a soundbox or a standard, is not established. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ee5b5073-5a04-43af-a324-088ef47fe755) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Denis_Bourez_-_British_Museum,_London_(8747049029)_(2).jpg
- **2013**, Lion Ishtar gate IAM inv88.144. The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/51abe6ed-3c28-435a-a853-3e86064b8070) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lion_Ishtar_gate_IAM_inv88.144.jpg
- **2013**, Syrian-style Nimrud ivory from Fort Shalmaneser. The Nimrud ivories, carved furniture inlays from the Northwest Palace, many showing Phoenician and Egyptianising styles that arrived as tribute or loot. A large part of the collection was stored in the Iraq Museum basement and suffered water damage. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5454348c-a9ab-41fa-9c70-6af8d4d9b54a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Syrian-style_Nimrud_ivory_from_Fort_Shalmaneser.jpg
- **2013**, Relief of a winged supernatural deity from Ashur-nasirpal II's Northwest Palace at Kalhu (Nimrud) 04. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3149d5b3-f66e-4cf9-b5a0-178d1b3ba408) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Relief_of_a_winged_supernatural_deity_from_Ashur-nasirpal_II%27s_Northwest_Palace_at_Kalhu_(Nimrud)_04.jpg
- **2013**, Calcite bowl, Inanna Temple, Nippur. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c3c1901f-ff45-4f86-931c-51b9c974ff2e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Calcite_bowl,_Inanna_Temple,_Nippur.jpg
- **2013**, Epic of Gilgamesh Flood Tablet in Akkadian Cuneiform - Nate Loper (43494374962). The Flood Tablet, Tablet XI of the Standard Babylonian Gilgamesh, from the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, British Museum K 3375. George Smith identified the flood narrative and announced it in December 1872. The often-repeated story that he tore off his clothes on reading it traces to a colleague's recollection and is very likely dramatised. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cda84fb8-8775-435c-8185-ab73e3b69fa2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Epic_of_Gilgamesh_Flood_Tablet_in_Akkadian_Cuneiform_-_Nate_Loper_(43494374962).jpg
- **2013**, Sumerian economic tablet IAM Š1005. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/abbf03a7-9ee1-4cb8-bf0b-712664ac2ea2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sumerian_economic_tablet_IAM_%C5%A01005.jpg
- **2013-07-08**, Spring 2013 - "The Part and the Whole: An Assyrian Synecdoche" by Lindsay Oxx, Class of 2014. An Assyrian synecdoche, on reading a relief fragment as a whole. Most museum Assyrian reliefs are cut sections of much longer wall schemes. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/76099ee3-0772-48b0-8030-5662e97eeb05) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub-__Y2R7Rg
- **2013-08-04**, ASTR 1P01, CLIP 17: Angles and the Babylonian Origin of Degree Measure. The Babylonian origin of degree measure explained. The sexagesimal system, counting in sixties, is why an hour has sixty minutes and a circle 360 degrees. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/92258c48-2d2d-4f3b-a7a5-1084c8ef7337) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw4XROd4tTw
- **2013-08-08**, Ashurbanipal hunting lions. Smarthistory examines Ashurbanipal hunting lions from the North Palace at Nineveh. The dying lioness panel is the most reproduced image in Assyrian art; the hunt was a staged royal ritual in an enclosure rather than a wild pursuit. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5e596c2f-3417-4650-a090-9cb553e33fbd) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5iEY4hapMQ
- **2013-09-04**, Gallery 32 - Removing the Assyrian Frieze. Removing an Assyrian frieze from a gallery at Birmingham Museums. Moving reliefs weighing several tonnes is itself a significant conservation operation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/78cea061-3dd8-43d8-abd5-5ae9978df41f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42mhggdDz90
- **2013-09-18**, How the dizzying repetition of these Assyrian reliefs gives them hyperreality \| Art, Explained. The Met on the repetition in Assyrian palace reliefs. Registers of near-identical figures were designed to be walked past, so the effect accumulates along a wall rather than resolving in one view. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d0c8a806-4768-4e98-9049-267c5214dca9) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbPrlb3mB1k
- **2013-09-26**, Health Care and Epidemics in Antiquity: The Example of Ancient Mesopotamia. Health care and epidemics in antiquity, using Mesopotamia as the case. The Diagnostic Handbook, Sakikku, organises symptoms systematically, and Mesopotamian medicine ran alongside exorcism rather than in opposition to it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f34eb63d-2a1b-45ee-b4e2-8476926cff0f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytx80usvQS8
- **2013-09-30**, Why the brick lions that protected the streets of Babylon feel alive \| Art, Explained. The Met on the glazed brick lions of Babylon's Processional Way. Each lion was assembled from many moulded bricks, so the design had to be planned across the whole wall before firing. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9049eb77-b026-4e9a-a178-59e5ee2b1a22) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd7axD_jSPo
- **2013-10-16**, Writing Cuneiform. A short demonstration of writing cuneiform from the Getty. Signs are impressed rather than drawn, which is why the script becomes progressively more abstract as it moves away from its pictographic origins. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/23c8558a-a57b-4965-8a04-0e6f7b7557a1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbZ2asfyHcA
- **2013-10-16**, Donny George Youkhana \| One Scholar's Contribution to Mesopotamina Archaelogy. Donny George Youkhanna, Director of the Iraq Museum, on his contribution to Mesopotamian archaeology. He was central to recovering objects after 2003 and left Iraq under threat in 2006, dying in 2011. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2e3d4093-ad48-442d-996b-4b112e88de4b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ie30rp_TU
- **2013-12-02**, The Lachish Reliefs. 's carving of the 701 BC siege shows the assault ramp, the siege engines and the deportation of the population, and the same campaign appears in 2 Kings from the other side. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bb62dd42-553c-4536-bdf1-ceffbe00291b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFT7Nr7DUHM
### 2014
- **2014-01-10**, Great Voyages: Gilgamesh: Journeys to the End of the World. A Penn Museum lecture on Gilgamesh as a journey narrative. Calling it the oldest story is not defensible; the honest description is the earliest surviving long narrative poem. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/412fc19d-417c-4cf0-8ae6-b31e9fd9c8da) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46Xst2do8p4
- **2014-02-06**, Highlights from the Edgar and Deborah Jannotta Mesopotamian Gallery by McGuire Gibson PhD. McGuire Gibson walks the Edgar and Deborah Jannotta Mesopotamian Gallery at what is now ISAC in Chicago. The institute holds the Tell Asmar votive hoard and Khorsabad material from its own 1920s and 1930s excavations. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/32d8626d-2b27-4212-9676-27f8a2a1e4f1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnLLh4qOf0M
- **2014-02-18**, Expositions à l'IMA - Voués à Ishtar - Syrie, janvier 1934, André Parrot découvre Mari. Andre Parrot discovers Mari at Tell Hariri in January 1934. The site produced the palace of Zimri-Lim, the Investiture wall painting and an archive of tens of thousands of letters. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/97175c9d-0784-4eaa-b3f9-477d0488160a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXytjnq7xaA
- **2014-03-04**, Heritage Protection and Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property in Iraq. 1970 UNESCO Convention is the main instrument and it binds only signatories going forward. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a5f29d75-a1c1-43c9-8a26-0924a4449744) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lw5yLKWR10
- **2014-03-14**, Preserving Iraq's Cultural Heritage. 's involvement with Iraq runs from the Nippur expeditions of the 1880s to present conservation partnerships. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8192c513-c03c-4caa-92a7-747175b0a07b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V009-O9ljzo
- **2014-06-04**, Cuneiform: Irving Finkel & Jonathan Taylor bring ancient inscriptions to life. Irving Finkel and Jonathan Taylor read cuneiform inscriptions aloud in the British Museum. Akkadian is a Semitic language and can be pronounced with reasonable confidence; Sumerian, which has no known relatives, is read more cautiously. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3391364b-fae5-43c1-b163-8b521774f95b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OC_kpFyfT0
- **2014-06-13**, The Scourge of Looting: Trafficking Antiquities, from Temple to Museum. The scourge of looting, tracing objects from temple to museum. Provenance research is now standard practice for museums acquiring Near Eastern material, and it was not always so. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5a9b0501-1793-4db8-87ee-d65a0dfb3115) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SSVRByUZYI
- **2014**, Bronze bands, detail - Shamash Temple, Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07563. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f9fa4f82-248c-4292-a0c9-fa75b1b23272) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_bands,_detail_-_Shamash_Temple,_Palace_of_Sargon_II,_Khorsabad_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07563.JPG
- **2014**, Akkadian pottery - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC06977. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8b58a257-dcb5-4ef4-aeec-a0b7211f9da1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Akkadian_pottery_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC06977.JPG
- **2014**, Mitanni or Nuzi ware - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07021. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/110c8a1f-ab92-4744-8cb6-cf3a72f1d458) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitanni_or_Nuzi_ware_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07021.JPG
- **2014**, Straw, Tell Asmar, North Palace Area, hoard 12, Akkadian period, 2350-2150 BC, copper - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - D. 07325. The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/feeee22d-0deb-4fe4-a6f2-ba187ba564f8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Straw,_Tell_Asmar,_North_Palace_Area,_hoard_12,_Akkadian_period,_2350-2150_BC,_copper_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07325.JPG
- **2014**, Nude female figurines with headdresses, Tell Asmar, Northern Palace, Isin-Larsa period, 2000-1800 BC, ceramic - Oriental Institute Museum, U. 07490. The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/48e869af-2eff-499b-b81d-7a13c5929105) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nude_female_figurines_with_headdresses,_Tell_Asmar,_Northern_Palace,_Isin-Larsa_period,_2000-1800_BC,_ceramic_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07490.JPG
- **2014**, Kibigia account of Aba-saga Year Five, Month Seven of Amar-Suena, King of Ur - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07104. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6a67cd01-b430-4d92-a7c4-6722f5c95447) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kibigia_account_of_Aba-saga_Year_Five,_Month_Seven_of_Amar-Suena,_King_of_Ur_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07104.JPG
- **2014**, Ur III figurines - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC06990. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1cd3601d-150f-4019-becb-9a1116102513) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ur_III_figurines_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC06990.JPG
- **2014**, Bronze bands - Nabu Temple, Khorsabad - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07570. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5189e1af-d7c5-456a-90da-5da13fdc821b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_bands_-_Nabu_Temple,_Khorsabad_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07570.JPG
- **2014**, Neo-Assyrian glazed ceramics - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07034. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/77667967-4adc-4fe9-a1cd-409c8b973ef8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neo-Assyrian_glazed_ceramics_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07034.JPG
- **2014**, Iron wheels with bronze hubs - Nabu Temple, Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad, Neo-Assyrian period, 721-705 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, Uni. 07574. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bbbb901f-7565-4a6a-97cf-6615fd136318) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iron_wheels_with_bronze_hubs_-_Nabu_Temple,_Palace_of_Sargon_II,_Khorsabad,_Neo-Assyrian_period,_721-705_BC_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07574.JPG
- **2014**, Ur III administrative texts - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC06995. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4e9175d6-d038-4f11-ab57-576e684309c6) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ur_III_administrative_texts_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC06995.JPG
- **2014**, Bronze bands - Nabu Temple, Khorsabad - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07568. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/278521bf-b6eb-48de-b1de-394a112a3e77) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bronze_bands_-_Nabu_Temple,_Khorsabad_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07568.JPG
- **2014**, Metal coils of silver used for currency, Mesopotamia - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07273. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/414e6be2-0131-40a5-8a3e-961f86ca4d43) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metal_coils_of_silver_used_for_currency,_Mesopotamia_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07273.JPG
- **2014**, Beads, modern restringing, Tell Agrab, Earlier Shara Temple, Early Dynastic period, 2900-2800 BC, lapis lazuli, carnelian, silver - Oriental. 07362. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/669c8739-61de-4ac1-a88e-c76163a27f86) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beads,_modern_restringing,_Tell_Agrab,_Earlier_Shara_Temple,_Early_Dynastic_period,_2900-2800_BC,_lapis_lazuli,_carnelian,_silver_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07362.JPG
- **2014**, Bed models, Isin-Larsa period, 2000-1800 BC, baked clay, (left) Nippur, Area TA, domestic area, room 223, (right) Tell Asmar, dump - Orienta. 07303. The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/da39f218-da26-47bd-b2db-2877999ed9a5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bed_models,_Isin-Larsa_period,_2000-1800_BC,_baked_clay,_(left)_Nippur,_Area_TA,_domestic_area,_room_223,_(right)_Tell_Asmar,_dump_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07303.JPG
- **2014**, Metal vessels, Mesopotamia - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07268. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6b259b0e-c3d3-4c36-80f4-aa552cf2c734) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metal_vessels,_Mesopotamia_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07268.JPG
- **2014**, Burney, or the Queen of the Night, relief inside a display case. The British Museum, London. The Burney Relief, also called the Queen of the Night, an Old Babylonian terracotta plaque of a winged goddess. Its authenticity was doubted for decades after it surfaced on the market and is now generally accepted. Whether the figure is Ishtar, Ereshkigal or Lilith is unresolved. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/99291423-b7d0-408a-90de-b3d27b8b7b27) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Burney,_or_the_Queen_of_the_Night,_relief_inside_a_display_case._The_British_Museum,_London.jpg
- **2014**, Berlín Ishtar león. 02. Berlín. Pergamon Museum. León de la Puerta de Ishtar. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f75fa505-0a30-429a-8eff-1f9ebd228c34) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berl%C3%ADn_Ishtar_le%C3%B3n._02.JPG
- **2014**, Relief A - Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07508. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/269aef0b-65d8-457d-bfef-e12d054a7753) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Relief_A_-_Palace_of_Sargon_II,_Khorsabad_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07508.JPG
- **2014**, Beads and miniature vessels - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07263. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3ec052d6-af46-479c-8593-a75c7eb5ded1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beads_and_miniature_vessels_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07263.JPG
- **2014**, Relief A, section 1 of 3 - Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07512. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1c844899-5276-47b6-a47a-8b828d4cf1b8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Relief_A,_section_1_of_3_-_Palace_of_Sargon_II,_Khorsabad_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07512.JPG
- **2014**, Relief A, section 1 of 3 detail - Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07514. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/14974bcc-c13d-4096-b806-426f5668e4aa) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Relief_A,_section_1_of_3_detail_-_Palace_of_Sargon_II,_Khorsabad_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07514.JPG
- **2014**, Room 7 relief 4 - Palace of Sargon II, Khorsabad, Neo-Assyrian period, 721-705 BC, alabaster - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chic. 07627. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/93440dac-5795-42f2-8f3e-670abc921f23) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Room_7_relief_4_-_Palace_of_Sargon_II,_Khorsabad,_Neo-Assyrian_period,_721-705_BC,_alabaster_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07627.JPG
- **2014**, Men leading horses, probably from Mushki - Corridor 10 relief, Palace of Sargon II - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC0. 7589. Corridor 10 relief from the Palace of Sargon II. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a5ccc3d1-ae72-4c3a-a921-46095da1d0b3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Men_leading_horses,_probably_from_Mushki_-_Corridor_10_relief,_Palace_of_Sargon_II_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07589.JPG
- **2014**, Cylinder seal - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07246. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a35d9197-0914-4a6e-be5f-5e21c6fdd7cf) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cylinder_seal_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07246.JPG
- **2014**, Cylinder seal - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07250. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/78aa4d36-d874-4205-8858-dba6fe404e9d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cylinder_seal_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07250.JPG
- **2014**, Cylinder seal - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07233. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b8c5b5db-68dc-4c02-adca-2c05c07da6f9) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cylinder_seal_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07233.JPG
- **2014**, Gazelle head stamp seal with design of Two Predators Chasing a Gazelle, Tell Agrab, Uruk, 4000-3100 BC, limestone - Oriental Institute Museu. 07203. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/debc4648-c582-4156-98dc-e33eb97c0fe9) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gazelle_head_stamp_seal_with_design_of_Two_Predators_Chasing_a_Gazelle,_Tell_Agrab,_Uruk,_4000-3100_BC,_limestone_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07203.JPG
- **2014**, Ram stamp seal with design of Two Animals, Tell Agrab, Uruk, 40900-3100 BC, green calcite - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago. DSC07204. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ecebbb26-7779-4ef6-9c88-c092827332bf) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ram_stamp_seal_with_design_of_Two_Animals,_Tell_Agrab,_Uruk,_40900-3100_BC,_green_calcite_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07204.JPG
- **2014**, Cylinder seals - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07219. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/84af8ed4-408b-4c97-81c8-342e7b1b04a2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cylinder_seals_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07219.JPG
- **2014**, Fox stamp seal with Design of Scorpion and Animals, Ischali, Uruk, 4000-3100 BC, brown limestone - Oriental Institute Museum, University of. 07204-001. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/63c28bc2-4372-4316-ba00-119e680ad108) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fox_stamp_seal_with_Design_of_Scorpion_and_Animals,_Ischali,_Uruk,_4000-3100_BC,_brown_limestone_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07204-001.JPG
- **2014**, Stamp seal with eight tadpole figures, Khafajah, Early-Middle Uruk, 4000-3500 BC, brown limestone - Oriental Institute Museum, University of. 07198. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9ab7a539-97fb-4187-90d3-d4cf25c863eb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stamp_seal_with_eight_tadpole_figures,_Khafajah,_Early-Middle_Uruk,_4000-3500_BC,_brown_limestone_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07198.JPG
- **2014**, Lion head stamp seal with main design of Antelope and Branch, Tell Asmar, bird vase pit, Uruk, 4000-3100 BC, green calcite - Oriental Instit. 07206. The Tell Asmar hoard, votive figures buried under the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. They were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large: the worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a17837df-8986-4989-9c88-6e8ca987adf2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lion_head_stamp_seal_with_main_design_of_Antelope_and_Branch,_Tell_Asmar,_bird_vase_pit,_Uruk,_4000-3100_BC,_green_calcite_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07206.JPG
- **2014**, Head of a statue, probably of Gudea. Circa 2130 BCE. From Mesopotamia, Iraq. The British Museum, London. Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a2a9e378-cd67-410b-be0a-bbeb3b294bc2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head_of_a_statue,_probably_of_Gudea._Circa_2130_BCE._From_Mesopotamia,_Iraq._The_British_Museum,_London.jpg
- **2014**, September 2014, excavations at the ancient mound of Bakr Awa, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Republic of Iraq. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8fcbe88f-05af-4924-88f4-427d3eab7b2f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:September_2014,_excavations_at_the_ancient_mound_of_Bakr_Awa,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Republic_of_Iraq.jpg
- **2014**, September 2014, excavations at the ancient mound of Bakr Awa near Halabja, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Republic of Iraq. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1e4f9382-6f2d-4cae-97d1-bc1b0af8c166) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:September_2014,_excavations_at_the_ancient_mound_of_Bakr_Awa_near_Halabja,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Republic_of_Iraq.jpg
- **2014**, Carved ivory plaque that depicts plant decoration. Nimrud ivory. Sulaymaniyah Museum. The Nimrud ivories, carved furniture inlays from the Northwest Palace, many showing Phoenician and Egyptianising styles that arrived as tribute or loot. A large part of the collection was stored in the Iraq Museum basement and suffered water damage. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/850f3d2a-3d45-4472-95a1-abc4036d48d4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carved_ivory_plaque_that_depicts_plant_decoration._Nimrud_ivory._Sulaymaniyah_Museum.jpg
- **2014**, Carved ivory plaque of wings of the god Ashur. Nimrud ivory. Sulaymaniyah Museum. The Nimrud ivories, carved furniture inlays from the Northwest Palace, many showing Phoenician and Egyptianising styles that arrived as tribute or loot. A large part of the collection was stored in the Iraq Museum basement and suffered water damage. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/200ed2b0-6002-40bf-a531-10f5c685e40c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carved_ivory_plaque_of_wings_of_the_god_Ashur._Nimrud_ivory._Sulaymaniyah_Museum.jpg
- **2014**, The Babylonian map of the world, from Sippar, Mesopotamia.. A close-up view of the. This partially broken clay tablet contains both cuneiform inscriptions and a unique map of the Mesopotamian world. Probably from Sippar, Mesopotamia, Iraq. 700-500 BCE. The British Museum, London. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6d22e0fd-0270-42c0-a6ab-4ee7004d72dd) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Babylonian_map_of_the_world,_from_Sippar,_Mesopotamia..JPG
- **2014**, Inscribed brick of King Sargon (721-705 BC) - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07032. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8980a796-d76d-428a-9d20-c842bfa7bf4b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inscribed_brick_of_King_Sargon_(721-705_BC)_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07032.JPG
- **2014**, Samsuiluna cone (sikkatu) in Sumerian and Akkadian languages, c. 1749-1712 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07178. Exhibit in the Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Photography was permitted in the museum without restriction. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5f6d9fbd-afec-4721-9156-d187728f99b7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samsuiluna_cone_(sikkatu)_in_Sumerian_and_Akkadian_languages,_c._1749-1712_BC_-_Oriental_Institute_Museum,_University_of_Chicago_-_DSC07178.JPG
- **2014**, Shush Castle Darafsh (13). The Shush Castle in Shush , Iran. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/997b4af6-b029-4ed2-938b-3d266843f044) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shush_Castle_Darafsh_(13).jpg
- **2014-07-06**, Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II. The lamassu from Sargon II's citadel at Khorsabad. The human-headed winged bull is carved with five legs so that it appears standing from the front and walking from the side, a solution to being seen from two directions at once. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/81e8c4f4-a574-42ab-ba93-00885082428a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GrvBLKaRSI
- **2014-07-18**, A new beginning for the Middle East: The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia. The Cyrus Cylinder, a Babylonian foundation record of the Persian conquest of 539 BC, discussed at the British Museum. It is often described as a charter of rights, which is a modern reading imposed on a text that follows a conventional Mesopotamian royal-inscription form. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ce6a0bad-f7bf-49f1-8655-7007bf09dc40) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iokGgmrOj4Q
- **2014-09-18**, Standing Male Worshipper from Tell Asmar. A standing male worshipper from Tell Asmar, part of the hoard buried beneath the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna. The enormous inlaid eyes are the defining feature of the group, which ISAC excavated in the 1930s. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/950b73a1-7122-4abe-855d-80c4e15ad21f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKMWS9qJ_1U
- **2014-09-18**, September 18, 2014. Excavations at the ancient mound of Bakr Awa, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq. Excavations at the ancient mound of Bakr Awa, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq, headed by Professor Peter Miglus of the Heidelberg University. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6cea5cca-8fbd-47cb-a443-c5da5d53bac9) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:September_18,_2014._Excavations_at_the_ancient_mound_of_Bakr_Awa,_Shahrizor_Plain,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2014-09-30**, Digital Reconstruction of the Northwest Palace, Nimrud, Assyria. A digital reconstruction of the Northwest Palace at Nimrud from the Met. The reliefs were originally painted, and the throne room's carved slabs are now scattered across museums worldwide. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f9e486b4-9a4a-41c0-8076-0ba04ba50594) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VCldg1TdHc
- **2014-12-19**, Heritage and Cultural Diversity at Risk in Iraq and Syria. 2011 have been to communities as well as to monuments. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1dd8b6ba-ec34-410f-8c9b-65b526ed176a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7LoIaMTJCc
### 2015
- **2015-01-12**, Transcendent Occultation of the Divine in Neo-Babylonian Art. On the divine in Neo-Babylonian art. Neo-Babylonian religious imagery avoids depicting gods in human form far more than Assyrian art does, using symbols instead. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f5f240da-89fd-4f5c-ac05-bdc35cbdeb27) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzL_vpUTZ9I
- **2015**, UNESCO Director General condemns destruction of Nimrud in Iraq. UNESCO's Director-General condemns the destruction of Nimrud. UNESCO described the demolition as a war crime, and the site had been on its tentative list. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/977f2066-c49b-45e6-a9a0-7f9dbfc056a0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rKmLfExUUo
- **2015**, Looted ancient relics return to Iraq [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/94dcccff-e9e2-49ec-9614-26898961df48) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GwBcFTKHKg
- **2015**, Hundreds of looted artefacts return to Iraq. 1991 and again after 2003, destroying the context of tens of thousands of objects. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fb6c5a06-0618-4d17-82f0-d753344f2d86) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnRmxYW9ZKg
- **2015**, Museum looted at start of US-led invasion is reopened. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad reopens after the looting of 8 to 12 April 2003. The figure broadcast at the time, over 170,000 objects, was wrong by an order of magnitude and confused stolen items with the museum's total registered holdings; the established count is around 15,000. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e978095b-f386-48bc-9720-26873bad77ba) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_JnQgJ4nGk
- **2015**, Destruction of Iraq Artifacts Shocks Archaeologists. Archaeologists react to the destruction of artefacts in Iraq. The perpetrators produced and released the footage themselves, so the responsible sources here are documentation, survey imagery and before-and-after comparison rather than the video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9054953b-2902-43d2-b2d5-814a1eb36872) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK3m9G28vYo
- **2015**, IS video shows destruction of ancient Assyrian city. News reporting on the released video of the Nimrud demolition. The destruction at Nimrud was genuine, catastrophic and irreversible in place, and it is the worst of the losses, more so than the Mosul Museum footage that drew more attention. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ad77a85f-bf6d-4a38-a734-bff43f2ad379) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ht5CqqBgA2Y
- **2015**, Archaelogical site of Nimrud before destruction. UNESCO footage of Nimrud before its destruction. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, was bulldozed and then explosively demolished by ISIS in March and April 2015; the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II and the ziggurat were substantially destroyed. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a5e0be2a-3c6c-4931-bdb5-f36f0efa82e8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEem9CIkMX8
- **2015**, Iraq's Nimrud before it was destroyed by Isis \| Guardian Wires. Footage of Nimrud as it stood before the 2015 demolition. Before-and-after documentation is the appropriate way to show this loss without reproducing the perpetrators' own material. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3ba18dd7-4bee-432b-a4a1-32d99f3788e4) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQAuntNaRWQ
- **2015**, 27/02/2015 - TG 2000, D. Morandi Bonacossi on Mosul Museum destructions. Daniele Morandi Bonacossi assesses the Mosul Museum destruction days after the February 2015 video appeared. Replicas were prominent in the footage because many originals had been moved to Baghdad, but genuine pieces including Hatra material and heavy Assyrian originals were destroyed. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fa0264b7-0a16-47e5-834d-c8f614c79b5a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZKPCibjdTU
- **2015**, Saving Ancient Syrian and Iraqi Sites From Looters. Efforts to protect Syrian and Iraqi sites from looters. The larger loss to Mesopotamian archaeology is not museum theft but the organised digging of unexcavated sites, which destroys context that cannot be recovered even when objects are. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5bafe2b0-58d0-4a3a-bf37-e2a98dae9ef7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySrmAxl8aUk
- **2015**, Reviving the marshlands in southern Iraq \| Journal. Reviving the marshlands of southern Iraq. Marsh drainage in the 1990s was a deliberate act against the population living there, and reflooding has been partial and fragile. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/746f7bb0-0428-4a89-8b29-7d5d89183854) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awsjn-_rvxI
- **2015**, World Heritage site of Hatra. The World Heritage site of Hatra. Facade sculpture was destroyed on video in 2015, though the damage proved less total than early reports suggested and substantial architecture survives. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e238ec3d-291e-424d-9473-e28f21077011) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX30Kz9Uavc
- **2015**, Babylon ruins torn between preservation and profit. Babylon's ruins caught between preservation and development. Oil infrastructure and pipelines have repeatedly threatened the site's buffer zone. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ebb73d93-9680-43fc-b5d2-3e2d99a946e6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDv8SCFf9Ws
- **2015**, Qizqapan (Seriserd) archaeological cave tomb in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq 13. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3ae7d045-2e57-4494-8f90-5850bbbdd7e7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qizqapan_(Seriserd)_archaeological_cave_tomb_in_Sulaymaniyah,_Kurdistan_Region_of_Iraq_13.jpg
- **2015**, Disk of Enheduanna. Enheduanna, roughly 2285 to 2250 BC, daughter of Sargon of Akkad and en priestess at Ur, is usually called the first named author in history. The claim is seriously contested: every surviving manuscript of the poems attributed to her is an Old Babylonian copy from roughly five hundred years after her lifetime. The alabaster disk excavated by Woolley at Ur, Penn Museum B16665, is the contemporary archaeological anchor. The poems are not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/26b233dc-c66f-4908-a0ba-791ff6ee0f22) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Disk_of_Enheduanna.JPG
- **2015**, Istanbul Ancient Orient Museum Neo-Assyrian plaques on Balawat gate in 2015 16 5626. Bronze plaques for door plating, Shalmanaeser III Period. Wikipedia: Shalmaneser III (Šulmānu-ašarēdu, "the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent") was king of Assyria (859–824 BC), and son of the previous ruler, Ashurnasirpal II. The scenes are the usual: king in chariot, archers, people carrying booty and the like. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/861452c9-0cfb-4497-8c68-f13ee74682b8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Istanbul_Ancient_Orient_Museum_Neo-Assyrian_plaques_on_Balawat_gate_in_2015_16_5626.jpg
- **2015**, DSC 8215 (53676364861). The Lion Hunt reliefs from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh, seventh century BC. The Assyrian reputation for unique brutality is largely an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation: they carved their conquests and their hunts in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/755f36eb-da90-455b-affe-765157396cbc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DSC_8215_(53676364861).jpg
- **2015**, Foundation Cone of Enlil-Bani.. The cuneiform inscriptions on this foundation cone mention the building of the temple of the god Numushda in the city of Kiritab by Enlil-Bani, king of Isin. Old Babylonian period, 2003-1595 BCE. The Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraq. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fb2af914-3866-4ad5-92db-8b0fb440efeb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foundation_Cone_of_Enlil-Bani..JPG
- **2015**, #Unite4Heritage. Celebrating Iraq’s cultural diversity. UNESCO's Unite4Heritage campaign celebrating Iraq's cultural diversity. Iraq's heritage includes Assyrian, Yazidi, Christian, Jewish, Turkmen and Kurdish strands alongside the ancient sites. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9e1af62b-dea8-4d58-9135-870fe20f8630) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGZ241XBlDY
- **2015-07-27**, Exploring the Roots of Mesopotamian Civilization: Tell Zeidan, Syria — Gil J. Stein. Gil Stein on the Tell Zeidan excavation and the roots of Mesopotamian civilisation. Southern Mesopotamia has the earliest attested cities at urban scale, but civilisation arising here and spreading outward is hyperdiffusionism and is discredited. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f2ec8534-4f84-4e75-ace3-8cf2ca4637fc) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS9GS4fFqoI
- **2015-08-20**, Was the ark round? The new Babylonian text that reshaped Noah’s Ark. A Babylonian tablet describing a round ark, published by Irving Finkel. Flood narratives in Mesopotamian literature include Atrahasis and the eleventh tablet of the Standard Babylonian Gilgamesh; the relationship between these and the Genesis account is a matter of textual comparison, not of proving one from the other. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/293d42d0-caa0-4436-8df2-d5a9158029b0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbfr-9US31k
- **2015-08-28**, treasure of Nimrud أغلى كنز في العالم كنز النمرود العراق. The Treasure of Nimrud, gold from the queens' tombs found by Muzahim Mahmud Hussein in 1989. It survived 2003 in a flooded vault in Iraq's Central Bank and was found intact. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4516e15e-2629-4dbb-8a7b-7b6c9647aedd) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nQmVEEFRAU
- **2015-09-04**, Hamoukar: Redrawing the Map of the World's Earliest Cities. Hamoukar in northeastern Syria, where evidence of early urban-scale settlement and organised warfare redrew the map of the world's earliest cities. The find complicated the assumption that urbanism spread outward from the far south. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e768fd9b-9399-496c-b57e-14057da708f5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP_moNR5J6k
- **2015-10-15**, Visiting Babylon. Smarthistory visits Babylon. Koldewey's German excavation from 1899 found no trace of the Hanging Gardens, and Nebuchadnezzar, who recorded his building works obsessively, never mentions them. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/be9c3dc6-69de-4b2f-96d3-17d8acf8f91b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya1Io0F468c
- **2015-11-17**, Negotiations and Collaborations: Iraqi Institute with Jessica S. Johnson & Kym Rice. Negotiations and collaborations at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil. The institute trains Iraqi specialists in conservation and collections care. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f7bd7860-34d1-47e4-b6e9-dd42354a68f1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZNf3GDF2fM
- **2015-11-23**, Deciphering the world's oldest rule book \| Irving Finkel \| Curator's Corner S1 Ep1 \[PILOT\]. Finkel reads the cuneiform rules tablet BM 33333B, which allowed the Royal Game of Ur to be played again after several thousand years. The board itself, BM 120834, came from Woolley's excavation of the Royal Cemetery at Ur. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a3fddcd1-5bed-41bc-98b7-03b6ad2b11e6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHjznvH54Cw
- **2015-12-01**, Great Myths and Legends: Adapa the Sage: Flood, Myth and Magic in early Mesopotamia. A Penn Museum lecture on Adapa the sage, flood and magic in early Mesopotamia. Mesopotamian flood traditions include Atrahasis and the eleventh tablet of Gilgamesh, and they circulated in several versions rather than one. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d63d998b-a770-4829-ae90-0eb460f7720a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciiwb8xsuYU
- **2015-12-16**, Assyrian king Sargon the 2nd and the city of Dur-Sharrukin. Sargon II and the city of Dur-Sharrukin presented from the Iraq Museum. Khorsabad was built from nothing as a new capital and largely abandoned after Sargon died on campaign. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c080458b-4b0a-4873-8e56-8fbd9baa4e2f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pko1-XxpUbY
### 2016
- **2016-01-14**, Using Satellites to Connect the Dots: Looted Antiquities, ISIL, and the Syrian Civil War. ASOR on using satellite imagery to track looted antiquities across Iraq and Syria. Satellite work is the only practical way to measure site looting, because the pits appear from above and nobody films the digging. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a640dfd5-9aa0-4286-a42d-27470261c931) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1wpXwXHDh4
- **2016-01-26**, The Extraordinary Gertrude Bell. A short portrait of Gertrude Bell. The 1936 Iraqi antiquities law that followed her 1924 statute ended partage and stopped the export of excavated finds. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/68143a8e-0d7e-4b2b-b08c-dc86f690b997) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7lNEc6QwDc
- **2016-01-28**, Conservation Science - Ishtar Gate Flythrough, Babylon, Iraq. A digital flythrough of the Ishtar Gate at Babylon. Three-dimensional recording has become the standard response to sites that cannot be safely rebuilt. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fe6a505e-e4e6-4726-986a-d3865fa11655) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZhtFxnbcC4
- **2016-02-05**, An Archaeological Exhibition Without Archaeology? Miró's Look on Sumerian Masterpieces. Joan Miro's response to Sumerian masterpieces, and an exhibition built around it. Twentieth-century artists drew on Mesopotamian sculpture as it entered European museums. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e81408a1-153a-4c0a-b411-4bb8fc808d32) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXBpnzqmZV0
- **2016-04-22**, Heritage Under the Sword: The Story of the Destruction of Iraq's Cultural Heritage. Heritage under the sword, on the destruction of Iraq's cultural heritage. The losses run from 1991 through 2003 to 2014, and the pattern is that damage follows the collapse of ordinary policing. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/391353a1-38f7-4394-a209-8cc11e884b4b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBRhJ72sy8M
- **2016-04-22**, Saving Our Cultural Heritage by Combating Illicit Excavation and Trade in Antiquities. Combating illicit excavation and the antiquities trade. The 1970 UNESCO Convention is the main international instrument, and it is not retroactive. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b10a68f8-0de2-42ec-81a2-34695c0a0bdc) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdQH9alcFN0
- **2016-05-20**, RecoVR: Mosul, a collective reconstruction [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f4f138c8-2e27-4fe1-bf2a-adfba63c1326) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EazGA673fk
- **2016**, Nimrud: drone footage shows ISIL destruction of Iraqi ancient city. Drone footage surveys the destruction at Nimrud after the site was retaken. Aerial recording establishes the extent of a loss that cannot be assessed from the ground alone. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/099598d0-47e7-479b-88cb-c826919b5e50) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uWluMHr15g
- **2016**, At Iraq's Nimrud, remnants of fabled city IS sought to destroy. What remains at Nimrud after the site was retaken. Iraqi teams have worked since on recording and stabilising the fragments rather than rebuilding. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/00aee07b-6ff7-4728-80bd-398b1ef88805) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tNO7xAOxwI
- **2016**, Nimrud: Iraqi troops visit destroyed ancient city - BBC News. Iraqi troops visit the destroyed ancient city of Nimrud after its recapture in 2016. Assessment could only begin once the site was militarily secure. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/41e5028d-95e7-4452-b2d0-63686ffe40eb) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89gbbK1rONE
- **2016**, Destroyed Ancient City of Nimrud Emerges From Under ISIS Rule. Nimrud emerges from occupation, wrecked. The consolation, and it is a bitter one, is that major Nimrud reliefs survive in London, New York and Boston because of nineteenth-century partage. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f51dafe3-6d50-4203-86d5-f9b99c9bcf10) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcJuhKFfvEA
- **2016**, Wall of a church destroyed by ISIS in Bakhdida city. the Nineveh Governorate, Northern Iraq, Western Asia. 12 November, 2016. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bb22d6ac-3800-4ee3-81e0-c9d5cbc2891e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wall_of_a_church_destroyed_by_ISIS_in_Bakhdida_city._the_Nineveh_Governorate,_Northern_Iraq,_Western_Asia._12_November,_2016.jpg
- **2016**, Warka Vase. The Warka vase is a large white limestone vase, one of the central pieces of the Iraqi Museum. Found in Warka, it dates back to the time of Djemdet Nasr (3150-2900 BC. B.C.) and is engraved with scenes illustrating religious rituals, processions of priests carrying baskets and fruit pots, oil and wine. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1ae4f838-23dc-4947-9a4a-1cfcddc82649) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warka_Vase.jpg
- **2016**, Sumerian ruins gain UNESCO heritage status [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7fa411b3-3b16-48a8-8d03-d485dd2bee83) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noCblv6tqE8
- **2016**, Chariot Group. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b01b5f02-476f-42fc-b376-1a1632f82199) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chariot_Group.jpg
- **2016**, Mask of Warkaa. A face made of white stone (marble) representing a Sumerian woman, the eyes and eyebrows were inlaid with precious stones. In Warka, its time dates back to the era of Jemda Nasr (3000-29,000 BC), and this piece was one of the pieces that were returned to the Iraqi Museum after it was stolen in the events of 2003 AD. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/58742d3e-6726-414a-be6e-f1e095f2ee22) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mask_of_Warkaa.jpg
- **2016**, Street in Babylon. A reconstructed portion of the ruins of Babylon. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c48a6feb-9611-43d4-a072-c9ba3e8e9809) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Street_in_Babylon.jpg
- **2016**, 20160105-Abraham house in Ur Iraq. The alleged Abraham house in Ur city, Dhi Qar, southern Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a28fda96-3f9a-4622-8541-7351f8028ccc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20160105-Abraham_house_in_Ur_Iraq.jpg
- **2016**, Victory stele of Naram-Suen (31064823690). The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, roughly 2250 BC, now in the Louvre. Naram-Sin took the divine determinative before his name and is shown wearing the horned crown of divinity, a specific and datable claim to godhood visible on the object itself. The stele was later carried off to Susa as loot by the Elamites, an ancient displacement long predating the modern ones. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a27ce20d-a74d-4945-98e0-fb755fe2ca9c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victory_stele_of_Naram-Suen_(31064823690).jpg
- **2016**, Ancient Assyria Bas-Relief of Lion Hunt, Nimrud, 883-859 BC. The Lion Hunt reliefs from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh, seventh century BC. The Assyrian reputation for unique brutality is largely an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation: they carved their conquests and their hunts in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1b95089f-2c66-4b87-a067-d372aeb3cdf4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ancient_Assyria_Bas-Relief_of_Lion_Hunt,_Nimrud,_883-859_BC.jpg
- **2016**, Ashurbanipal wall relief, 7th century BC, from Nineveh, the British Museum. The Lion Hunt reliefs from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh, seventh century BC. The Assyrian reputation for unique brutality is largely an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation: they carved their conquests and their hunts in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a5553ed0-a308-454b-bb21-a10be05660a4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ashurbanipal_wall_relief,_7th_century_BC,_from_Nineveh,_the_British_Museum.jpg
- **2016**, Alabaster Bas-Relief of Armed Soldiers & Musicians, from a ramp between the Royal Palace & the Temple of Ishtar, Nineveh, Iraq, reign of Sen. 704-681 BC (28087395474). Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany. Complete indexed photo collection at WorldHistoryPics.com. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/85328a68-cdfd-41f0-b083-5eb1f0ca52c9) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alabaster_Bas-Relief_of_Armed_Soldiers_%26_Musicians,_from_a_ramp_between_the_Royal_Palace_%26_the_Temple_of_Ishtar,_Nineveh,_Iraq,_reign_of_Sennacherib,_704-681_BC_(28087395474).jpg
- **2016**, Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, reconstructed with original bricks at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, 575 BC (28671623836). The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/58fd16b4-7936-4990-89ab-94c047a7f496) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ishtar_Gate_of_Nebuchadnezzar_II_of_Babylon,_reconstructed_with_original_bricks_at_the_Pergamon_Museum_in_Berlin,_575_BC_(28671623836).jpg
- **2016**, Striding Bull from Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon, reconstructed with original bricks at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, 575 BC. (28626248331). The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/67bb82bf-ac0d-435b-b898-6dc458147d1c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Striding_Bull_from_Ishtar_Gate_of_Nebuchadnezzar_II_of_Babylon,_reconstructed_with_original_bricks_at_the_Pergamon_Museum_in_Berlin,_575_BC_(28626248331).jpg
- **2016**, Lion-hunt scene of Ashurnasirpal II, from Nimrud, 9th century BC, the British Museum. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d33ef1ba-bdce-481b-afd6-160edefc1731) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lion-hunt_scene_of_Ashurnasirpal_II,_from_Nimrud,_9th_century_BC,_the_British_Museum.jpg
- **2016**, Assyrian king Ashurbanipal, detail of a lion-hunt scene from Ninevah, Iraq. British Museum. The Lion Hunt reliefs from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh, seventh century BC. The Assyrian reputation for unique brutality is largely an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation: they carved their conquests and their hunts in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1f908e91-ea0b-4e52-ae05-aa4d8102cc02) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assyrian_king_Ashurbanipal,_detail_of_a_lion-hunt_scene_from_Ninevah,_Iraq._British_Museum.jpg
- **2016**, Jama-Coaque cylinder seals 01. Cylinder seals from Jama-Coaque culture in the Museo de las Culturas Aborigenes de Cuenca. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6389e87a-078a-4414-8169-fa9c6f75ae5a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jama-Coaque_cylinder_seals_01.jpg
- **2016**, Lion-hunt scene of Ashurbanipal, 7th century BC, from Nineveh, the British Museum. The Lion Hunt reliefs from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh, seventh century BC. The Assyrian reputation for unique brutality is largely an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation: they carved their conquests and their hunts in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b6f6dff4-13c8-4ecd-85fd-8d8655a30866) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lion-hunt_scene_of_Ashurbanipal,_7th_century_BC,_from_Nineveh,_the_British_Museum.jpg
- **2016**, Jama-Coaque cylinder seals 02. Cylinder seals from Jama-Coaque culture in the Museo de las Culturas Aborigenes de Cuenca. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5bce832b-8506-40af-9ddd-862080470650) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jama-Coaque_cylinder_seals_02.jpg
- **2016**, Lugalanda Clay Seal Impression from Archaic Period of Sumer, 2900-2340 BC. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5325ce3d-53b8-469c-b70c-164e19a2b492) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lugalanda_Clay_Seal_Impression_from_Archaic_Period_of_Sumer,_2900-2340_BC.jpg
- **2016**, Cylinder seal with Master of Animals motif, Akkadian Period, c. 2400-2200 BC - Harvard Semitic Museum - Cambridge, MA - DSC06183. Exhibit in the Harvard Semitic Museum, Harvard University - Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2628662c-6b32-4c4b-bd27-ce2184d2c18c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cylinder_seal_with_Master_of_Animals_motif,_Akkadian_Period,_c._2400-2200_BC_-_Harvard_Semitic_Museum_-_Cambridge,_MA_-_DSC06183.jpg
- **2016**, Cylinder seal with mythic combat scene, Neo-Assyrian Period, c. 9th-7th century BC - Harvard Semitic Museum - Cambridge, MA - DSC06189. Exhibit in the Harvard Semitic Museum, Harvard University - Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. This work is old enough so that it is in the public domain. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a10d3c17-ef46-471c-b4ea-962663f3ab82) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cylinder_seal_with_mythic_combat_scene,_Neo-Assyrian_Period,_c._9th-7th_century_BC_-_Harvard_Semitic_Museum_-_Cambridge,_MA_-_DSC06189.jpg
- **2016**, Epic of Gilgamesh, plaster cast of tablet XI, The Flood Tale, Neo-Assyrian period, c. 9th-7th century BC - Harvard Semitic Museum - Cambridg. 06162 (a cast or replica, not the original object). The Flood Tablet, Tablet XI of the Standard Babylonian Gilgamesh, from the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, British Museum K 3375. George Smith identified the flood narrative and announced it in December 1872. The often-repeated story that he tore off his clothes on reading it traces to a colleague's recollection and is very likely dramatised. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ab9aa040-d377-445e-a7ae-1271f11037d1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Epic_of_Gilgamesh,_plaster_cast_of_tablet_XI,_The_Flood_Tale,_Neo-Assyrian_period,_c._9th-7th_century_BC_-_Harvard_Semitic_Museum_-_Cambridge,_MA_-_DSC06162.jpg
- **2016**, Inscribed Bronze Axe from Northern Mesopotamia Middle-Assyrian Kingdom, 2nd Half of 2nd Mill. BCE. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5969f05d-52ea-47ce-8e49-3ee6c711fe15) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inscribed_Bronze_Axe_from_Northern_Mesopotamia_Middle-Assyrian_Kingdom,_2nd_Half_of_2nd_Mill._BCE.jpg
- **2016**, God Nabu's attendant from Nimrud, Iraq. British Museum. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/08f1e05c-ef75-432e-b00a-88be6ccabf6f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:God_Nabu%27s_attendant_from_Nimrud,_Iraq._British_Museum.jpg
- **2016**, Stamped brick with the name of Ishme-Dagan, king of Isin, Isin-Larsa Period, from Ur, currently housed in the British Museum. There are 11 lines of cuneiform inscriptions on this fired clay brick; stamped with the name of Ishme-Dagan, king of Isin. Isin-Larsa Period. From Ur, southern Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. It is currently housed in the British Museum in London. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2f24e605-bfbe-4b1a-ac95-fcbe87cdd6e4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stamped_brick_with_the_name_of_Ishme-Dagan,_king_of_Isin,_Isin-Larsa_Period,_from_Ur,_currently_housed_in_the_British_Museum.jpg
- **2016-06-22**, Ancient Mesopotamian Meat Stew. An ancient Mesopotamian meat stew reconstructed from the Yale culinary tablets. The tablets assume a cook who already knows the basics, so much has to be inferred. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/805b866a-67e5-496c-b81f-8976eb8ddc0c) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpLdcvMKE_Y
- **2016-08-04**, Rekrei: A public platform for digitally preserving lost heritage. Rekrei, formerly Project Mosul, a public platform that rebuilds lost heritage digitally from crowdsourced photographs. Tourists' snapshots of the Mosul Museum before 2015 became the raw material for photogrammetric models of objects that no longer exist. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bb68ab26-eac4-48f7-bcc0-6fa3d1398b7d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSCtrq_JMFM
- **2016-09-11**, September 11, 2016. Excavating the ancient mound of Gird-i Qalrakh, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governrate, Iraq. September 11, 2016; excavations. The ancient mound (4000-1000 BCE) of Gird-î Qalrakh (ِArabic: تل قلرخ), Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq. The mound (or Tell) was first registered in 1943. Excavations started in 2015 and carried out by the University of Frankfort. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2e6403d9-4523-4f86-b223-1db811bea095) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:September_11,_2016._Excavating_the_ancient_mound_of_Gird-i_Qalrakh,_Shahrizor_Plain,_Sulaymaniyah_Governrate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2016-09-11**, September 11, 2016. Obsidian and flint cutting tools excavated at Gird-i Shamlu, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. September 11, 2016 obsidian and flint cutting tools excavated at Gird-i Shamlu. The ancient mound (or tell) of Gird-i Shamlu, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. The water (of a nearby artificial lake) surrounding the mound (or tell) has receded, exposing the mound's surrounding area. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/48b45ae4-58d5-4bde-85eb-35d9b81652eb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:September_11,_2016._Obsidian_and_flint_cutting_tools_excavated_at_Gird-i_Shamlu,_Shahrizor_Plain,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2016-09-11**, September 11, 2016. The upper surface of Yasin Tepe ancient mound, innumerable looters' pits. Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. Looting pits at an Iraqi archaeological site. The larger loss was never the Iraq Museum: unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49bc7466-7a74-4f6d-b2a3-533fc1bc94ba) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:September_11,_2016._The_upper_surface_of_Yasin_Tepe_ancient_mound,_innumerable_looters%27_pits._Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2016-09-11**, September 11, 2016. The upper surface of Yasin Tepe ancient mound, ruins of a building with looters' pits. Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi K [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/94ce2cad-e738-4e40-98a7-788cf6aa714d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:September_11,_2016._The_upper_surface_of_Yasin_Tepe_ancient_mound,_ruins_of_a_building_with_looters%27_pits._Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2016-09-11**, September 11, 2016. Excavations at Gird-i Shamlu, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e4ee48f5-be31-4ed5-bfc2-145b873eb1a7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:September_11,_2016._Excavations_at_Gird-i_Shamlu,_Shahrizor_Plain,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2016-10-14**, Lisa Cooper \| Encounters with Ancient Splendors: Gertrude Bell. Lisa Cooper on Gertrude Bell and her encounters with ancient splendours. Bell founded the Iraq Museum and drafted the 1924 antiquities law that first limited what excavators could take out of the country. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/48b31070-9c7a-4180-a094-2222d5d69191) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y24fDbtmpzM
- **2016-10-18**, Conservation Project - Documentation of the Ishtar Gate, Iraq. Documentation of the Ishtar Gate remains at Babylon in Iraq, as distinct from the reconstruction in Berlin. Part of the gate stayed in the ground and part of it went to Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/88f3c033-6623-4343-b786-81835d00615b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2M3tX7zr-4
- **2016-11-03**, Great Beasts of Legend: Anzu the Lion Headed Eagle. Penn Museum on Anzu, the lion-headed eagle of Mesopotamian myth who steals the tablet of destinies. Anzu appears constantly in seal imagery as well as in text. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b2287053-b61c-4aba-b3c7-68a8f0e5b8fd) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3PyezJuia4
- **2016-11-11**, Random Walks 1 – The rights and wrongs of Babylonian tablets. An Oxford mathematics talk on the rights and wrongs of Babylonian tablets. Plimpton 322 is genuinely a mathematical table involving Pythagorean triples, but the claims made for it beyond that vary widely between scholars. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/14e4617b-1cc1-4613-8fc1-73f6664cf553) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RS_vRgBzm18
- **2016-12-05**, Steven Garfinkle - Commerce, Communication, and State Formation: Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. Steven Garfinkle on commerce, communication and state formation in daily Mesopotamian life. The Ur III bureaucracy generated tens of thousands of administrative tablets, one of the densest records of any ancient economy. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a0f420ad-cb58-49e5-a067-5d824f4cce29) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6l5Y8uRpGQ
- **2016-12-07**, Samuel Noah Kramer \| The Sumerian Woman (Audio Only). Samuel Noah Kramer, the great populariser of Sumerian literature, lecturing on the Sumerian woman. Kramer worked largely from the Nippur tablets at Penn, which remain the main source for Sumerian literary texts. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7d4d99b6-7406-49e2-9277-54e561268f08) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7pROU9ajcs
### 2017
- **2017-01-22**, The oldest portrait in the British Museum (probably) \| Curator's Corner S2 Ep1 #CuratorsCorner. A British Museum curator argues for the oldest portrait in the collection. Cylinder seals and small carved objects carry much of the earliest human imagery from the region, because they survive in quantity where monuments do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9d7a9398-625e-4ff5-a8ff-0d5390e44b61) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMZWsM687MY
- **2017-01-30**, The Epic of Gilgamesh, Lecture by Andrew George. Andrew George, the standard translator of the epic, lectures on Gilgamesh. Behind the Standard Babylonian version sit Old Babylonian Akkadian versions from about 1800 BC and, behind those, separate Sumerian poems about Bilgames that a later editor welded into one arc. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7bd4567b-1d44-418d-b5d9-b4976a07aadf) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd7MrGy_tEg
- **2017-02-07**, First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/25e7c2aa-8a52-4b61-936a-faf2e25c4277) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vP2NihitfR4
- **2017-04-10**, Idrimi: a 3,500-year-old refugee from Aleppo \| Curator's Corner S2 Ep5 #CuratorsCorner. The statue of Idrimi, king of Alalakh, carrying a long autobiographical inscription across its body. It is a rare case of a Near Eastern statue that tells its own story in the first person. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f02851f7-5cd0-4aeb-b67b-46686fa2d108) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQtwqSahQxM
- **2017-04-21**, Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur \| TRAILER \| International Tabletop Day 2017. A trailer for the Royal Game of Ur playthrough at the British Museum. The board came out of the Royal Cemetery at Ur, the same excavation that produced the lyres and Puabi's grave goods. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c2de4aba-526e-4ca2-9cc1-f1f2cf22266c) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQdubgOY2D8
- **2017-04-26**, A Momentary Erasure of Millennia: The Cultural Heritage Crises in Syria and Iraq. A momentary erasure of millennia, on the cultural heritage crises in Syria and Iraq. Palmyra, discussed alongside Iraq in these surveys, is in Syria and is Roman-era, and it is not Mesopotamia. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4955c213-52c4-4712-b1ce-486a4fead7b3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4wj8HBjxWA
- **2017-04-28**, Interview with Robert Biggs for the Oriental Institute Oral History Project. Robert Biggs interviewed for the Oriental Institute Oral History Project. Assyriology is a small field and its institutional memory sits largely in interviews like this one. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/563f72ba-c459-4a69-a44a-8a03d7985e73) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT3CM-CNpVU
- **2017-04-28**, Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur \| PLAYTHROUGH \| International Tabletop Day 2017. A full playthrough of the Royal Game of Ur in the British Museum, reconstructed from the rules tablet Irving Finkel deciphered. The board is roughly 4,500 years old and the game is playable because a scribe wrote the rules down. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9131a129-db47-484f-a6ab-0ff2e72fd307) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZskjLq040I
- **2017-05-22**, The Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi. The law code stele of Hammurabi at the Louvre. Many Assyriologists, following F. R. Kraus, read it as royal apologia advertising the king as just rather than as applied statute, since surviving court records do not cite it; others hold it had real force. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cfa04010-e2b6-4cd0-b464-64fa768b9ee5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO9YxZYd0qY
- **2017**, Marble Votive Mace Head of Shulgi and Clay Tablets. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/58ebca57-a132-44db-8891-b13adf9a298a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marble_Votive_Mace_Head_of_Shulgi_and_Clay_Tablets.jpg
- **2017**, Ur Royal Cemetery Game Pieces. The Royal Game of Ur, a board game from the Royal Cemetery at Ur, roughly 2600 BC. A cuneiform tablet in the British Museum preserves its rules, which is why it is one of the few ancient games that can actually be played. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c8915018-586f-4b34-9c95-57ac99f7e095) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ur_Royal_Cemetery_Game_Pieces.jpg
- **2017**, Queen Puabi's Grave Goods. Queen Puabi, also read Shub-ad, was buried at Ur around 2600 BC with attendants. Woolley's account of a gentle poisoning has been overturned: the 2009 to 2011 Penn CT work found perimortem blunt-force trauma, plus heat and mercury treatment indicating the bodies were preserved and displayed. No cup was ever chemically tested. Human sacrifice at Ur is better supported than ever; Woolley's manner of it is not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/053ea70b-938f-4d04-858f-370acb1378a0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Puabi%27s_Grave_Goods.jpg
- **2017**, Little left of Jonah's grave in Mosul. Little remains of the shrine of Jonah in Mosul, destroyed in July 2014. Nabi Yunus sits on an Assyrian mound at Nineveh, which is why demolishing the shrine opened a palace beneath it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2322b596-678e-403c-b99f-c68c4505929d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TQOIBJ4GdE
- **2017**, Copper Alloy Chisel, Harpoons, Lance and Spear Heads. The lyres from the Royal Cemetery at Ur, roughly 2600 BC. The wood had entirely decayed, so what Woolley recovered was the shape of a void in the soil, which he filled with plaster to lift the object. The Golden Lyre of Ur in Baghdad was damaged in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/76a1b6f5-7449-4ba5-820b-620e5797a858) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copper_Alloy_Chisel,_Harpoons,_Lance_and_Spear_Heads.jpg
- **2017**, Priceless remains lie in ruins at Mosul museum. Reporting from inside the wrecked Mosul Museum after the city was retaken. The honest account is a mix, with replicas prominent in the video and real losses alongside them, rather than either it was all fake or everything was original. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ccc63942-4804-448b-a9b1-73f95eb2d6e8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8plRDOkL8Ag
- **2017**, Head Ornament from the Great Death Pit. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/136d606d-96fe-4ae6-909f-3dcd53810fbd) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head_Ornament_from_the_Great_Death_Pit.jpg
- **2017**, Mosul Museum Left In Ruins \| NBC News. The Mosul Museum left in ruins. The video released in February 2015 was made by the perpetrators to be broadcast, which is why documentation, before-and-after comparison and survey work are the better sources here. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7499c368-090b-4f1d-8399-759e3081e5a3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ9XrzFDw7k
- **2017**, Gold Dagger & Head Ornaments from Royal Grave. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a479259d-7fff-481e-9885-6acbb44b29ca) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_Dagger_%26_Head_Ornaments_from_Royal_Grave.jpg
- **2017**, Jerwan archaeological site, part of Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib's canal system 19. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/623af991-f338-4131-af75-00c9f646dfbc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jerwan_archaeological_site,_part_of_Neo-Assyrian_king_Sennacherib%27s_canal_system_19.jpg
- **2017**, Ornaments from the Great Death Pit. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/88697e28-8751-458f-b296-dc6dcd084522) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ornaments_from_the_Great_Death_Pit.jpg
- **2017**, A Child's Grave, Ur. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8920dcd4-82b5-4afd-84a3-771ad4e24f9a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Child%27s_Grave,_Ur.jpg
- **2017**, Copper Alloy Axe Head. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/733ad93b-f1c9-46e4-b50e-e8873c9b1410) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copper_Alloy_Axe_Head.jpg
- **2017**, Silver Bowl & Head Ornament Worn by King's Attendant. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ae3a4ef1-540c-4882-a312-6f7305bb1ea7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silver_Bowl_%26_Head_Ornament_Worn_by_King%27s_Attendant.jpg
- **2017**, Road near Jerwan archaeological site, part of Neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib's canal system 05. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b54322c5-fe09-4632-9447-d53c05cd0563) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Road_near_Jerwan_archaeological_site,_part_of_Neo-Assyrian_king_Sennacherib%27s_canal_system_05.jpg
- **2017**, Reduced to rubble by ISIS, archaeologists see a new day for ancient city of Nimrud. Archaeologists assess Nimrud after ISIS and consider what can be done. Reconstruction at a bulldozed mudbrick and stone site is a matter of recording and consolidation, not of putting the palace back. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f35b78a2-1f2f-44a2-a9d5-9cd403614b52) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAOSeonkzv8
- **2017**, Electrotype Copy of Gold Helmet of a Warrior King of Ur. (a cast or replica, not the original object). Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6c1a3182-6714-4217-981b-c915fac19164) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Electrotype_Copy_of_Gold_Helmet_of_a_Warrior_King_of_Ur.jpg
- **2017**, Jihadist tunnels uncover Assyrian winged bulls in Mosul. Tunnels dug by militants beneath Mosul expose Assyrian winged bulls. The destruction of the shrine of the Prophet Yunus in July 2014 and the tunnelling under it revealed a previously unknown Assyrian palace, probably of Esarhaddon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8ed8ea49-be20-4188-aa27-086a501c4664) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU0QnRxadTY
- **2017**, Silver Vessels. Southern Mesopotamia has no stone, no metal ore and almost no timber. Lapis lazuli came from Badakhshan in Afghanistan, carnelian from the Indus, copper from Oman. Trade is not a footnote to this material, it is a precondition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a08d0677-84ca-4098-9d6b-59cc91e8442a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Silver_Vessels.jpg
- **2017**, Electrotype Copy of Gold Dagger & Sheath. (a cast or replica, not the original object). Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1a95ec62-c91b-46f7-b6a7-a062f8ef15d5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Electrotype_Copy_of_Gold_Dagger_%26_Sheath.jpg
- **2017**, Library of Ashurbanipal. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/67886f97-cdaa-4b1a-af67-2fc7a895a43d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Library_of_Ashurbanipal.jpg
- **2017**, Monumental basin from Nineveh - Pergamonmuseum - Berlin - Germany 2017. Pergamonmuseum - Berlin - Germany. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1a408e9f-3cf3-4732-9654-568c1d872609) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monumental_basin_from_Nineveh_-_Pergamonmuseum_-_Berlin_-_Germany_2017.jpg
- **2017**, Neo-Assyrian archaeological Halamata reliefs overlooking modern-day Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq 11. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/21ca5364-d6ba-496d-a6c0-231ca6a82d2b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neo-Assyrian_archaeological_Halamata_reliefs_overlooking_modern-day_Duhok,_Kurdistan_Region_of_Iraq_11.jpg
- **2017**, Neo-Assyrian archaeological Halamata reliefs overlooking modern-day Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq 15. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b8b7103e-d3d1-480f-85c9-760ae5b1a308) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neo-Assyrian_archaeological_Halamata_reliefs_overlooking_modern-day_Duhok,_Kurdistan_Region_of_Iraq_15.jpg
- **2017**, Neo-Assyrian archaeological Halamata reliefs overlooking modern-day Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq 19. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5ed10b5d-af0d-46e6-8e40-b3148e36bd5d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neo-Assyrian_archaeological_Halamata_reliefs_overlooking_modern-day_Duhok,_Kurdistan_Region_of_Iraq_19.jpg
- **2017**, Neo-Assyrian archaeological Halamata reliefs overlooking Nohadra, modern-day Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq 25. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ebbe08d0-7211-4c4b-97a6-454c374baad3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Neo-Assyrian_archaeological_Halamata_reliefs_overlooking_Nohadra,_modern-day_Duhok,_Kurdistan_Region_of_Iraq_25.jpg
- **2017**, Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem IMG 6524. Exhibits at "Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/769820dd-cf07-4108-a92c-74a4e836f95b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bible_Lands_Museum_Jerusalem_IMG_6524.JPG
- **2017**, Gold Cup & Bowl Ur Royal Tombs excavations. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8acad2d8-4b11-400b-bed9-b7c14b4223c3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gold_Cup_%26_Bowl_Ur_Royal_Tombs_excavations.jpg
- **2017**, Copper Alloy Helmet & Crushed Head of Royal Guard PG 789. Queen Puabi, also read Shub-ad, was buried at Ur around 2600 BC with attendants. Woolley's account of a gentle poisoning has been overturned: the 2009 to 2011 Penn CT work found perimortem blunt-force trauma, plus heat and mercury treatment indicating the bodies were preserved and displayed. No cup was ever chemically tested. Human sacrifice at Ur is better supported than ever; Woolley's manner of it is not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0b131a25-7930-45be-8ffb-e3bf54116eeb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copper_Alloy_Helmet_%26_Crushed_Head_of_Royal_Guard_PG_789.jpg
- **2017**, Lady Layard’s jewellery. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e2183b49-0ffa-4997-af5e-64266f8c9407) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lady_Layard%E2%80%99s_jewellery.jpg
- **2017**, Administrative Tablet, Third Dynasty of Ur, 2026 BC. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/09fac6ff-d6df-4248-9318-309eeaa44f90) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Administrative_Tablet,_Third_Dynasty_of_Ur,_2026_BC.jpg
- **2017**, Cuneiform Writing on Clay Tablet. As Babylon grew, the language spoken on its streets had to change. This remarkable tablet captures the interaction between the age-old cuneiform writing used for Babylonian-Akkadian and the alphabetic Aramaic that ultimately displaced it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4a48639e-0995-435f-a762-9bedf5b0e3ea) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuneiform_Writing_on_Clay_Tablet.jpg
- **2017-08-09**, Uruk Mesopotamia Iraq. Uruk in southern Iraq, the largest city in the world in the late fourth millennium BC. Population estimates for Uruk vary widely between surveys, so a range is the honest figure. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b1e14f9b-484d-4788-82ed-841b0826a7ff) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDfGoGVKx4E
- **2017-08-10**, National museum Of Iraq. A walk through the National Museum of Iraq. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, because no Iraqi institution runs an open-access image programme. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9e8a47ef-98d9-4c42-add0-709f755ea613) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_pYHb7qZUM
- **2017-08-17**, Slemani Museum Sulaymaniyeh Kurdistan Iraq. The Slemani Museum in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It acquired the tablets carrying the fullest known text of Gilgamesh Tablet V, published by Farouk Al-Rawi and Andrew George in 2014. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4267a0b7-7fb9-49a9-baf6-192e37b477b8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5e7zxxfV7gM
- **2017-10-25**, Seated Gudea holding temple plan. Gudea of Lagash seated holding a temple plan on his lap. The Gudea statues are carved in imported diorite and come from Girsu, modern Tello, dug by Ernest de Sarzec from 1877. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/11d18878-b849-4ca6-95e4-3c8d8be30221) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBjYUTYas9E
- **2017-11-09**, The reproduction of the statue of Lamassu. The reproduction of a lamassu statue after the destruction of the originals at the Nergal Gate. The Nergal Gate lamassu at Nineveh were genuine, in place, and destroyed with a jackhammer on video in 2015. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/78e0e92a-9931-409f-9bc2-44adaddddfb7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE5pRxLjDn0
- **2017-11-14**, Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflict: The 1954 Hague Convention and its two (1954 and 1999) Protocols. UNESCO on the 1954 Hague Convention for the protection of cultural property in armed conflict and its two protocols. Deliberate destruction of cultural property is a war crime under this framework. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c19a80e0-f4ba-4685-962d-7107f3f767f7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqdgj1aPHqs
- **2017-11-20**, Tentoonstelling Nineveh. A Nineveh exhibition at the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. European museums with smaller Mesopotamian holdings borrow heavily for exhibitions like this. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f3af9fc5-2629-4724-9fb6-1f98572d933e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXCek5Xqf0o
- **2017-11-23**, The Iraq Scheme update: digs and discoveries. An update on the British Museum's Iraq Scheme, which trains Iraqi archaeologists in fieldwork and rescue techniques. Training Iraqi specialists is the practical answer to a century in which foreign expeditions took both the objects and the expertise. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/78beaeab-15ae-4cc0-aff0-d1e13f85f43f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDJb6Mgd-w4
- **2017-12-04**, Ishtar Gate, Babylon 3D Laser Scanning and Modeling. Laser scanning and modelling the Ishtar Gate at Babylon. Scanning captures the surviving fabric as measured data rather than as interpretation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d16dfb8c-9389-4fc4-b078-418b3e57c994) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY63FKVFdp8
### 2018
- **2018-02-03**, Rise of the City: How the great god Marduk built the city of Babylon. A Penn Museum lecture on the Babylonian account of how Marduk built the city. Enuma Elish is a theological text that makes Marduk supreme and Babylon central; it is a claim about the present as much as a story about creation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9420de8f-7ffb-46ab-b34b-5ef1f16b65bb) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep936ropKlc
- **2018-03-11**, Ancient Demons with Irving Finkel I Curator's Corner S3 Ep7 #CuratorsCorner. Demons and protective figures in the British Museum's Mesopotamian collections, including the plague demon Pazuzu, whose grotesque head was worn as an amulet precisely because he was thought to drive off the child-killing Lamashtu. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d25b710a-5149-4418-8b24-8070c6d2ecfd) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOT75GB64Hw
- **2018-03-25**, A 4,000-year old tale of trade and contraband I Curator's Corner S3 Ep9 #CuratorsCorner. A British Museum curator on a 4,000-year-old record of trade and contraband. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative: receipts, loans, ration lists and the paperwork of institutions rather than literature. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2a71aeb5-be82-4963-8035-41763eef70f7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQIBf7eeXG8
- **2018-04-03**, Bridging cultures in post-Daesh Iraq: safeguarding the world's oldest bridge. Work to safeguard the ancient bridge at Girsu after the Daesh occupation of northern Iraq. Conservation in Iraq has run alongside conflict for two decades and the labour is largely Iraqi. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/861ca81f-a9bc-4168-9817-0ca6cdbffcbd) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyIvMPeg9go
- **2018-05-06**, Assyrian envelopes I Curator's Corner + #CuratorsCorner. Assyrian clay envelopes in the British Museum. A tablet could be sealed inside a clay case bearing an impression, so an unopened envelope preserves a document exactly as it was sent. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a5ec0db7-16a4-47df-94ba-7560a28da1cc) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDEWMBuaC_Q
- **2018-05-29**, UNESCO Initiative “Revive the spirit of Mosul”. An introduction to UNESCO's Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative, launched in 2018. The programme treats the city's built fabric and its communities together rather than restoring monuments in isolation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fa6ece0b-9a58-47e9-b372-a8f768396634) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufttCbc3rnA
- **2018**, Pazuzu-N 8287-IMG 8973. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b2d59a7f-87b7-457d-9738-f93640c63099) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pazuzu-N_8287-IMG_8973.JPG
- **2018**, Pazuzu-N 8287-IMG 8961-black. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/532d86fa-b127-427d-aab0-1f0cb671dc98) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pazuzu-N_8287-IMG_8961-black.jpg
- **2018**, Clay Foundation Peg of King Gudea of Lagash, Sumer, Late 3rd Millennium BC (43169983682). Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/33dde945-50fb-4390-b491-b532d5248497) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clay_Foundation_Peg_of_King_Gudea_of_Lagash,_Sumer,_Late_3rd_Millennium_BC_(43169983682).jpg
- **2018**, Pazuzu-N 8287-IMG 8961-gradient. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/de77bb2b-bb82-4b66-94f6-2f66eb0b60b6) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pazuzu-N_8287-IMG_8961-gradient.jpg
- **2018**, Pazuzu-N 8287-IMG 8961-white. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d596a028-7dae-437a-95e0-09a236b416d2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pazuzu-N_8287-IMG_8961-white.jpg
- **2018**, Sacred basin, a gift from Gudea to the temple of Ningirsu. From Girsu, Iraq. 2144-2122 BCE. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul. Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e776625e-cc46-4465-9985-a8cc5d2f9bf0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sacred_basin,_a_gift_from_Gudea_to_the_temple_of_Ningirsu._From_Girsu,_Iraq._2144-2122_BCE._Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul.jpg
- **2018**, Cuneiform inscription on the statue of Puzur-Ishtar, governor of Mari. Originally from Mari, found in Babylon. 1894-1594 BCE. Ancient Orient [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/07559f46-9cc9-4314-beaf-072ca72d0858) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuneiform_inscription_on_the_statue_of_Puzur-Ishtar,_governor_of_Mari._Originally_from_Mari,_found_in_Babylon._1894-1594_BCE._Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul.jpg
- **2018**, Cuneiform inscription on a diorite mortar stating that this was an offering from Gudea to Enlil. From Nippur, Iraq. 2144-2124 BCE. Ancient O. 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a2dcc806-fe11-4ba4-9918-d3b49be47626) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuneiform_inscription_on_a_diorite_mortar_stating_that_this_was_an_offering_from_Gudea_to_Enlil._From_Nippur,_Iraq._2144-2124_BCE._Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul.jpg
- **2018**, Cuneiform inscription. Detail. Headless statue of Tura-Dagan, with inscription, Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul, Turkey. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3bf8442e-976e-42f7-8f91-1ade9d0de797) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cuneiform_inscription._Detail._Headless_statue_of_Tura-Dagan,_with_inscription,_Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul,_Turkey.jpg
- **2018**, Views around Khenis archaeological site related to Assyrian king Sennacherib's aqueduct system 04. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/23a86be4-af26-4c8a-ab6d-a97cf3eb7d0f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_around_Khenis_archaeological_site_related_to_Assyrian_king_Sennacherib%27s_aqueduct_system_04.jpg
- **2018**, Palazzo Mari pianta. Trattasi dell'ingrandimento della parte relativa al palazzo di Mari del file Mari landmarks.png presente su wikimedia commons nel quale ho evidenziato personalmente i resti dei muri ed inserito le indicazioni delle stanze. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9d1bc58b-4e2c-4380-b1f5-81846c7080eb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palazzo_Mari_pianta.png
- **2018**, Views around Khenis archaeological site related to Assyrian king Sennacherib's aqueduct system 18. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/13e60557-3949-4b19-8a01-796d455d70d1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_around_Khenis_archaeological_site_related_to_Assyrian_king_Sennacherib%27s_aqueduct_system_18.jpg
- **2018**, 🇺🇸 🇮🇶 'We have a kinship with these artefacts': US returns Iraq's stolen relics \| Al Jazeera. The United States returns stolen relics to Iraq, with Iraqi officials describing a kinship with the objects. Repatriation ceremonies are as much about acknowledgement as about the items handed over. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1e1f5766-19ec-4daf-a6e4-631d3ca9e8b1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLbSoWtAGAk
- **2018**, Bridge of nineveh. The oldest bridge connecting the banks of the Tigris River in the city of Mosul - called the Old Bridge - was destroyed during the military operations and was reconstructed. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/00a3b970-9cb0-41d4-b83d-389256c8c128) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bridge_of_nineveh.jpg
- **2018**, Basalt wall slab showing three Assyrian soldiers in procession. From the palace of Tiglath-pileser III at Hadatu, Syria. Ancient Orient Muse. ' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c1570e89-ff74-4b51-bf05-2e9fe2058f5a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basalt_wall_slab_showing_three_Assyrian_soldiers_in_procession._From_the_palace_of_Tiglath-pileser_III_at_Hadatu,_Syria._Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul.jpg
- **2018**, Detail of the embroidered dress of an Apkallu, showing a pair of 4-legged winged animals. From Nimrud, Iraq. 883-859 BCE. Ancient Orient Mus. ' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/96f98f2f-1adc-4335-86cb-4c30955c7ee5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail_of_the_embroidered_dress_of_an_Apkallu,_showing_a_pair_of_4-legged_winged_animals._From_Nimrud,_Iraq._883-859_BCE._Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul.jpg
- **2018**, Basalt wall slab showing Assyrian soldiers in procession, holding long spears. From the palace of Tiglath-pileser III at Hadatu, Syria. Anci [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/56fe1862-6ac5-46aa-8739-0eecebfc8905) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Basalt_wall_slab_showing_Assyrian_soldiers_in_procession,_holding_long_spears._From_the_palace_of_Tiglath-pileser_III_at_Hadatu,_Syria._Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul.jpg
- **2018**, Code of Hammurabi-Sb 8-IMG 7753-gradient. The Code of Hammurabi, roughly 1754 BC on the middle chronology, carved on a diorite stele now in the Louvre. It is not the oldest law code: the Code of Ur-Nammu precedes it by about three hundred years, and Ur-Nammu prescribes fines where Hammurabi prescribes mutilation, so the civility-over-time story runs backwards. An eye for an eye is a minority of the 282 provisions and is class-stratified, retaliation between equals and cash for everyone else. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/eb8ae5d3-f2af-4101-a6ff-0170a9fd10eb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Code_of_Hammurabi-Sb_8-IMG_7753-gradient.jpg
- **2018**, Code of Hammurabi-Sb 8-IMG 7774-black. The Code of Hammurabi, roughly 1754 BC on the middle chronology, carved on a diorite stele now in the Louvre. It is not the oldest law code: the Code of Ur-Nammu precedes it by about three hundred years, and Ur-Nammu prescribes fines where Hammurabi prescribes mutilation, so the civility-over-time story runs backwards. An eye for an eye is a minority of the 282 provisions and is class-stratified, retaliation between equals and cash for everyone else. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/98c9c906-9bed-4c18-8c0f-a93b19f1e562) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Code_of_Hammurabi-Sb_8-IMG_7774-black.jpg
- **2018**, Detail of an embossed scene on bronze plate showing Assyrian army attacking a city. From a Balawat gate, Iraq, 859-824 BCE. Ancient Orient M [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d3585735-cfc4-44ff-a062-4babe5e13553) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail_of_an_embossed_scene_on_bronze_plate_showing_Assyrian_army_attacking_a_city._From_a_Balawat_gate,_Iraq,_859-824_BCE._Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul.jpg
- **2018**, 20180506 112854-siege-of-lachish. The Lachish reliefs from Sennacherib's Southwest Palace at Nineveh record the Assyrian siege of the Judaean city of Lachish in 701 BC. They are an unusual case where an event is documented by the attacker in stone, by the defeated side in text, and in the archaeology of the site itself. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4b87521c-6357-475a-b7a7-9b1a02eb623b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20180506_112854-siege-of-lachish.jpg
- **2018**, Gypsum Relief of Gardens of Nineveh, North Palace, Nineveh, Iraq, 645-635 BC. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2c46a29c-0c17-485d-afce-9a97b274ba2b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gypsum_Relief_of_Gardens_of_Nineveh,_North_Palace,_Nineveh,_Iraq,_645-635_BC.jpg
- **2018**, Detail. Stele of Limu, of Anu-Bel-Ilani, Middle Assyrian Period, 13th century BCE. From Assur, Iraq. Ancient Orient Museum, Istanbul. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e968783a-24bd-4b37-bcad-b71fbc7dc368) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail._Stele_of_Limu,_of_Anu-Bel-Ilani,_Middle_Assyrian_Period,_13th_century_BCE._From_Assur,_Iraq._Ancient_Orient_Museum,_Istanbul.jpg
- **2018**, Head of a Sumerian female, from Khafajah, excavated by the Oriental Institute, Early Dynastic III, c. 2400 BCE. The Sulaymaniyah Museum. This alabaster /limestone head of a Sumerian woman came from Khafajah, in modern-day Dyala, Iraq, and was excavated by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 4th season, 19331934 CE, Early Dynastic III, c. 2400 BCE. The head does not belong to the torso of the statue. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5df40685-b518-44b2-a111-76cc735a49e3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Head_of_a_Sumerian_female,_from_Khafajah,_excavated_by_the_Oriental_Institute,_Early_Dynastic_III,_c._2400_BCE._The_Sulaymaniyah_Museum.jpg
- **2018-06-17**, Mesopotamian ghostbusting with Irving Finkel I Curator's Corner + #CuratorsCorner. Irving Finkel reads Mesopotamian texts for dealing with ghosts. Ritual and omen literature makes up a large share of the surviving cuneiform corpus, alongside the accounting records that dominate the earliest tablets. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ab2c5b40-a953-4cb8-a570-161211842c8b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbuZGCYDpQU
- **2018-06-19**, Expedition - Powerful Women of Ur. Penn Museum on the powerful women of Ur. Alongside Puabi, the Ur material raises the question of whether the principal burials are royalty or high priestesses, which remains unsettled. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/72824bf5-b82e-4245-b2c9-8782d6cc14bf) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jwxUcoHL5Y
- **2018-06-27**, Peter Pfalzner \| On the Fringe of Mesopotamia. Peter Pfalzner on the fringes of Mesopotamia. The states beyond the alluvium shaped Mesopotamian history as much as the southern cities did. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a529929a-7edc-4b47-8e8f-6464f5b87356) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsAGsDs8mrM
- **2018-07-18**, Collecting the Past: Pierpont Morgan and Ancient Mesopotamia. How Pierpont Morgan assembled his collection of ancient Mesopotamian seals. Early twentieth-century private collecting is part of the provenance history of most large seal holdings. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/71ad60a7-ff2c-4829-93a7-eb0f732f8bf3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UubCZI06zkA
- **2018-07-25**, What's On? Great Death Pit of Ur. The Great Death Pit of Ur, PG 1237, where Woolley found 73 or 74 attendants laid out in rows. Woolley said they drank poison and lay down peacefully; no cup was ever chemically tested, and Penn's 2009 to 2011 CT work found perimortem blunt-force trauma instead. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8052153a-8d8e-4264-bd62-ddd179578b23) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViTjzdmtDqQ
- **2018-09-13**, Revive the Spirit of Mosul - 3D immersion. A three-dimensional immersion in Revive the Spirit of Mosul. Digital recording of the damaged fabric guided the physical reconstruction. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bd4448f4-6ac4-42d3-9450-4cf9311002e5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm4x1iVfQHY
- **2018-09-18**, This Ancient Iraqi Shrine is a Window to the Story of Jonah. The shrine of Jonah at Mosul and its layered history. The site was venerated across communities before its destruction, and the Assyrian levels beneath it had never been excavated. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9c080282-70be-4ee5-b7de-ce6e7797ea45) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OqU3VSr_QU
- **2018-11-01**, I am Ashurbanipal. The trailer for the British Museum's 2018 exhibition on Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria from about 669 BC. He is the ruler whose library at Nineveh preserved the Standard Babylonian Gilgamesh, including the Flood Tablet K.3375. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ee055a3b-298c-4f26-945c-e06e7cba1506) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OZe-y5tk9Q
- **2018-11-15**, 4.1.1. The Iraq National Museum of Baghdad. The Iraq National Museum of Baghdad presented in a university course. The museum holds the Warka Vase, the Mask of Warka, the Bronze Head from Nineveh and the Treasure of Nimrud. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/21b72260-880f-4d10-ac6f-c7df3f8971da) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUUIrSVhfTk
- **2018-11-23**, Great Books Webinar: Dr. Karen (Mari) Castle on Enheduana’s "The Exultation of Inanna," Part 1. A seminar on the Exaltation of Inanna, part one. The poem survives in dozens of Old Babylonian school copies, which is both why we have it and why the attribution is argued. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/343b7c80-3e39-4a61-9656-ad8032fa9a6e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PG1U_NkKQs
- **2018-11-23**, Great Books Webinar: Dr. Karen (Mari) Castle on Enheduana’s "The Exultation of Inanna," Part 2. A seminar on the Exaltation of Inanna, part two. Reading a text through copies made five centuries later is the normal condition of Mesopotamian literature, not an exception. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a367755b-75db-4909-be52-f067c0017295) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvZNXHm4zLI
- **2018-11-26**, The Poor Man of Nippur - World's first film in Babylonian. The Poor Man of Nippur, filmed in Babylonian by Cambridge students, the first film made in the language. The text is an Akkadian comic tale of revenge from the Middle Babylonian period. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3eba7a3a-a496-46c8-b4b7-6950b3562beb) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxYoFlnJLoE
- **2018-12-07**, How to write cuneiform with Irving Finkel and @preservethings I Curator's Corner S4 Ep9. Irving Finkel demonstrates writing cuneiform in wet clay with a reed stylus. Signs are wedge-shaped because a cut reed pressed into clay makes a wedge; the script's whole visual character follows from its materials. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1ee40543-d953-4f2b-b5e3-88001a057048) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVmsfL5LG90
### 2019
- **2019-01-06**, British Museum: 360º Tour. A 360-degree tour of the British Museum, including the Assyrian galleries. The museum holds the Flood Tablet, the Lion Hunt, the Lachish reliefs, the Black Obelisk, the Standard of Ur and the Cyrus Cylinder, which is to say most of the canonical Mesopotamian objects. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d1cc7701-63ba-4853-9dbb-596fe6eefcfb) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rl0aGAbkTM
- **2019-01-28**, Assyria vs Elam: The battle of Til Tuba. The Til Tuba reliefs from Nineveh, showing the Assyrian defeat of Elam, read as a continuous narrative sequence. The royal annals and the palace carvings are propaganda instruments rather than neutral records: numbers are formulaic, defeats are omitted, and the king wins personally. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f10ababb-8050-45df-8007-3f85ecb7a3df) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpe7fevbReA
- **2019-02-03**, Assyria TV in London - I am Ashurbanipal: king of the world, king of Assyria. Assyria TV visits the I am Ashurbanipal exhibition in London. Modern Assyrians engage with this material as descendants and not only as an audience. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bc541ee3-2b50-4846-9ca0-f1f4d57ea5f1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2Rw7Mxp4T8
- **2019-02-04**, Nineb Lamassu and Carine Harmand, Co-Curator from the British Museum on the Ashurbanipal exhibition. Nineb Lamassu and a British Museum co-curator on the Ashurbanipal exhibition. Involving Assyrian scholars in curating Assyrian material is comparatively recent practice. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a73f211b-3a7a-4dcf-88e0-161c77eb1a27) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsAZMYjtOms
- **2019-02-13**, Nineb Lamassu on Living Assyria in British Museum \| 22 February 2019. Nineb Lamassu on living Assyria at the British Museum. The Assyrian community today is a living population with a stake in how this material is presented. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/af6713c2-8603-4883-b1f3-c491b5aa7c8a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPKZQAzr8cU
- **2019-02-15**, British Museum: Ashurbanipal Exhibition – VR. A virtual-reality walkthrough of the British Museum's Ashurbanipal exhibition. Reconstruction and digital display have become the standard way to show Assyrian palaces, whose original colour and architectural context are gone. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5ea1eb1e-85e4-485e-8886-c47bf499cebb) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVuHwIQtE58
- **2019-02-19**, The palace decoration of Ashurbanipal. The decoration scheme of Ashurbanipal's palace explained in the British Museum's Assyrian rooms. The same king assembled the systematic library at Nineveh from which the Flood Tablet came, so the empire that carved the lion hunts also built the ancient world's most ambitious scholarly collection. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f387eecb-be20-4389-865f-664fee97223a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxk_FtZnb7w
- **2019-02-20**, Baryim Malak Village, Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Fieldwork at Baryim Malak village in the Erbil plain, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Northern Iraq has been comparatively accessible to fieldwork in recent years while the south has not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/90c891ea-f043-471b-a18d-c3de4418d15f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQ9PlQn8FYg
- **2019-03-09**, Stone Reliefs of Ashurnasirpal II -- Archaeology Studio 034. The stone reliefs of Ashurnasirpal II from the Northwest Palace at Nimrud. The winged genii with bucket and cone appear repeatedly, apparently performing a purification rite whose details are not fully understood. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/82236c7a-3c5f-4616-b71a-87d635700f4b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9l3YmZibK4
- **2019-03-13**, Case Study 6.1: Gudea of Lagash. A case study on Gudea of Lagash. Gudea had himself carved repeatedly in diorite imported from Magan, and the statues carry long inscriptions about temple building. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/acc83008-7102-419d-ada7-a007fae3bf24) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7rDRiimwAk
- **2019-04-06**, The Stuff of Legend: Late 19th century Excavations at Nippur. Penn Museum on the late nineteenth-century American excavations at Nippur, which produced the largest collection of Sumerian literary tablets in the world. Much of what is known of Sumerian literature comes from this one site's school texts. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/19433d0e-9483-4f85-b539-74511943865f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuuhu6yZ7Qc
- **2019-05-07**, Ashurbanipal at Nineveh -- Archaeology Studio 039. Ashurbanipal at Nineveh and the art of his North Palace. An archive that shows only the flaying and impalement scenes reproduces Assyrian propaganda; the same reign produced the Nineveh library. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/05862bfd-ef1c-466d-8251-b04fb4b0b0ca) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnv32zfbrM4
- **2019-05-08**, Recovering Stolen Treasures from Iraq's National Museum (2003). A documentary account of the effort to recover treasures stolen from Iraq's National Museum in 2003. The investigation was led by Colonel Matthew Bogdanos of the US Marine Corps reserve, a New York prosecutor in civilian life. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/98982adf-eb55-4ff3-8c04-602671f550de) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp-bHlWbEfI
- **2019-05-08**, Assyrian Ekphrastic Poetry inspired by British Museum’s ‘I am Ashurbanipal’ exhibition.. Assyrian ekphrastic poetry written in response to the British Museum's Ashurbanipal exhibition. Descendant communities respond to these objects as heritage rather than as antiquity. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a5bc9cd4-1a70-4c6f-bc1b-84b112258cee) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_B7o2a_PLM
- **2019-05-15**, Oriental Institute Museum Tour - May 29, 2019. A walk through the Oriental Institute Museum galleries in Chicago, now ISAC. The colossal Khorsabad lamassu stands in the Mesopotamian hall. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/673806df-e451-4ac7-b5bf-7850374799c0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpCyaYmR3jc
- **2019**, Warka Mask, Iraq Museum. The Mask of Warka, roughly 3100 BC from Uruk, one of the earliest naturalistic representations of a human face. It was stolen from the Iraq Museum in 2003 and recovered. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2ff4527c-5e52-4de1-bd7e-07264c1c5371) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warka_Mask,_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, The Mask of Warka at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, back view. The Mask of Warka, roughly 3100 BC from Uruk, one of the earliest naturalistic representations of a human face. It was stolen from the Iraq Museum in 2003 and recovered. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/37700af4-85e0-431b-9dc0-b5e4ca7653a4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Mask_of_Warka_at_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_back_view.jpg
- **2019**, Various statuettes from Khafajah, Tell Asmar, Tell Agrab, and Ishchali?. Iraq Museum, Baghdad, Iraq. Statuettes of Sumerian worshippers (males and females) from Diyala Valley (Khafajah, Tell Asmar, Tell Agrab, Ishchali?), Iraq. Early Dynastic period, 2600-2370 BCE. Few came from other Mesopotamian cities such as Ur. Iraq Museum, Baghdad, Iraq. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/92091e7c-f99a-4f14-9db4-335271339bd2) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Various_statuettes_from_Khafajah,_Tell_Asmar,_Tell_Agrab,_and_Ishchali%3F._Iraq_Museum,_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Kurba'il Statue of Shalmaneser III from Fort Shalmaneser, Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dfa593df-57b8-4a40-a867-ccaaedd3fc64) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kurba%27il_Statue_of_Shalmaneser_III_from_Fort_Shalmaneser,_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Warka Vase ProtoCuneiform. Index of figurative art elements, which have proto-cuneiform equivalents after ncongruent Corpora: Writing and Art in Ancient Iraq by J. S. Cooper. Original images photographed by Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad; images were edited and annotated by user Gurdjief. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/07a04e7f-1488-41ca-b524-361804b13fb4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warka_Vase_ProtoCuneiform.jpg
- **2019**, Statues in one of the Hatra Galleries at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bf216689-71d8-4efb-a28a-ba9cac7800e7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statues_in_one_of_the_Hatra_Galleries_at_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Detail, the Queen's gold lyre from the Royal Cemetery at Ur. C. 2500 BCE. Iraq Museum. (a cast or replica, not the original object). The lyres from the Royal Cemetery at Ur, roughly 2600 BC. The wood had entirely decayed, so what Woolley recovered was the shape of a void in the soil, which he filled with plaster to lift the object. The Golden Lyre of Ur in Baghdad was damaged in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/84464ad8-5732-46e2-b4a3-c8546b1411ea) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail,_the_Queen%27s_gold_lyre_from_the_Royal_Cemetery_at_Ur._C._2500_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Sumerian Gallery of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. (a cast or replica, not the original object). The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/adea890e-e68f-4052-b8d8-55acf9a10c05) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sumerian_Gallery_of_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, One of the Hatra Halls at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/96bdb4d4-3a99-4ecb-9274-94e73c77815e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:One_of_the_Hatra_Halls_at_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Tributary procession led by Qalparunda of the Land of Unqi, detail of the throne dais of Shalmaneser III, Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c4599742-b780-4f0d-baf3-3c87a3a204ab) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tributary_procession_led_by_Qalparunda_of_the_Land_of_Unqi,_detail_of_the_throne_dais_of_Shalmaneser_III,_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Shalmaneser III, detail, south face, west end, Throne Dais of Shalmaneser III from Nimrud, Iraq. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/291ebe63-a24e-4da2-800c-1e0a367082d6) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shalmaneser_III,_detail,_south_face,_west_end,_Throne_Dais_of_Shalmaneser_III_from_Nimrud,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Babylon recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Babylon is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, after decades of failed attempts. Saddam-era reconstruction and later military damage were the main obstacles to inscription. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/073c024b-1924-43e1-9916-3528d791ebfe) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-a8Ps92t1g
- **2019**, Limestone friezes of vines from Hatra, Iraq. 2nd-3rd century CE. Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8afae1c1-08b1-4de8-98bb-60207fc06d2d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Limestone_friezes_of_vines_from_Hatra,_Iraq._2nd-3rd_century_CE._Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, The City of Babylon: Earns UNESCO recognition as World Heritage Site. Babylon earns UNESCO recognition. Inscription brings obligations of management and protection as well as status. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d3f929b5-7d06-47eb-a096-1ac8b4c5cd45) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul4faGcAY4Q
- **2019**, UNESCO Names Ancient City of Babylon a World Heritage Site. Babylon named a World Heritage Site. The city was Nebuchadnezzar II's capital and fell to Cyrus the Great in 539 BC, the closing date of the ancient half of this archive. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/54f35987-c6e3-4883-b668-f8d9b98c6a62) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYzJoAphVL8
- **2019**, Iraq's Marsh Arabs facing threats of climate change. The Marsh Arabs facing climate pressure in southern Iraq. Reduced river flow and rising salinity are now the main threat to the marshes. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1d1f4722-7131-407d-968a-05d874e88c19) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8fAcoO9yPE
- **2019**, British Museum returns looted Iraqi artefacts. The British Museum returns looted Iraqi artefacts. Museums increasingly act as identifiers and intermediaries in returns rather than as end holders. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dc8b54e9-1dbd-4750-ae66-2d94e301b294) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9Mqvz4wxEY
- **2019**, 37. Qalatga Darband, near Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Qalatga Darband, near Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b0d632bb-bf89-4355-964f-cac85def2d7b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:37._Qalatga_Darband,_near_Darband-i_Rania,_Sulaymaniyah,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2019**, Recovered Mesopotanian antiquities in Baghdad. Recovered Mesopotamian antiquities on show in Baghdad. Cylinder seals dominate the recovered material because roughly 5,000 of the 2003 losses were seals from the basement store. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e5dc0922-2a11-468b-96f4-4f35688df5c9) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUeIK-larrs
- **2019**, 39. Qalatga Darband, near Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Qalatga Darband, near Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6e191a47-e547-4787-98ec-6b396a207484) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:39._Qalatga_Darband,_near_Darband-i_Rania,_Sulaymaniyah,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2019**, Mosul museum reopens to exhibit contemporary art. The Mosul Museum reopens partially to exhibit contemporary art, before its antiquities galleries were restored. Using the shell of the wrecked building was an early step back to public life. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b87ecf9f-cca0-439e-8736-4107bfa12b5e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC7XcH0zFL8
- **2019**, Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/34b4821a-603e-42cb-b688-252749b63d92) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Darband-i_Rania,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2019**, National Museum to recover 15,000 stolen artefacts. Iraq's National Museum works to recover the roughly 15,000 artefacts stolen in 2003. The theft had three distinct profiles: about 40 major display pieces taken by people who knew exactly what to take, some 3,150 from above-ground storerooms, and around 10,000 small objects from a basement store in what looked like an inside job. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d6f5df1b-7168-4619-9e08-7508d11ae19d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfbnOYTCIUU
- **2019**, Trümmerteil mit Keilschrift. ' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8dcf4d1e-bfee-42df-b885-44551514ca11) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tr%C3%BCmmerteil_mit_Keilschrift_.jpg
- **2019**, Bassetki Statue, Akkadian period, 23rd century BCE, from Bassetki, Iraq. Iraq Museum. The name of the Akkadian king Naram-Sin appears on the statue's base. The Bassetki statue was looted somewhere between April 10-12, 2003 CE, after the fall of Saddam's regime. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bf3aad86-7d23-4a21-9e32-d72f126802e1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassetki_Statue,_Akkadian_period,_23rd_century_BCE,_from_Bassetki,_Iraq._Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Cueniform inscription on the the Bassetki statue, Akkadian period, 23rd century BCE, from Bassetki, Iraq. Iraq Museum. There is an Old Akkadian text inscribed on the upper surface of the pedestal before the left leg, which states that this statue guarded an entrance into a palace of Naram-Sin (in what we call today southern Iraq). The Bassetki statue was looted somewhere between April 10-12, 2003 CE, after the fall of Saddam's regime. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/67e24c32-7eb2-4cf7-b2a8-90a874e55f0f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cueniform_inscription_on_the_the_Bassetki_statue,_Akkadian_period,_23rd_century_BCE,_from_Bassetki,_Iraq._Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, The upper surface of Yasin Tepe ancient mound, innumerable looters' pits. Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. Looting pits at an Iraqi archaeological site. The larger loss was never the Iraq Museum: unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3054b03f-8c03-4493-88fb-5d81bf76e78a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_upper_surface_of_Yasin_Tepe_ancient_mound,_innumerable_looters%27_pits._Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2019**, Views of the ruins and markets at the mound where the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic. 01. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d305193c-760d-428e-9a5c-2b886e8f3e39) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_of_the_ruins_and_markets_at_the_mound_where_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_01.jpg
- **2019**, Views in Mosul at the base of the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic State 03. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3250c744-392a-4505-9634-7d7940be63fa) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Mosul_at_the_base_of_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_03.jpg
- **2019**, Nasiriyah Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, from Mesopotamia, Iraq, c. 2300 BCE. Iraq Museum. The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, roughly 2250 BC, now in the Louvre. Naram-Sin took the divine determinative before his name and is shown wearing the horned crown of divinity, a specific and datable claim to godhood visible on the object itself. The stele was later carried off to Susa as loot by the Elamites, an ancient displacement long predating the modern ones. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cfcf4b9b-3ebb-49f9-8df9-fd11805c0faa) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nasiriyah_Victory_Stele_of_Naram-Sin,_from_Mesopotamia,_Iraq,_c._2300_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Two lamassus at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, from the North-West Palace, Nimrud, Iraq. A lamassu, the human-headed winged bull that guarded Assyrian palace gateways. Several were carved with five legs, so the figure reads as standing when seen from the front and as walking when seen from the side. The Nergal Gate lamassu at Nineveh was destroyed in 2015. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/56173b54-6d08-4669-bf75-1391806474c3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Two_lamassus_at_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_from_the_North-West_Palace,_Nimrud,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Views in Mosul at the base of the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic State 06. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9a1aea1e-31c7-47f0-9eb9-1b6e86f7f3d0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Mosul_at_the_base_of_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_06.jpg
- **2019**, Views in Mosul at the base of the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic State 07. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/60153747-a225-4983-8548-cd0336208db7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Mosul_at_the_base_of_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_07.jpg
- **2019**, Ashurbanipal's Garden Feast, Neo-Assyrian, 7th century BC, painted urethane resin cast from plaster cast from original in British Museum - S. 01721 (a cast or replica, not the original object). Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d626bf8e-ff5d-469f-afc1-98fd5a124a67) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ashurbanipal%27s_Garden_Feast,_Neo-Assyrian,_7th_century_BC,_painted_urethane_resin_cast_from_plaster_cast_from_original_in_British_Museum_-_Semitic_Museum_-_Harvard_University_-_DSC01721.jpg
- **2019**, Views of a partially destroyed Aghawat Mosque in the old city of Mosul, in summer of 2019 after war with the Islamic State 01. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e32f6c71-2553-477f-bdb5-897732dab489) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_of_a_partially_destroyed_Aghawat_Mosque_in_the_old_city_of_Mosul,_in_summer_of_2019_after_war_with_the_Islamic_State_01.jpg
- **2019**, Front Panel, Throne Dais of Shalmaneser III at the Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fbd6b9a3-5b79-46e5-b082-97e41846b2e3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Front_Panel,_Throne_Dais_of_Shalmaneser_III_at_the_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Views of a partially destroyed Aghawat Mosque in the old city of Mosul, in summer of 2019 after war with the Islamic State 02. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5086bffb-f2e1-48a0-afa1-56ad7998c030) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_of_a_partially_destroyed_Aghawat_Mosque_in_the_old_city_of_Mosul,_in_summer_of_2019_after_war_with_the_Islamic_State_02.jpg
- **2019**, Shalmaneser III, detail of glazed wall panel from Fort Shalmaneser, Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6467f369-4382-47a9-8a30-c44b0c678d8f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shalmaneser_III,_detail_of_glazed_wall_panel_from_Fort_Shalmaneser,_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Views of a partially destroyed Aghawat Mosque in the old city of Mosul, in summer of 2019 after war with the Islamic State 03. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/10fa2d5c-0ba5-4488-84f8-c8a268e9cbbf) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_of_a_partially_destroyed_Aghawat_Mosque_in_the_old_city_of_Mosul,_in_summer_of_2019_after_war_with_the_Islamic_State_03.jpg
- **2019**, Shalmaneser III greets Marduk-zakir-shumi, detail, front panel, Throne Dais of Shalmaneser III at the Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/45c13c18-39f1-4291-aaf9-67c9f3a3f769) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shalmaneser_III_greets_Marduk-zakir-shumi,_detail,_front_panel,_Throne_Dais_of_Shalmaneser_III_at_the_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Throne dais of Shalmaneser III from Fort Shalmaneser, Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/63c9e496-f3d5-410c-b6d7-890544c2e074) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Throne_dais_of_Shalmaneser_III_from_Fort_Shalmaneser,_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Views in Mosul at the base of the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic State 01. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/aa3277c1-bad4-4bf1-958c-d14baf6a327c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Mosul_at_the_base_of_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_01.jpg
- **2019**, South Face, East End, Throne Dais of Shalmaneser III at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/44cf08bc-67d0-4efb-b670-63ab16d83d12) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:South_Face,_East_End,_Throne_Dais_of_Shalmaneser_III_at_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad.jpg
- **2019**, Views in Mosul at the base of the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic State 04. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/77290175-66bd-4673-9a7a-55e3918bbe4e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Mosul_at_the_base_of_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_04.jpg
- **2019**, Views in Mosul at the base of the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic State 08. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/16322e06-132b-46e8-9052-a5831660c889) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Mosul_at_the_base_of_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_08.jpg
- **2019**, Detail, Glazed Wall Panel from Fort Shalmaneser at Nimrud. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/73cd37eb-326f-4847-850f-f1ac71b1ef24) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail,_Glazed_Wall_Panel_from_Fort_Shalmaneser_at_Nimrud.jpg
- **2019**, Behistun relief. The Behistun inscription, carved for Darius I around 520 BC in Old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian. It is the Rosetta Stone of cuneiform, and the comparison is fair. Old Persian was cracked first because it is nearly alphabetic, and Akkadian was cracked afterwards using it as the key. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b0f52c71-8745-4c57-b196-ee783758ca7e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Behistun_relief.jpg
- **2019**, Views in Mosul at the base of the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic State 09. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c3527f10-1751-4adc-9258-085dc161186a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Mosul_at_the_base_of_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_09.jpg
- **2019**, Detail. Stele of king Ashurnasirpal II, from Assur, Iraq. 8th century BCE. Pergamon Museum. Limestone stele of the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, 883-859 BCE. From From the Rows of Stelae (Stelenreihen) at Assur (Ashur), Iraq. Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/023ce17b-f206-481c-bc9a-0f0d15020b41) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail._Stele_of_king_Ashurnasirpal_II,_from_Assur,_Iraq._8th_century_BCE._Pergamon_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Views in Mosul at the base of the Shrine of Nebi Yunis was built, in summer of 2019 after its destruction by the Islamic State 10. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/78e2819f-29c7-4b15-ab73-bfa5f2056be7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Mosul_at_the_base_of_the_Shrine_of_Nebi_Yunis_was_built,_in_summer_of_2019_after_its_destruction_by_the_Islamic_State_10.jpg
- **2019**, The Assyrian gallery at the Iraq Museum. A lamassu, the human-headed winged bull that guarded Assyrian palace gateways. Several were carved with five legs, so the figure reads as standing when seen from the front and as walking when seen from the side. The Nergal Gate lamassu at Nineveh was destroyed in 2015. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/43bb06ab-5a78-4f6c-b46b-03c9eb70ce7c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Assyrian_gallery_at_the_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Detail. Upper part of the body of a human-headed and winged apkallu. He wears a diadem with a rosette. From the North-West Palace, Nimrud, I. 9th century BCE. Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/74b9ddee-e3b9-48ff-9982-ea9bad23a82e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail._Upper_part_of_the_body_of_a_human-headed_and_winged_apkallu._He_wears_a_diadem_with_a_rosette._From_the_North-West_Palace,_Nimrud,_Iraq._9th_century_BCE._Pergamon_Museum,_Berlin,_Germany.jpg
- **2019**, Stele of Adad-bel ukin, governor of Libbi-ali, Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta, Ekallatum, Itu, and Ruqahu. From Assur, Iraq. 780 BCE. Pergamon Museum. Detail (showing the cuneiform inscription) of the gypsum stele of Adad-bel ukin, governor of the cities of Libbi-ali (Assur), Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta (modern Tulul ul Aqar), Ekallatum, Itu, and Ruhaqu. From the Rows of Stelae (Stelenreihen) at Assur, Iraq. 780 BCE. Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/032e41d6-789c-4405-8040-8585cfa63569) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stele_of_Adad-bel_ukin,_governor_of_Libbi-ali,_Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta,_Ekallatum,_Itu,_and_Ruqahu._From_Assur,_Iraq._780_BCE._Pergamon_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Old-Babylonian Gallery of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f52fc29d-ee96-4e2f-95c1-e9579c51b72e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old-Babylonian_Gallery_of_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Prehistory Gallery, re-named Behnam Abu Alsoof Gallery, Iraq Museum, Baghdad. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/af08f15d-2ce0-4db3-a72c-ce5532cd4a32) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prehistory_Gallery,_re-named_Behnam_Abu_Alsoof_Gallery,_Iraq_Museum,_Baghdad.jpg
- **2019**, Ashteroth 1. This is an Assyrian wall panel of the people of Ashteroth in Bashan, Gilead in ancient Israel being exiled to Assyria in 730/727 BC by Tiglath-pileser. It is in the Assyrian section of the British Museum in London. Ashtaroth is written in cuneiform on the top. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c03c715b-8d2f-42d3-b473-df498960d328) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ashteroth_1.jpg
- **2019**, Ashteroth. This is an Assyrian wall panel of the people of Ashteroth in Bashan, Gilead in ancient Israel being exiled to Assyria in 732/727 BC by Tiglath-pileser III (2 Kings 15:29). It is in the Assyrian section of the British Museum in London, UK. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4361d8fb-b481-4caa-95cf-f081543001ce) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ashteroth.jpg
- **2019**, Courtyard of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7571704c-0ad0-41cc-93ef-e8f8757b503b) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Courtyard_of_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Ashteroth 3. This is an Assyrian wall panel of the people of Ashteroth in Bashan, Gilead in ancient Israel being exiled to Assyria in 730/727 BC by Tiglath-pileser. It is in the Assyrian section of the British Museum in London. Assyrian palace reliefs record conquest in detail, but their reputation for unique brutality is an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation. The Assyrians carved their campaigns in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b928f0f9-44ca-4c0e-b2e4-d5a4a7cfd2fb) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ashteroth_3.jpg
- **2019**, Prehistory Hall, the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bb383327-d79d-410c-9c62-aeeb35f98a5a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prehistory_Hall,_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Various inscribed bricks from Mesopotamia, Iraq. Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ccd574b2-ee08-49bf-a91a-adf993c93e49) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Various_inscribed_bricks_from_Mesopotamia,_Iraq._Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, The Hall of Nimrud Ivories at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. The Nimrud ivories, carved furniture inlays from the Northwest Palace, many showing Phoenician and Egyptianising styles that arrived as tribute or loot. A large part of the collection was stored in the Iraq Museum basement and suffered water damage. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/30ea4562-b9dc-4b5c-bc7a-75570be5c246) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Hall_of_Nimrud_Ivories_at_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Detail, Nebuchadnezzar II's Building Inscription plaque of the Ishtar Gate, from Babylon, Iraq. 6th century BCE. Pergamon Museum, Berlin. The Ishtar Gate of Nebuchadnezzar II's Babylon, glazed brick with lions, aurochs and the mushhushshu dragon of Marduk. The reconstruction in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is assembled from excavated fragments shipped out by Robert Koldewey's expedition, so the most famous view of Babylon is in Germany. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c3fa38de-0a2d-45b8-a130-853e54d3c988) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail,_Nebuchadnezzar_II%27s_Building_Inscription_plaque_of_the_Ishtar_Gate,_from_Babylon,_Iraq._6th_century_BCE._Pergamon_Museum,_Berlin.jpg
- **2019**, Excavations of a Neo-Assyrian fortress, at Usu Aska, Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. Excavations at Usu Aska of Darband-i Rania, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. A Neo-Assyrian fortress, probably 7th century BCE, has been unearthed by a British Museum team headed by Dr. John MacGinnis. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1ab97793-5149-4388-8365-45b292e8ac4d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Excavations_of_a_Neo-Assyrian_fortress,_at_Usu_Aska,_Darband-i_Rania,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2019**, A collection of Old-Babylonian terracotta plaques from Mesopotamia, Iraq. Iraq Museum, Baghdad. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/880b3585-8406-40ec-9214-55d47a55a658) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_collection_of_Old-Babylonian_terracotta_plaques_from_Mesopotamia,_Iraq._Iraq_Museum,_Baghdad.jpg
- **2019**, 1st-millennium BCE grave, Yasin Tepe, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq. 1st-millennium BCE grave at Yasin Tepe, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq. Probably Neo-Assyrian. The content of the grave, such as the coffin, is in the Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/08d196bd-7e00-44ad-9662-d239e4814dc7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1st-millennium_BCE_grave,_Yasin_Tepe,_Shahrizor_Plain,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Excavations. Qalat-i Dinka, part of the Peshder Plane Project, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. Excavation at Qalat-i Dinka, the Peshder Plane Project, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. The remains of the unearthed building appear to be Neo-Assyrian. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7fe34750-7fc8-445a-a4e6-e581b3ab4d7c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Excavations._Qalat-i_Dinka,_part_of_the_Peshder_Plane_Project,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2019**, Excavations, Sept. 26, 2019, Qalat-i Dinka, Peshder Plane Project, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. Excavation at Qalat-i Dinka, the Peshder Plane Project, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan. The remains of the unearthed building appear to be Neo-Assyrian. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3c5927ca-6fd2-434c-a4e8-66ee882a8fe0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Excavations,_Sept._26,_2019,_Qalat-i_Dinka,_Peshder_Plane_Project,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2019**, Istanbul Ancient Orient Museum Neo-Assyrian plaques on Balawat gate in 2019 09 2201. Bronze plaques for door plating, Shalmanaeser III Period. Wikipedia: Shalmaneser III (Šulmānu-ašarēdu, "the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent") was king of Assyria (859–824 BC), and son of the previous ruler, Ashurnasirpal II. The scenes are the usual: king in chariot, archers, people carrying booty and the like. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/caa2ea51-31e2-43b9-be6c-9ad000a8c0fe) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Istanbul_Ancient_Orient_Museum_Neo-Assyrian_plaques_on_Balawat_gate_in_2019_09_2201.jpg
- **2019**, French Excavations at Tell Kunara. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300 to 2000 BCE, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Republic of Iraq. Oct 2019. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c62d48a0-6a24-4c21-9169-b89b44889fa3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_Excavations_at_Tell_Kunara._Akkadian-Lullubian,_2300_to_2000_BCE,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Republic_of_Iraq._Oct_2019.jpg
- **2019**, Istanbul Ancient Orient Museum Neo-Assyrian plaques on Balawat gate in 2019 12 2204. Bronze plaques for door plating, Shalmanaeser III Period. Wikipedia: Shalmaneser III (Šulmānu-ašarēdu, "the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent") was king of Assyria (859–824 BC), and son of the previous ruler, Ashurnasirpal II. The scenes are the usual: king in chariot, archers, people carrying booty and the like. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e3e4c739-784a-4927-9f4a-3acf97fa3cba) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Istanbul_Ancient_Orient_Museum_Neo-Assyrian_plaques_on_Balawat_gate_in_2019_12_2204.jpg
- **2019**, French team Excavations at Tell Kunara. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300-2000 BCE. Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Republic of Iraq. October 2019. French Excavations at Tell Kunara. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300-2000 BCE. Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Republic of Iraq. October 2019. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/32dc79c0-1e7e-4a5d-9fec-c1b3d78c4e02) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_team_Excavations_at_Tell_Kunara._Akkadian-Lullubian,_2300-2000_BCE._Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Republic_of_Iraq._October_2019.jpg
- **2019**, Courtyard beside the entrance to the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/42309481-8d72-480c-a9b3-8026fc4fd4c1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Courtyard_beside_the_entrance_to_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad.jpg
- **2019**, French Excavations at Tell Kunara. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300-2000 BCE. Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Republic of Iraq, Oct 2019. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/03e4b5eb-5efd-4a3e-8462-db0f99ee7d94) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_Excavations_at_Tell_Kunara._Akkadian-Lullubian,_2300-2000_BCE._Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Republic_of_Iraq,_Oct_2019.jpg
- **2019**, Shanidar I skull and skeleton, c. 60,000 to 45,00o BCE. Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4f0d4e12-789c-4f73-b16b-20bd5fc2f09e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shanidar_I_skull_and_skeleton,_c._60,000_to_45,00o_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Nanni Moretti - primo piano, 2019. The tablet of Nanni to Ea-nasir, roughly 1750 BC from Ur, complaining about substandard copper. It is the oldest known customer complaint and a legitimate way into the enormous world of Mesopotamian commercial correspondence, which is most of what survives. British Museum. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cbb911f5-0c38-4835-bcd5-3a03e3a2ea07) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nanni_Moretti_-_primo_piano,_2019.jpg
- **2019**, Detail, door-hinge, inscribed with the name of Entemena of Lagash, c. 2400 BCE, from Iraq. Pergamon Museum. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5f9989c6-fb47-41d6-a2f1-c23161ec5bf8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detail,_door-hinge,_inscribed_with_the_name_of_Entemena_of_Lagash,_c._2400_BCE,_from_Iraq._Pergamon_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, French Excavations at Tell Kunara. Akkadian to Lullubian, 2300 to 2000 BCE. Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Republic of Iraq. October 2019. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8ce9b5bf-24cf-4767-8812-4f85a2d8dc13) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_Excavations_at_Tell_Kunara._Akkadian_to_Lullubian,_2300_to_2000_BCE._Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Republic_of_Iraq._October_2019.jpg
- **2019**, One of the Hatra Galleries at the Iraq Museum in Baghdad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b4176847-02e6-4e66-a7ee-5e0555aa1143) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:One_of_the_Hatra_Galleries_at_the_Iraq_Museum_in_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Gilgamesh and Enkidu slaying Humbaba at the Cedar Forest. From Iraq; purchase. 19th-17th century BCE. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/59a9cfac-2a2c-4460-b03a-f365e1a442a4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gilgamesh_and_Enkidu_slaying_Humbaba_at_the_Cedar_Forest._From_Iraq;_purchase._19th-17th_century_BCE._Vorderasiatisches_Museum,_Berlin.jpg
- **2019**, God Ea (Sumerian Enki) with fish-cloaked apkallus. Basalt water basin for religious purification from Assur, Iraq. Reign of Sennacherib, 7th [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/990a2029-4076-46ca-963e-83b3b557ea8f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:God_Ea_(Sumerian_Enki)_with_fish-cloaked_apkallus._Basalt_water_basin_for_religious_purification_from_Assur,_Iraq._Reign_of_Sennacherib,_7th_century_BCE._Pergamon_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Table au Lion Bilingual Linear Elamite and Akkadian Louvre Museum. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/10853a2f-0ef6-4f83-b2a9-0fee2089ccbc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Table_au_Lion_Bilingual_Linear_Elamite_and_Akkadian_Louvre_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Ishtar Temple foundation limestone slab of Tukulti-Ninurta I, 13th century BCE, from Assur, Iraq. Pergamon Museum, Berlin. Ishtar Temple's foundation limestone slab (about 4 tons) of Tukulti-Ninurta I, r. 1243-1207 BCE. The upper surface is incised with a cuneiform text. From Assur, Iraq. Pergamon Museum, Berlin, Germany. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/73df6183-1ea1-4f16-9225-5c6ec5fdbef3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ishtar_Temple_foundation_limestone_slab_of_Tukulti-Ninurta_I,_13th_century_BCE,_from_Assur,_Iraq._Pergamon_Museum,_Berlin.jpg
- **2019**, Assyrian archers attacking a city. From Khorsabad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/375c4da7-ba02-4185-8c85-d223865ab47f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assyrian_archers_attacking_a_city._From_Khorsabad,_Iraq._The_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery 2019 078. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/267aece5-1e58-4809-98a4-1a1d484dd036) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gwynedd_Museum_and_Art_Gallery_2019_078.jpg
- **2019**, Tomb, opened. Excavations at Yasin Tepe, Sualymaniayh, Shahrizor Plain, Iraq. Excavations at Yasin Tepe, Sualymaniayh, Shahrizor Plain, Iraq. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d188b751-5fb1-4d00-b7c0-afa33d489b9e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tomb,_opened._Excavations_at_Yasin_Tepe,_Sualymaniayh,_Shahrizor_Plain,_Iraq.jpg
- **2019**, Assyrian war chariot, from Khorsabad, Iraq. The Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/050bbe0a-4263-43f7-8589-e2fb4b6cd6dc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assyrian_war_chariot,_from_Khorsabad,_Iraq._The_Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019**, Sumerian votive wall plaque with 3 registers and a cuneiform text, from Khafajah, Iraq, c. 2600-2370 BCE. Iraq Museum. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c1e21e23-36c1-4aa5-9169-8e0ef0a59491) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sumerian_votive_wall_plaque_with_3_registers_and_a_cuneiform_text,_from_Khafajah,_Iraq,_c._2600-2370_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg
- **2019-07-02**, Sennacherib Archaeological Park - Khinis. The Sennacherib Archaeological Park at Khinis in Iraqi Kurdistan. The canal head, the reliefs and the aqueduct at Jerwan form one hydraulic scheme of the early seventh century BC. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fa6f0e2c-e94c-4360-898d-f410817e73b1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiTWXI1if6c
- **2019-07-06**, Room 9: Assyria: Nineveh. Room 9, the Nineveh gallery. Nineveh was Sennacherib's capital and later Ashurbanipal's, and the mound of Kuyunjik yielded both the palace reliefs and the tablet library. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0ff89525-66b0-45de-96d3-fb32f3da2442) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep_aow7snRU
- **2019-07-06**, Room 56: Mesopotamia 6000–1500 BC. Room 56, the British Museum's Mesopotamia gallery covering roughly 6000 to 1500 BC. It holds the Standard of Ur, the Ram in a Thicket and the Uruk Trough, so a single room spans the appearance of cities, writing and monumental art. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1a2d9edb-bb1f-4d2e-9044-661eadf7a999) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPzmfLXl0pg
- **2019-07-06**, Room 8: Assyria: Nimrud, Pt. 2. Room 8, the second Nimrud gallery. Nineteenth-century partage split the material between London and many other collections, a dispersal the repatriation debate criticises and which is also the reason the reliefs still exist. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/260f80e8-4a1c-44a1-837e-e6f0fe626661) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mlP5Gnatds
- **2019-07-06**, Room 10a: Assyria: Lion Hunts. Room 10a of the British Museum, the Assyrian lion hunt gallery. The reliefs came from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh and were shipped to London in the nineteenth century, which is why the finest surviving Assyrian carving is in Bloomsbury. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/76c0bf26-760a-42d2-b511-03f87936a540) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_LYg5VyavU
- **2019-07-06**, Room 10c: Assyria: Khorsabad. Room 10c, Khorsabad material in the British Museum. Khorsabad is Dur-Sharrukin, the city Sargon II built from nothing and which was largely abandoned after his death; its sculpture is now split between London, Paris and Chicago. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a5344811-8123-41a9-a009-7e1d98c4cc5b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXr-Rc4XR_M
- **2019-07-06**, Room 7: Assyria: Nimrud, Pt. 1. Room 7, the first of the British Museum's Nimrud galleries. Nimrud is Kalhu, Ashurnasirpal II's capital, and its Northwest Palace reliefs were dispersed to museums worldwide in the nineteenth century, which is why they survived the 2015 demolition of the site. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/afc793dd-11aa-421a-9b31-7ad4433a25ea) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lvt_DPXayE
- **2019-07-06**, Room 10b: Assyria: Siege of Lachish. Room 10b, the Lachish reliefs from Sennacherib's Southwest Palace at Nineveh. They show the siege of a Judaean city in 701 BC and are one of the rare cases where an Assyrian visual account and a biblical account describe the same event from opposite sides. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b2baaeab-2eaf-4c75-897d-5389bcad79d5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHwW6iYBNv8
- **2019-07-06**, Room 6: Assyrian Sculpture and Balawat Gates. Room 6, Assyrian sculpture and the Balawat Gates. The gates are bronze bands that sheathed the wooden doors of Shalmaneser III's gateway, embossed with campaign scenes; the wood is long gone and the bronze survives. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bf6bbf11-bca2-4bc3-81cd-50378bd6a2ea) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnbn12QXntA
- **2019-07-24**, Cracking Ancient Codes: Cuneiform Writing - with Irving Finkel. Irving Finkel at the Royal Institution on how cuneiform was cracked. The decipherment ran through Grotefend's guesses at Old Persian and Rawlinson's copying of the trilingual Behistun inscription, and was tested in 1857 when four scholars independently translated the same unseen text. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/28149b1e-4c34-4fdb-a30f-c38b4e183908) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfYYraMgiBA
- **2019-07-31**, L'Œuvre en scène : Ur-Ningirsu, un prince sumérien de retour à Paris. The Louvre presents Ur-Ningirsu, a Sumerian prince of Lagash and son of Gudea. The Gudea corpus in diorite came from Girsu, modern Tello, excavated by Ernest de Sarzec from 1877. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9829d9f7-fbed-470c-8c30-d75c8caa9687) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbka8-CKAW8
- **2019-08-15**, (AV17210) The Looting of the Iraq Museum and Cultural Property at War. A lecture on the looting of the Iraq Museum and cultural property in wartime. The initial figure of over 170,000 objects came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene, compounded by empty display cases whose contents staff had removed before the First Gulf War. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1f94c78c-03e4-4584-a35f-b297837172d2) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aANQ-XchLdM
- **2019-09-10**, Jerwan Lato Nord Iscrizione 2. An inscription on the north side of the Jerwan aqueduct. Sennacherib recorded his waterworks in building inscriptions, in contrast with Nebuchadnezzar's silence about any gardens at Babylon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8e8e8649-9ed6-475d-92c3-dca32b9fd02a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spozDuichCw
- **2019-09-10**, Jerwan Lato Sud Iscrizione 4. A second inscription at Jerwan, on the south side. The aqueduct is one of the earliest known stone bridge-aqueducts anywhere. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a50fdc99-f108-4506-8585-71ddb0476ed0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL5hqIf4Blo
- **2019-09-16**, The Poor Man of Nippur and the Mayor’s House [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5430d855-9191-4aec-838e-b98d7c7c426f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvzPVQZgVv0
- **2019-09-23**, How Politics and Archaeology Intersect In Iraq: Christopher Woods, Dir. of The Oriental Institute. Christopher Woods on how politics and archaeology intersect in Iraq. Foreign missions operate under Iraqi permits and Iraqi law, and that has been true since 1936. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a6545bdb-da2a-4678-8d3a-b850c6c09dd8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77XLy7rnrMA
- **2019-10-03**, French Excavations at Tell Kunara. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300-2000 BCE, Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Republic of Iraq. 3 October 2019. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/70c043b2-7327-41a6-b14d-91c6c296158d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:French_Excavations_at_Tell_Kunara._Akkadian-Lullubian,_2300-2000_BCE,_Sulaymaniyah_Governorate,_Republic_of_Iraq._3_October_2019.jpg
- **2019-10-03**, Foundation-walls. Excavations at Tell Kunara. October 3, 2019. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300-2000 BCE. Sulaymaniyah, Republic of Iraq. Excavations at Tell Kunara. October 3, 2019. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300-2000 BCE. Sulaymaniyah, Republic of Iraq. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b57c41ba-a279-48f8-8182-50b3e902d7be) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foundation-walls._Excavations_at_Tell_Kunara._October_3,_2019._Akkadian-Lullubian,_2300-2000_BCE._Sulaymaniyah,_Republic_of_Iraq.jpg
- **2019-10-03**, Pottery fragment. Excavations at Tell Kunara. October 3, 2019. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300-2000 BCE. Sulaymaniyah, Republic of Iraq. Excavations at Tell Kunara. October 3, 2019. Akkadian-Lullubian, 2300-2000 BCE. Sulaymaniyah, Republic of Iraq. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d10771df-8414-4d0c-b988-f4926fafcd11) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pottery_fragment._Excavations_at_Tell_Kunara._October_3,_2019._Akkadian-Lullubian,_2300-2000_BCE._Sulaymaniyah,_Republic_of_Iraq.jpg
- **2019-10-07**, Investigating Continuous Archaeological Landscapes of Northern Mesopotamia. A lecture on continuous archaeological landscapes in northern Mesopotamia. Landscape archaeology reads canals, field systems and roads rather than individual sites. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/74b6ea3d-2a40-41a5-b996-b51addbe2e60) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75y4FZ3s7Uo
- **2019-10-08**, The Poor Man of Nippur as a work of literature. The Poor Man of Nippur considered as a work of literature. Mesopotamian narrative includes comic and satirical registers that rarely reach general audiences. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/87d790c7-3285-44a5-b818-5f1ffce7a5ca) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4BinlBgdFc
- **2019-10-15**, AN EXCEPTIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY IN THE DUHOK REGION THE ASSYRIAN ROCK RELIEFS IN FAIDA. Assyrian rock reliefs recorded at Faida in the Duhok region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Faida panels line an ancient irrigation canal and show deities on their animals, carved into the rock rather than into palace walls. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/05bf22c2-9efc-4bf2-9f06-ce6bbdde053f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obxXhJ41QE8
- **2019-11-06**, McGuire Gibson \| The OI in Iraq. McGuire Gibson on the Oriental Institute's long record of fieldwork in Iraq. Chicago's expeditions produced the Tell Asmar hoard and the Khorsabad material now in its galleries. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/38416e68-c5de-4668-b1fd-34d4abfe8b56) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83dfycHdDYA
- **2019-11-14**, Penn Museum's Transformation Revealed. The Penn Museum's Middle East Galleries reopening after redesign. The galleries organise the Ur, Nippur and Iraq material around the emergence of cities. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/30bcb02e-70e2-47fc-b341-b70d9efdec15) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8rw3LpuNzw
- **2019-12-13**, Cuneiform Discoveries from Ancient Babylon. 's tablets include astronomical diaries recording observations across centuries, the longest continuous scientific record from the ancient world. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/55c1bac0-3709-4f68-958e-f22d1eeda618) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px3WP_r71kw
### 2020
- **2020-02-14**, Reaching a milestone to Revive the Spirit of Mosul. UNESCO reaches a milestone in the Revive the Spirit of Mosul programme. The initiative covers the al-Nuri Mosque and its leaning al-Hadba minaret, churches and heritage houses as well as the museum. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9b526698-5e11-4c87-9340-5782c278d244) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0OmlvfDOLU
- **2020-02-24**, Helping Recover and Preserve Cultural Heritage in Iraq. Smithsonian work to help recover and preserve cultural heritage in Iraq. The Smithsonian has been a principal partner at Nimrud and at the Mosul Museum. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/208bbbbf-5f27-418a-bb11-fb4d137e618f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oVk9PKYKLY
- **2020-02-25**, Hatra, un patrimonio artistico e archeologico a rischio. Hatra as an artistic and archaeological heritage at risk. Italian missions have worked in northern Iraq for decades and carried out much of the assessment. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/23ffbcdc-cc25-4ee8-a928-881c8d843d70) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMtzTAymFdU
- **2020-03-04**, Martha Roth \| On Judicial Violence in Mesopotamia: The Problem of An Eye For An Eye. Martha Roth on judicial violence in Mesopotamia and the problem of an eye for an eye. Retaliation clauses are a minority of Hammurabi's roughly 282 provisions and are class-stratified: in kind between free men of standing, in silver for a commoner or a slave. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/913bc6ce-8f61-43fc-a404-efcfabe65319) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhlx1CPVRnc
- **2020-03-06**, Khorsabad, une passion française. Khorsabad and the French passion for it. Paul-Emile Botta dug Khorsabad from 1843 for France, and Victor Place followed; a large consignment of their finds sank in the Tigris and was never recovered. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bb4c6648-858e-4b91-9c95-f157dcdf4555) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPE4GeGXJYM
- **2020-03-25**, Making a 9th century Iraqi lustreware bowl replica. Making a replica of a ninth-century Iraqi lustreware bowl at the British Museum. Craft reconstruction recovers the sequence of operations that a finished object conceals. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ab64cc14-2174-4f9e-b1e0-cb91d8ce532d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2uuv5ZQxz0
- **2020-04-13**, The Descent of Ishtar and the Epic of Gilgamesh with Niek Veldhuis. Niek Veldhuis on the Descent of Ishtar and the Epic of Gilgamesh. The Descent survives in both Sumerian and Akkadian versions that differ substantially, so translation choices carry real interpretive weight. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/94f6641a-f789-4807-a211-2c0efe304358) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q1Ab7miN7Q
- **2020-04-16**, Allein im Museum \| Vorderasiatisches Museum mit Barbara Helwing. Barbara Helwing walks an empty Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin. The collection holds the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way material from Koldewey's Babylon excavations, and the Pergamon has been closed in phases for long-term renovation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a2abcf4b-b65a-4847-be1b-f4df480d015b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRzFr6WdyBc
- **2020-04-24**, Allein im Museum \| Pergamonmuseum. Das Panorama mit Martin Maischberger. Martin Maischberger alone in the Pergamonmuseum with the panorama. Berlin's Mesopotamian holdings came out of the German Oriental Society's excavations at Babylon and Assur under Koldewey and Walter Andrae. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a8c2455e-3c69-4c68-a672-1fc0c7af1d97) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njDPG-75pv0
- **2020-05-15**, Specimen Spotlight @ YPM: Cuneiform Tablet. A cuneiform tablet from the Yale Peabody Museum. The Yale Babylonian Collection holds around 45,000 items and shares its data with other digital cuneiform projects including CDLI. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/03fea935-1bcb-43d8-9cef-aa541654b786) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H9MhPomeqY
- **2020**, Girsu Gudea the Constructor. Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cf892ddb-a0d0-45bd-b962-d35a15a930f3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Girsu_Gudea_the_Constructor.jpg
- **2020**, Warka vase (360). The Warka Vase, roughly 3200 to 3000 BC from Uruk, is the earliest surviving large carved stone ritual vessel. It was looted from the Iraq Museum in 2003 and returned broken during the amnesty programme. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9c4d354f-2d47-4e11-b728-e52e3c9bb8f7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warka_vase_(360).jpg
- **2020**, Bagues en or de Puabi. Queen Puabi, also read Shub-ad, was buried at Ur around 2600 BC with attendants. Woolley's account of a gentle poisoning has been overturned: the 2009 to 2011 Penn CT work found perimortem blunt-force trauma, plus heat and mercury treatment indicating the bodies were preserved and displayed. No cup was ever chemically tested. Human sacrifice at Ur is better supported than ever; Woolley's manner of it is not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6d7e0bd7-4cb0-4e11-8a6f-80ec4db7934e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bagues_en_or_de_Puabi.jpg
- **2020**, Nude bearded hero wrestling with water buffalo, bull man fighting lion, Mesopotamia, Akkadian period, c. 2334-2154 BC, serpentine cylinder s. & Museum - New York City - DSC06594. Exhibit in the Morgan Library Museum - New York City, New York, USA. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/159038f2-79dc-4965-b858-fe26911ad5a3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nude_bearded_hero_wrestling_with_water_buffalo,_bull_man_fighting_lion,_Mesopotamia,_Akkadian_period,_c._2334-2154_BC,_serpentine_cylinder_seal_-_Morgan_Library_%26_Museum_-_New_York_City_-_DSC06594.jpg
- **2020**, Ama usumgal Dumuzi et quatre quadrupèdes. A bull man attacks four quadrupeds. We see the inscription Ama-Ushumgal (𒀭𒂼𒃲𒁔 d ama-ušumgal ), namesake of the mythical king or shepherd Dumuzi. Archaic dynasty II. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/df17c807-3874-4090-9039-f3938f7a86b0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ama_usumgal_Dumuzi_et_quatre_quadrup%C3%A8des.jpg
- **2020**, Sceau Djemdet Nasr potieres et araignees AO 5371. Cylinder seal, pink limestone, schematic decoration: potters at work and "spiders". Jemdet-Nasr period, c. 3000 BC. AO 5371. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d9c33ee9-5ff3-4bfd-9802-a17e5831ec8e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sceau_Djemdet_Nasr_potieres_et_araignees_AO_5371.jpg
- **2020**, Hero pursuing two ostriches, Mesopotamia, Middle Assyrian period, c. 12th-11th century BC, marble cylinder seal - Morgan Library & Museum -. 06607. Exhibit in the Morgan Library Museum - New York City, New York, USA. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ab34a7af-ad4f-46e8-8d9f-91bae122df62) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hero_pursuing_two_ostriches,_Mesopotamia,_Middle_Assyrian_period,_c._12th-11th_century_BC,_marble_cylinder_seal_-_Morgan_Library_%26_Museum_-_New_York_City_-_DSC06607.jpg
- **2020**, Sceau culte Assur Ishtar AO 1510. Cylinder seal and modern impression, chalcedony: scene of worship to Ashur and Ishtar, standing on two dragons. Neo-Assyrian period (c. 934-609 BC). AO 1510 https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010139908. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/82344675-1422-483a-93dd-fbe5247970ff) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sceau_culte_Assur_Ishtar_AO_1510.jpg
- **2020**, Golden dagger and sheath - Ur RT. Gold dagger and scabbard, from the royal tomb of Ur PG 580, grave of A'anepada, son of Mesanepada. v. 2550-2400 BC AD. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f02a019f-f1ba-495d-9d80-c98d0032f51c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Golden_dagger_and_sheath_-_Ur_RT.jpg
- **2020**, Sceau Ilishimani AO 7160. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6e19770a-3e2c-4f74-9225-10fc57d2f8f0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sceau_Ilishimani_AO_7160.jpg
- **2020**, Warka interior. Wnętrze kościoła Matki Bożej Szkaplerznej w Warce. Zdjęcie w kierunku głównego ołtarza. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9e0fa39c-3391-431a-a908-7244c30faf11) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Warka_interior.jpg
- **2020**, Sceau genie deesse ailee AO 22343. Carnelian cylinder seal with modern print: winged genie holding two winged monsters, and naked winged goddess. Neo-Assyrian period (c. 934-609 BC). AO 22343. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5729353f-b309-4689-b467-576c0731c1dc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sceau_genie_deesse_ailee_AO_22343.jpg
- **2020**, Clou de fondation du temple de ningirsu. Foundation nail of the temple of Ningirsu in Lagash. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8c223db5-c53d-445a-b6d5-5e077d71987d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clou_de_fondation_du_temple_de_ningirsu.jpg
- **2020**, Sceau scene de presentation neo sumerien AO15419. Chlorite cylinder seal belonging to a scribe, with modern imprint, depicting a scene of presentation to a goddess. Neo-Sumerian period (c. 2150-2000 BC), Girsu (Tello). AO 15419. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/088b0011-8349-4a17-bc2a-d52265ef080a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sceau_scene_de_presentation_neo_sumerien_AO15419.jpg
- **2020**, PlacaCuadradaTemploIshtarKidmuriNimrud. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2201d6dc-8e5a-4abb-895d-d2a552544e8c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PlacaCuadradaTemploIshtarKidmuriNimrud.jpg
- **2020**, AccesorioMueblesNimrud. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3075dfe7-3dec-4baf-904a-f360b7e6ea65) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AccesorioMueblesNimrud.jpg
- **2020**, PieDeTrípodePalacioNoroesteNimrud. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0b4cfc88-ed96-4fd7-9457-fce427d35639) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PieDeTr%C3%ADpodePalacioNoroesteNimrud.jpg
- **2020**, Youth recreate Iraq's ancient Nineveh in VR technology. Young people in Iraq recreate ancient Nineveh in virtual reality. Digital reconstruction has become a way for Iraqis to work on their own heritage without waiting for physical restoration. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0bafaeab-f88c-4170-a4aa-7034c731aad9) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBdkYhkuj3E
- **2020**, ‘Artefact detectives’ in Iraq aim to end the theft of their history. Iraqi artefact detectives working to end the theft of their own history. Enforcement inside Iraq is the part of the story that repatriation ceremonies abroad tend to obscure. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/06faf2b8-6ed2-4529-a240-fbbb56bcf588) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Wyss_hkTA
- **2020**, Jewish delegation to Shalmaneser III on the Black Obelisk, circa 840 BCE. The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, ninth century BC, from Nimrud. It carries what is generally identified as the earliest surviving depiction of an Israelite king, named as Jehu son of Omri, making it a rare point where the Assyrian record and the biblical narrative touch on a named individual. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0112f963-b7d9-4a3f-82d3-394a78627a43) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jewish_delegation_to_Shalmaneser_III_on_the_Black_Obelisk,_circa_840_BCE.jpg
- **2020**, 3000 year-old Nimrud still lies in destruction. Nimrud five years on, still in ruins. Because of nineteenth-century partage, major Nimrud reliefs survive in London, New York and Boston, so the dispersal criticised by the repatriation debate is also why the material exists at all. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ff642e5d-60c5-476e-ac9f-a1946ac872e6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KubtlEdw_E8
- **2020**, Stele of the Vultures in the Louvre Museum (enhanced composite). The Stele of the Vultures, roughly 2450 BC, recording Eannatum of Lagash's victory over Umma. It is among the earliest surviving narrative reliefs and one of the earliest depictions of organised warfare. Louvre, from Girsu. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3dd7d94d-72f6-41a5-9b47-3670d2659147) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stele_of_the_Vultures_in_the_Louvre_Museum_(enhanced_composite).jpg
- **2020**, Clay tablet. The story of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave, Old-Babylonian period, from southern Iraq. Sulaymaniyah Museum, Iraqi Kurdistan. The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0631199a-b1cd-4a8a-9a0b-d57bafe09bd1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clay_tablet._The_story_of_Lugalbanda_in_the_Mountain_Cave,_Old-Babylonian_period,_from_southern_Iraq._Sulaymaniyah_Museum,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2020**, Battle of Ulai, Elam, 653 BCE, British Museum. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/34cadcd7-18e7-440c-a678-cd1aa6e3baaf) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Ulai,_Elam,_653_BCE,_British_Museum.jpg
- **2020**, Naram-Sin inscription AO6782 (further stitched). The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin, roughly 2250 BC, now in the Louvre. Naram-Sin took the divine determinative before his name and is shown wearing the horned crown of divinity, a specific and datable claim to godhood visible on the object itself. The stele was later carried off to Susa as loot by the Elamites, an ancient displacement long predating the modern ones. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/817e8059-4a44-42cf-99a9-7649ce93fa41) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naram-Sin_inscription_AO6782_(further_stitched).jpg
- **2020**, Mace dedicated to Gigamesh-AO 3761 with transcription of the name Gilgamesh. Mace dedicated to Gigamesh- Musée du Louvre, département des Antiquités orientales, AO 3761 with transcription of the name Gilgamesh. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d5c5eb5f-7d2f-465f-bf70-ef35ef820ec0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mace_dedicated_to_Gigamesh-AO_3761_with_transcription_of_the_name_Gilgamesh.jpg
- **2020-06-26**, Combatting Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property during COVID-19 - illicit excavations and online. UNESCO on combating illicit trafficking of cultural property, including illicit excavation and online sale. Social media marketplaces changed the trade by removing the need for a gallery. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/57d58e25-70cb-40a7-b2fc-5bba019ec648) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbdkEXCVLhw
- **2020-07-06**, Kent Severson \| Nimrud Rescue. Kent Severson of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative on the Nimrud rescue work. The response has focused on sorting and stabilising relief fragments so that future study remains possible. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49ce0c8f-9cb0-4cdf-8f54-b695e7ef6aa1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfCuLhPZxNU
- **2020-07-06**, Jessica S. Johnson \| Capacity Building After Conflict: Case Studies from The Iraqi Institute. Jessica Johnson on capacity building after conflict at the Iraqi Institute. Training Iraqi conservators is the durable answer to a century of expertise being exported along with the objects. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7698adae-5db2-4ba2-baf7-adf1e312d65c) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXc2CHKLHwQ
- **2020-07-06**, Brian Michael Lione \| Reconstructing Iraq’s Heritage Sector. Brian Michael Lione on reconstructing Iraq's heritage sector. Rebuilding institutional capacity matters more in the long run than any single restoration project. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b09a1fbc-9711-4fd5-ad39-48f8141fd6a5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2pRFjfXkeo
- **2020-08-03**, Katharyn Hanson \| Cuneiform Tablets After Crisis. Katharyn Hanson on cuneiform tablets after crisis. Tablets recovered from looting arrive without context, so conservators and epigraphers work together to establish what can still be said about them. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/818bcbea-0f87-4beb-8d04-9f463f7fbecc) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9vmCcvIYG0
- **2020-08-07**, OI Explorers: Session 4, Scribe School. An ISAC session on the Mesopotamian scribe school. Lexical series such as Urra equals hubullu were copied endlessly by students, which is why they survive in so many exemplars. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ecda3430-67d8-410d-986f-b1b397e9edf0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yuztfyzkZQ
- **2020-08-21**, Rolling Stones: Looking at Ancient Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals. The Morgan Library on ancient Mesopotamian cylinder seals. Institutions usually photograph a seal alongside a modern impression, since the design only reads properly when it is rolled out. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6d82b9cd-3dcb-488a-a4ba-92d6a7c53b38) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WJRYkd4e2U
- **2020-08-22**, Facing the Unknown in Ancient Mesopotamia \| Insider Insights. Met curators on facing the unknown in ancient Mesopotamia, meaning divination and omen literature. Omen compendia such as Shumma alu and the extispicy texts are among the largest genres in the surviving cuneiform record. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/af9fe333-23c4-4992-81a5-feb3dce218b0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Vi6dDgLAk
- **2020-09-09**, Michael Rakowitz: Nimrud \| Exhibition Trailer. A trailer for Michael Rakowitz's Nimrud. Artists' responses to the destruction sit alongside conservation as ways of registering what happened. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e2365ad1-7024-4ee3-aa8a-3302de8f736c) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkhcgHkYiUE
- **2020-09-15**, Au Louvre ! La cour Khorsabad. The Cour Khorsabad at the Louvre, built to display the winged bulls and reliefs from Sargon II's capital excavated by Paul-Emile Botta. The court reconstructs a palace gateway inside a museum. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3b2ade67-b57c-4614-a9a7-f608a9bab909) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDULiaNNle4
- **2020-09-18**, Babylon (Iraq)-Site management during COVID-19 pandemic. Site management at Babylon during the Covid-19 pandemic. Continuity of guarding matters at sites where looting rises whenever supervision falls. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/026f5563-ed68-4e1a-bedf-ce2beca048f7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L7r5_EMZ5A
- **2020-09-30**, Michael Rakowitz: Nimrud. Michael Rakowitz's Nimrud, which reconstructs destroyed Assyrian reliefs in Middle Eastern food packaging. The work makes the absence of the originals its subject rather than pretending to replace them. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5859770a-5d0d-493f-abdd-99a08cead9de) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBHsQxGOr0c
- **2020-10-05**, Brian Lione, MCI International Cultural Heritage Protection Program Manager. Brian Lione on the Smithsonian's international cultural heritage protection programme. Protection now means training, documentation and emergency planning rather than removal. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/017575d7-d21f-40ac-a290-bdae16776024) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWz7s-HrfII
- **2020-10-26**, Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Iraq)-Site management during COVID-19 pandemic. Site management at Ashur during the Covid-19 pandemic. Iraqi site staff kept working through the closures that stopped international missions. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f8e0e0ce-672b-4ec4-ae46-4047925e68bd) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FdF27gAD0s
- **2020-11-13**, The Old City of Mosul, a symbol of tolerance and co-existence. The old city of Mosul presented as a symbol of tolerance and coexistence. The city's mixed religious fabric is the thing the destruction was aimed at. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0a88894a-4aae-4d0a-ad36-2f74bafdb8e3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4R7-QO92Bk
- **2020-11-26**, BISI Webinar: The Story of a New Museum for Basra. The story of the new museum for Basra. Building a regional museum meant negotiating loans, security and a building that carried its own difficult history. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/73d7225b-d2a3-4a04-aaa8-80729d0f3d48) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW7yJ9QeFok
- **2020-11-30**, A New Museum for Basra [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/de20f090-c218-4e49-acbc-f0f3c8fe6a31) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eruKI8jJzrU
- **2020-12-15**, Art Up Close at the BCMA: Episode 5 \| The Assyrian Reliefs and Repatriation. Bowdoin College on its Assyrian reliefs and the repatriation question. Nimrud panels reached small American colleges through nineteenth-century missionary networks, and the same dispersal is why they survived 2015. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/26d846f0-8f00-4742-8386-315bc2561ec8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHLhN8otEQI
- **2020-12-16**, Safeguarding Cultural Heritage and Supporting Livelihoods in Crises. ALIPH on safeguarding cultural heritage and supporting livelihoods in crises. ALIPH funds conservation projects in conflict zones and is a principal funder at Mosul. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/96dfdf19-889c-40e7-bb5f-0e04c77a84b6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db1WgQWHPM8
- **2020-12-26**, From the Court at Nimrud to the Halls of Bowdoin: Assyrian Art and its American Receptions. From the court at Nimrud to the halls of Bowdoin, on Assyrian art and its American reception. Victorian and American readings of the reliefs were shaped by the biblical framing of Assyria in Nahum, Isaiah and 2 Kings. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c4ca3204-5c98-4b6f-bec2-b8d072a28a4b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozJC9Ate3xY
### 2021
- **2021-01-06**, Abdulameer al-Hamdani \| Iraq's Heritage: An Update. Abdulameer al-Hamdani on the state of Iraq's heritage. Al-Hamdani documented site looting in Dhi Qar province in the years when it was at its worst and later served as Iraq's culture minister. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49e8c705-8899-47e4-829f-f693a16a05d1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDrca7zbGH0
- **2021-01-22**, RTI Capture Session of a Large Cuneiform Tablet. A reflectance transformation imaging capture session on a large cuneiform tablet. RTI lights an object from many angles so that faint wedge impressions become readable without touching the surface. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8084c2d5-5eb7-420c-b0aa-96e0f62f8fc0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EH5q4m2JRwo
- **2021-02-08**, The Lasting Legacies of Mesopotamia: Ideas, Monuments, Images. Penn Museum on the lasting legacies of Mesopotamia in ideas, monuments and images. Cradle of civilisation is defensible narrowly, for the earliest cities and writing, and indefensible as a claim that civilisation spread outward from here. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ba8fd97c-ea4d-49cd-8a45-1a03ad53a0ed) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzlJW91n0Iw
- **2021-02-09**, Assyria: Power and Propaganda [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/567101de-c404-4d76-91fc-172af351d78a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWP4V562cnc
- **2021-02-16**, \[PODCAST\] Les Taureaux ailés de Khorsabad - Les Enquêtes du Louvre. A Louvre investigation into the winged bulls of Khorsabad. The lamassu is a human-headed winged bull that stood at palace gateways; it is usually carved with five legs so that it reads correctly from both the front and the side. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6e1aec15-db21-4c77-8d7c-1c6e8a39beae) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzRc7QXvDBk
- **2021-03-20**, Discover Ur, Iraq. A tour of Ur in southern Iraq. The ziggurat, the royal cemetery and the residential quarter Woolley excavated are all on the same mound. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ce75ac6b-f342-4c25-aaec-1e288949420d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69fMsGETFUQ
- **2021-04-07**, Margarete van Ess \| News from Old Uruk. Margarete van Ess on current work at Uruk. German excavation at Warka has run intermittently since 1912 and is the source of most of what is known about the site. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/caf53848-52b8-4cbc-8e57-311e2e3ea138) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQKBTfDgZJc
- **2021-04-09**, 'Rebuilding Mosul – from the ground up' with Dr. Rohit Jigyasu.. Rohit Jigyasu on rebuilding Mosul from the ground up. Post-conflict recovery treats heritage as infrastructure for a returning population. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2e9a929f-61c8-4bd1-b5ef-034ea84ad727) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMg8lVzEjp4
- **2021-04-11**, معرض اشوربانيبال ملك اشور I am Ashurbanipal king of the world, king of Assyria exhibition. The I am Ashurbanipal exhibition covered in Arabic. Coverage in the region's own languages reaches audiences the London press does not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/97fe8909-df71-40a3-b667-1832fa96f0d2) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owBSmRTRNoo
- **2021-04-12**, Middle East, Ram in a Thicket (Stop 393, Room 56). The Ram in a Thicket in Room 56, BM 122200, described in British Sign Language. Woolley found a pair at Ur; the other, Penn Museum 30-12-702, went to Philadelphia under the partage division of the finds. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6c6c2dcb-ffac-4957-8969-4808ace37d22) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vAyanJguJY
- **2021-04-12**, Middle East, Library of King Ashurbanipal, Part 2 (Stop 404, Room 55). The Library of Ashurbanipal, part two. The library was assembled deliberately, with scribes sent to copy texts from other cities, so it is a curated royal collection rather than an accumulation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8dea02a3-e8d4-49b7-86f9-899a195806a8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B5yb-gVPS0
- **2021-04-12**, Middle East, Library of King Ashurbanipal, Part 1 (Stop 404, Room 55). The Library of Ashurbanipal in Room 55, part one, described in British Sign Language. The Kuyunjik collection is the single richest source of Mesopotamian literary, scholarly and divinatory texts. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/bfb63151-b156-4dee-a4c7-d338282abbde) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGfYYGl7WvY
- **2021-04-13**, Drone video of Khinis, Maltai and Jerwan. Drone footage of Khinis, Maltai and Jerwan in northern Iraq. These belong to Sennacherib's canal system for watering Nineveh, and that engineering is central to Stephanie Dalley's argument that the Hanging Gardens were at Nineveh rather than Babylon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/89fd602e-50d6-4c05-a42d-c89a95a4f322) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLbnm3B-WSo
- **2021-04-15**, Vom Fragment zum Monument: Das Ischtar-Tor in Berlin \| Pergamonmuseum \| Ausstellungstrailer. From fragment to monument: how the Ishtar Gate was assembled in Berlin from excavated glazed brick. The gate carries rows of the dragon of Marduk, the mushhushshu, alongside bulls of Adad. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/436b4f29-6ff0-4e40-95b4-7a7df4811500) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMJYTJ2tJUQ
- **2021-04-15**, كنز نمرود The Assyrian treasure of Nimrud and the mystery of its location/. The Treasure of Nimrud and the question of where it was, in Arabic. The gold was moved to a Central Bank vault before 1991 and its survival was not confirmed publicly until 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/53d4e078-091a-4dfc-9560-2909a1b36a2d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9NSqDtAMBA
- **2021-04-19**, ReConsidering Iraqi Cultural Heritage: : A Conversation with Dr. Abdulameer Al-Hamdani. A conversation with Abdulameer al-Hamdani on reconsidering Iraqi cultural heritage. Iraqi archaeologists have carried the field through decades in which foreign missions came and went. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6ed265f7-8262-45af-a294-3197ce6b42e6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-msi_DdIPaw
- **2021-05-03**, Great Ziggurat of Ur - Madain Project. The Great Ziggurat of Ur at Tell al-Muqayyar. Its lower stage was heavily restored under Saddam Hussein, so the stepped mass visitors see is partly modern brick on an Ur III core built under Ur-Nammu around 2100 BC. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a6a69ece-e05f-4c6c-9651-d7d93f0dc81e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcNVke2Ftn8
- **2021-05-04**, Artifact Exploration: The Bisitun Monument. The Bisitun monument, also spelled Behistun or Bisotun, explored at the Kelsey Museum. Its trilingual inscription in Old Persian, Elamite and Akkadian was the key that Henry Rawlinson used to work towards reading cuneiform. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3fb1c9b4-99e1-462b-8fc4-2e397a8058a6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnH6SpSlOrw
- **2021-05-05**, اكتشاف جديد لقصر اشوري اسفل مسجد النبي يونس Assyrian Palace discovered under Tomb of Prophet Jonah. The Assyrian palace discovered beneath the tomb of the Prophet Jonah in Mosul, covered in Arabic. The palace is probably Esarhaddon's and was exposed by the destruction of the shrine above it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d7e5b1c9-5076-44aa-863f-9314d38bf21b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMyGDAQyuSg
- **2021-05-06**, Middle East, Black Obelisk of King Shalmaneser III (Stop 211, Room 6). The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, BM 118885, described in British Sign Language in Room 6. Its second register shows a figure captioned as Jehu son of Omri bringing tribute, the earliest depiction identified with a named ruler of Israel. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7d2abc1a-a263-422f-ae47-04f7b75b3bb0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChkJro1s210
- **2021-05-06**, Middle East, Balawat Gates of King Shalmaneser III (Stop 212, Room 6). The Balawat Gates of Shalmaneser III in Room 6, described in British Sign Language. The bronze bands run in narrow registers and read as a continuous campaign narrative. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a1beaed8-3cc8-4133-901d-c8459bc41465) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OtLHsPL7M4
- **2021-05-07**, Monuments and Memory: Deconstructing Power in Antiquity and the Contemporary. Monuments and memory, on deconstructing power in antiquity and today. Assyrian palace art was built to project power, and museums inherit that intention along with the stone. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a790fa6d-240a-4c03-b0f7-d80fd3bdd5f6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjV0IQ6ua0w
- **2021-05-09**, Khinis and the Great Relief of Sennacherib. Khinis and the great rock relief of Sennacherib at the head of his canal. The Hanging Gardens question has three live positions: Babylon, Nineveh, or a Greek literary construct with no single referent. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/13fa62c4-157e-42e8-b497-894821a7a245) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfgGVbU4vKI
- **2021-05-09**, Aerial View of Babylon, Mesopotamia.. An aerial view of Babylon. From above, a Mesopotamian city reads as a tell, a mound built up from centuries of collapsed mudbrick, which is why aerial imagery carries these sites better than ground photography. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/21c72db4-3f61-413d-bea7-39cca35e191b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liqM5HI1oz8
- **2021-05-11**, Middle East, The Standard of Ur (Stop 394, Room 56). The Standard of Ur, BM 121201, described in British Sign Language. Its two inlaid panels are conventionally called War and Peace, though what the object actually was, a box, a soundbox or something else, is not settled. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0ecdb608-bff7-4cba-895b-cf8170128bc1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpJaNZHTLAk
- **2021-05-11**, Middle East, The Uruk Trough (Stop 391, Room 56). The Uruk Trough in Room 56, described in British Sign Language. Carved with sheep approaching a reed byre, it belongs to the same late-fourth-millennium Uruk world that produced the Warka Vase and the first written tablets. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d7f78abb-b937-4d03-8ab9-6aebc8017dc2) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GblruoNoEtk
- **2021-05-11**, Jerwan. The aqueduct at Jerwan, built by Sennacherib to carry water to Nineveh. Its existence shows the capacity to water terraced gardens on a large scale, which is one strand of the Nineveh case for the Hanging Gardens, a case that is respected and is not consensus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e80c5419-be12-4d80-aef3-d55e900de051) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atmBqjPObAU
- **2021-05-11**, Middle East, Gilgamesh flood tablet (Stop 403, Room 55). The Flood Tablet, K.3375, in Room 55, described in British Sign Language. George Smith identified its flood narrative in 1872 and announced it that December; the story that he tore off his clothes on reading it comes from a colleague's recollection and should be treated as legend. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f660b8a8-e09f-4c0f-afcf-194021534843) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-HftZjFdgQ
- **2021-05-20**, Gareth's Posh Mesopotamian Beer Drinking \| #CuratorsCornered Ostentatiously Decorated Mundane Object. A British Museum curator on Mesopotamian drinking vessels and the beer they held. Beer was a staple ration rather than a luxury, and the Hymn to Ninkasi doubles as a description of how it was brewed. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a79730b5-01d8-4abe-9a2f-3cf83392ce03) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSKihUGnsz0
- **2021-06-02**, Clues in Cuneiform: Lives Revealed in Ancient Records of Mesopotamia. A Getty lecture reading lives out of cuneiform administrative records. The overwhelming bulk of the surviving corpus is bureaucratic, and it documents ordinary people far better than the literary texts do. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d2280d2c-58a5-44d0-b8a2-8f62ef4724ad) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTYTept7X7o
- **2021-06-06**, From a live Smarthistory webinar: Dr. Senta German on The Assyrian Lamassu. Senta German on the Assyrian lamassu in a Smarthistory webinar. Lamassu stood at palace and city gateways as protective figures, and their scale was part of the message. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/30a9e3d9-9a70-40be-958a-66507bed9a65) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syk-E6ZVApo
- **2021**, Iraqi woman keeping ancient pottery craft alive. An Iraqi woman keeping an ancient pottery craft alive. Hand-built pottery in southern Iraq preserves techniques with a very long local history. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/23b7ba1d-e747-43c5-b5f4-cf6a60131587) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKzjkomyHGc
- **2021**, An ancient Mesopotamian recipe. 4644, 8958 and 4648, are the oldest known recipes anywhere and give ingredients and method without quantities. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8543d72d-cd04-45bc-9b62-2c632cc20a5a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbcsK3cOWwI
- **2021**, Drone shots and reax to pope's visit to Ur. Drone footage of Ur during the papal visit. The visit brought unusual international attention to a site that is otherwise rarely filmed. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4dc99d90-1b03-42a5-a330-9f08959f32ce) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4K0Bky0JXo
- **2021**, Ancient Mesopotamian marshes threatened by Iraqi sewage \| AFP. Sewage threatens the Mesopotamian marshes. Pollution compounds the water shortage in a landscape already reduced from its historic extent. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/674857e5-9f6d-4c0f-80b5-0d9c647ae813) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtOTCQxBO3w
- **2021**, Pope Francis arrives in the ancient city of Ur for interfaith service \| AFP. Pope Francis arrives at Ur in March 2021 for an interfaith service. Ur is identified in Genesis as Abraham's city, an association that is scripturally significant and archaeologically unattested. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5964fc3a-d169-465e-a37b-764896427627) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLcVLNvE6zM
- **2021**, Ruins of the Christian church or monastery at Darband-i Bazian, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. Sassanian to early Islamic period, 3rd-7th century CE. S [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6b01373d-3b8f-433a-802c-b27d8226c1f0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruins_of_the_Christian_church_or_monastery_at_Darband-i_Bazian,_Sulaymaniyah,_Iraq._Sassanian_to_early_Islamic_period,_3rd-7th_century_CE._Some_walls.jpg
- **2021**, Panoramic view showing the temple complex (left) and the ziggurat at Dur-Kurigalzu, western Baghdad, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ecb5821c-28e2-4543-9eee-7f91330e6341) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panoramic_view_showing_the_temple_complex_(left)_and_the_ziggurat_at_Dur-Kurigalzu,_western_Baghdad,_Iraq.jpg
- **2021**, View of church tower in Assyrian village of Arkah, Tur Abdin. A view of a church tower alongside houses in the Assyrian village of Arkah, Tur Abdin. The village is primarily Syriac Orthodox. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d7c5f437-2c8e-49aa-aacb-3ce577100173) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_church_tower_in_Assyrian_village_of_Arkah,_Tur_Abdin.jpg
- **2021**, US returns stolen Gilgamesh tablet to Iraq. The Gilgamesh Dream Tablet is returned to Iraq after forfeiture in a United States court. It was bought by Hobby Lobby for the Museum of the Bible with a false provenance and seized as stolen property. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9179662f-01fc-430a-9a62-d281610f2dbc) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GMj0GlBWTg
- **2021**, Pergamon Museum Lion hunt 8122. Detail of a royal lion's hunt. A notice in the museum explains the lion hunt, here by King Ashurnasirpal II, at once showed a king as a protector of cattle-herders outside the city walls and as vanquishing hostile forces threatening the worldly order. Alabaster, Nimrud, 9th century BC. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7376a106-1b94-4928-ac91-03367fe797e5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pergamon_Museum_Lion_hunt_8122.jpg
- **2021**, Covid-19 pandemic sees sharp rise in looting of antiquities in Iraq. Antiquities looting in Iraq rose sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic. Site protection depends on guards and patrols, and both weakened when movement was restricted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/84eca3be-18b0-4f21-bd85-5ef17b3eb64f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahOnHyOplcI
- **2021**, Iraq marks return of looted Gilgamesh Tablet from the US. Iraq marks the return of the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet from the United States. The tablet carries part of the Standard Babylonian Gilgamesh, a text edited late from older Sumerian poems and Old Babylonian Akkadian versions. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b3533264-751b-4f5a-af3c-c850f4ccd48f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpYPTMD0nWM
- **2021**, US returns ancient Gilgamesh tablet to Iraq • FRANCE 24 English. The United States returns the Gilgamesh Dream Tablet to Iraq. The tablet had been sold to Hobby Lobby with a fabricated provenance and was forfeited in a civil action rather than a criminal one. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e4b2258c-1b5e-4457-9131-8524ded6cb01) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1U8Qe8WMjI
- **2021**, US returns more than 17,000 looted artefacts to Iraq. The United States returns more than 17,000 looted artefacts to Iraq in 2021, the largest single repatriation to the country. Most were cuneiform tablets, and a large share came from the Hobby Lobby and Museum of the Bible seizures. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d8b4a65a-1ca9-41ff-b36d-775e7c1bf8a3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQmFymxj5zA
- **2021**, U.S. returns 3,500-year-old clay tablet to Iraq. The United States returns a 3,500-year-old clay tablet to Iraq. Tablets travel easily and sell readily, which is why they dominate the trafficking cases. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d90387d2-9ea6-4dc9-bd15-c289bdcc78f1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmLZDgc2R8c
- **2021**, UNESCO project to reconstruct Mosul’s al-Nouri Mosque complex destroyed by ISIS begins. UNESCO begins reconstruction of the al-Nuri Mosque complex in Mosul. The mosque and its leaning al-Hadba minaret were destroyed in 2017 during the battle for the city. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e336b07d-1cfe-492e-a125-d9a03b382c4f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhSmVDmuE_s
- **2021**, Looted Gilgamesh tablet returns to Iraq in formal ceremony • FRANCE 24 English. The formal ceremony returning the looted Gilgamesh tablet to Iraq. The Standard Babylonian Gilgamesh is a late text, conventionally attributed to Sin-leqi-unninni around 1300 to 1000 BC, who edited older material rather than composing it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b2278363-3440-49e5-85fe-77c6896c07ad) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7j4OWr46ko
- **2021**, Jarmo (Qal'at Jarmo), late 8th century BCE - late 6th century BCE. Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, March 2021. Aftermaths of 1948-1955 excavations condu [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cbbef8f8-75fc-485c-a1ac-8af9766c4509) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jarmo_(Qal%27at_Jarmo),_late_8th_century_BCE_-_late_6th_century_BCE._Sulaymaniyah,_Iraq,_March_2021._Aftermaths_of_1948-1955_excavations_conducted_by_the_Oriental_Institute_of_Chicago.jpg
- **2021**, Thousands of stolen artefacts returned from US to Iraq. Thousands of stolen artefacts return from the United States to Iraq. Objects like these are typically identified by their cuneiform text, since a tablet's content can be traced to a known site archive even when its excavation record is gone. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/48cdd013-beda-4888-9eed-5652967efa58) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIWVAHpCt40
- **2021**, Batnaya Destroyed Wall. A photo taken of a destroyed wall in Batnaya, years after its liberation from ISIS. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8898c8fb-f971-44ec-87e3-fd57e71315f6) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Batnaya_Destroyed_Wall.jpg
- **2021**, Beit al-Tutunji, marble carving, Mosul, Iraq. Marble carving at the Tutunji House, Mosul, Iraq, during 2021 restoration; workers trained to pursue this traditional local art while repairing damage inflicted during the occupation of Mosul by Islamic State (ISIL) forces. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/99758b8f-b868-45e2-8895-34505c12bad7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beit_al-Tutunji,_marble_carving,_Mosul,_Iraq.jpg
- **2021**, Pergamon Museum Parts of Inanna temple facade in Uruk 8049. As explained in a notice in the museum, in a temple precinct in Uruk dedicated to a goddess Inanna a new temple was erected under king Kara-indash in the late 15th century BC. Figures of male and female divinities alternate in niches in its façade holding flasks overflowing with water. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a1747046-4cf2-4359-bb74-5582869e5275) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pergamon_Museum_Parts_of_Inanna_temple_facade_in_Uruk_8049.jpg
- **2021**, Weld-Blundell Prism with transcription by Stephen Herbert Langdon (1876-1937). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2c3e073e-4248-415e-85ed-ec725c4261d1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Weld-Blundell_Prism_with_transcription_by_Stephen_Herbert_Langdon_(1876-1937).jpg
- **2021**, Weld-Blundell Prism with transcription and translation by Stephen Herbert Langdon (1876-1937). The overwhelming majority of surviving cuneiform tablets are administrative and economic: receipts, ration lists, inventories, loans and contracts. Literary texts are commonly estimated at only a few percent of the corpus. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9a2eaf36-30ab-44d4-9923-829d1681805e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Weld-Blundell_Prism_with_transcription_and_translation_by_Stephen_Herbert_Langdon_(1876-1937).jpg
- **2021**, Pergamon Museum Cone mosaics from temple district facade of Eanna in Uruk 8056. As explained in a notice in the museum, in a temple precinct in Uruk dedicated to a goddess Inanna a type of wall with clay cones was built. Such facades were built in other sites in Mesopotamia. Ur, Eridu and Habuba Kabira are mentioned. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7414e0c8-b7ac-4f3d-90ea-8ca932b73f7c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pergamon_Museum_Cone_mosaics_from_temple_district_facade_of_Eanna_in_Uruk_8056.jpg
- **2021-06-16**, Make Your Own Mesopotamian Monument/Haz tu propio monumento mesopotámico. A Harvard workshop on making your own Mesopotamian monument. Royal monuments combined image and inscription so that the object made a claim in two registers at once. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f5a5debd-f0f8-4a05-8945-f739ce1e2ce5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFd1WjLQoQE
- **2021-06-17**, Human Heritage: Preserving Palmyra, Petra, and Hatra. Preserving Palmyra, Petra and Hatra, a Getty Research Institute discussion. Palmyra is in Syria and is Roman-era, Petra is in Jordan, and only Hatra is in Iraq, where it is Parthian rather than Mesopotamian in the older sense. None of the three is Mesopotamia proper. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8dd41cb4-1c59-4604-83d5-43f5f417cd64) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnIEqIA7Jbw
- **2021-06-18**, العاصمة الاشورية دور شاروكين Dur Sharrukin The capital of Assyria 707 BC. Dur-Sharrukin, the Assyrian capital founded around 707 BC, presented in Arabic. Sargon II built the city complete and it was effectively abandoned within a generation. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/891ff740-c9d2-4ef1-bb72-1b6dadbd0937) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nSiZYG0K3k
- **2021-07-09**, Visit the OI Museum Today!. A short invitation to the ISAC Museum in Chicago, formerly the Oriental Institute Museum. Its Mesopotamian holdings come directly from expeditions the institute ran in Iraq under Henri Frankfort and others. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3db72b4e-6f40-4423-8ed2-ad59fbb089f7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNKX8OP4wus
- **2021-07-12**, The Epic Story of a New Museum for Basra: Humanity Always Wins. The epic story of a new museum for Basra. The project was driven substantially by Iraqi and British volunteers over more than a decade. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/851156a1-c911-449d-9100-f8e78fadfeec) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofKPfm7Cp8k
- **2021-07-13**, Timelapse of work at Beit al-Tutunji, Mosul, Iraq. A timelapse of the work at Beit al-Tutunji in Mosul. Rebuilding a single house takes years, which puts the scale of the old city's damage in perspective. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a004b918-c4bc-4c1a-8a30-bb88a608d2e2) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXId6NFvpo4
- **2021-07-27**, The rehabilitation of Tutunji House, Mosul, Iraq. The rehabilitation of Tutunji House in Mosul. Reconstruction in the old city uses traditional materials and local craftspeople. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c8286d48-4034-4c8b-b78f-90a2253c9cbf) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-1A8hFhUVw
- **2021-09-24**, Venus d'Ailleurs - Parcours LSF sous-titrée - Gudea, prince de Lagash. Gudea, prince of Lagash, in French Sign Language at the Louvre. Gudea had himself carved repeatedly in imported diorite, hands clasped, sometimes holding a temple plan on his lap. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/727b1b8e-1eee-4a93-8284-bb717cc267d9) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8ZkJCzeaRY
- **2021-10-01**, OI Armchair Travelers: Iraq. An armchair tour of Iraq from the Oriental Institute. Mudbrick sites photograph as brown mounds, which is why aerial views and reconstruction carry them better. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9a9aae11-625e-43ed-9016-4a56ce11a614) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ-dEO0ZXCc
- **2021-10-11**, The rehabilitation of the Mosul Museum, Iraq. The rehabilitation of the Mosul Cultural Museum, funded through ALIPH with Louvre and Smithsonian involvement. Reopening has been repeatedly rescheduled and should not be described as complete without checking. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2dd05c2f-cfcc-45fa-989e-b13c463a26dd) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnLejho5CtI
- **2021-10-11**, 15. The Neolithic site of Bestansur, October 11, 2021. Shahrizor Plane, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. The Neolithic site of Bestansur, October 11, 2021. Shahrizor Plane, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. A team from the University of Reading, UK, headed by Professor Roger Matthews, is excavating the site in cooperation with a local team from the Sulaymaniyah Directorate of Antiquities. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/977715cf-6ad2-43ce-8277-5bb59f394285) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:15._The_Neolithic_site_of_Bestansur,_October_11,_2021._Shahrizor_Plane,_Sulaymaniyah,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2021-10-11**, 19. The Neolithic site of Bestansur, October 11, 2021. Shahrizor Plane, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. The Neolithic site of Bestansur, October 11, 2021. Shahrizor Plane, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. A team from the University of Reading, UK, headed by Professor Roger Matthews, is excavating the site in cooperation with a local team from the Sulaymaniyah Directorate of Antiquities. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c7bb821c-03b0-45ed-92de-675981df525d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:19._The_Neolithic_site_of_Bestansur,_October_11,_2021._Shahrizor_Plane,_Sulaymaniyah,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2021-10-11**, 16. The Neolithic site of Bestansur, October 11, 2021. Shahrizor Plane, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. The Neolithic site of Bestansur, October 11, 2021. Shahrizor Plane, Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan. A team from the University of Reading, UK, headed by Professor Roger Matthews, is excavating the site in cooperation with a local team from the Sulaymaniyah Directorate of Antiquities. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d5ccf0e2-801d-4f32-aa93-4bed220e503f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:16._The_Neolithic_site_of_Bestansur,_October_11,_2021._Shahrizor_Plane,_Sulaymaniyah,_Iraqi_Kurdistan.jpg
- **2021-10-28**, اكتشافات اثرية اشورية جديدة فريدة من نوعها في العراق New Assyrian archaeological discoveries in Iraq [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/35132593-1810-4256-b5af-760c99fb38ab) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q19eJFC4S8E
- **2021-11-09**, The Beauty and Power of Assyrian Queens. A Getty lecture on Assyrian queens. The Nimrud queens' tombs, found by Muzahim Mahmud Hussein in 1989, produced the Treasure of Nimrud, gold that survived 2003 in a flooded Central Bank vault. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/58772378-7c51-4af5-aced-d90af0be4e48) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4ngJx2361M
- **2021-11-15**, From Laundry Lists to Liturgies: The Origins of Writing in Ancient Mesopotamia. A Getty lecture on the origins of writing in Mesopotamia. The earliest Uruk IV tablets, roughly 3350 to 3200 BC, are accounting notations recording commodities and quantities; they do not encode grammar, so calling this the invention of writing overstates what the tablets do. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a07d7aa2-eba9-4182-8c08-855203b000b7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgdb-sY0Y4A
- **2021-12-06**, Evidence ancient Babylonians were far more advanced than we thought - BBC REEL. Evidence that Babylonian astronomers were more advanced than long assumed. Babylonian astronomical texts include geometric methods for tracking Jupiter that anticipate techniques not seen again for over a thousand years. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0f768679-8717-4cac-a843-a6c174ce996a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ddF5e-2SfM
- **2021-12-06**, Mediterranean Marketplaces-Cuneiform Tablet. A cuneiform tablet from the Harvard collection presented as an object. Most tablets are palm-sized and were never meant to be read by anyone but a clerk. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fed3528c-c178-42be-b506-d201046e47c0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PopvwoKFbGI
- **2021-12-09**, Uncover Ancient Babylon. Uncovering ancient Babylon with the World Monuments Fund. Koldewey excavated here from 1899 and found the Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way and Etemenanki's foundations, but never the Hanging Gardens. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d298388d-4b1c-46fa-874d-10f95848e372) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB0f3kgkR3c
- **2021-12-29**, 1. Panorama view. Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar-Quf), Kassite era, western Baghdad, Iraq. December 29, 2021. Part of the so-called "temple complex" ap. (Aqar-Quf), Kassite era, western Baghdad, Iraq. December 29, 2021. Part of the so-called "temple complex" appears. The ziggurat is in the background. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1406f934-2746-4b03-a228-69fbdd822cfc) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1._Panorama_view._Dur-Kurigalzu_(Aqar-Quf),_Kassite_era,_western_Baghdad,_Iraq._December_29,_2021._Part_of_the_so-called_%22temple_complex%22_appears._The_ziggurat_is_on_the_right.jpg
- **2021-12-29**, 10. Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar-Quf), western Baghdad, Iraq. December 29, 2021. Part of the Kassite era ziggurat appears on the left. Dur-Kurigalzu (Aqar-Quf), western Baghdad, Iraq. December 29, 2021. Part of the Kassite era ziggurat appears on the left. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/730c9352-59b3-4abe-a2eb-965abd2591b3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:10._Dur-Kurigalzu_(Aqar-Quf),_western_Baghdad,_Iraq._December_29,_2021._Part_of_the_Kassite_era_ziggurat_appears_on_the_left.jpg
### 2022
- **2022-01-06**, The ancient secrets revealed by deciphered tablets \| BBC Ideas. What deciphered tablets reveal, from BBC Ideas. Cuneiform was used for more than a dozen languages across three thousand years, so a decipherment of the script was not a decipherment of any one tongue. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e29d47d4-3914-45d7-956f-83ed32507410) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QDGDh9KT_U
- **2022-01-31**, Conservation of Assyrian Palace Reliefs at the Brooklyn Museum [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/90391417-e507-4631-928f-2c8dc4283a84) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBVyk2Z56x8
- **2022-02-02**, Bringing Mosul Cultural Museum Back to Life: Mshakht Concert Performance. A concert performance inside the Mosul Cultural Museum during its restoration. The building has been used as a public space through the conservation work rather than sealed off. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/687b0777-974a-4f8a-ac15-2cb7b993d6b7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKGVIXkw3UQ
- **2022-02-11**, EU - UNESCO collaboration to ‘Revive the Spirit of Mosul’. European Union and UNESCO collaboration on Revive the Spirit of Mosul. Funding, permits and local labour all have to align for work to proceed. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a7d52f96-b05f-4061-8b33-206bdf180095) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXSAZ6z-WfA
- **2022-03-07**, Hervé Reculeau \| How Did Ancient Mesopotamians Deal with Climate Change. Herve Reculeau on how ancient Mesopotamians dealt with climate change. The collapse of the Akkadian empire has been linked to a drought event around 2200 BC, an argument that is debated rather than settled. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/98f54bbf-7c79-48b4-8bfb-08013f91c470) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjg8YRw-2b4
- **2022-04-29**, Mosul Cultural Museum - Schoolchildren visit. Schoolchildren visit the Mosul Cultural Museum during its restoration. Returning a museum to public use is part of the reconstruction rather than a postscript to it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6c35b6b1-db58-46e5-b694-a06024fa8784) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJmIpe0h9zg
- **2022-05-27**, Virtual Soleiman Lecture: From Palace to Cosmos—Assyrian Reliefs and the Construction of Empire. An Art Institute of Chicago lecture on Assyrian reliefs and the construction of empire. The palace was a machine for representing the king, and the carvings are its argument. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/55d659d1-68bb-47b3-b916-0abff2db59c2) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSi02_TsEM8
- **2022**, 160. High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization, head office. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. High Commission for Erbil Citadel Revitalization, head office. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Votive figures were placed in temples to stand in perpetual prayer on behalf of the donor, which is why the eyes are so large. The worshipper was represented rather than present. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2ebc27e0-52ef-4c8b-8c45-8c4a6b2dcea3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:160._High_Commission_for_Erbil_Citadel_Revitalization,_head_office._Interior_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, UNESCO world heritage site was once the capital of the Assyrian empire. Assur, at Qal'at Sherqat, was the first capital and religious centre of Assyria and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was excavated by Walter Andrae for the German Oriental Society from 1903. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/13bba8c5-4836-4b6a-86ca-df1b9df20db7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1BI6t6Ki_Q
- **2022**, Iraq's ancient city of Hatra reopens. Hatra reopens. Iraqi authorities retook the site in 2017 and have worked on it since. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/73a961c5-6b77-4f7b-951e-b76e4ac5bda0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSpuKEsk51A
- **2022**, UNESCO world heritage site Hatra receives boost as tourists return. Tourists return to Hatra after its recapture and stabilisation. Reopening a site is a security judgement as much as a conservation one. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4ce0fc3e-10de-4a0c-b0f0-2c415bfa302e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9yA4W-fdQ4
- **2022**, Iraq's fading wetlands: UNESCO site threatened by climate change. Iraq's fading wetlands, a World Heritage site under climate stress. The Tigris and Euphrates carry far less water than they did, upstream damming included. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6740c859-61c0-4421-9a7c-cfa14624787d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3a_Qbhmb8Q
- **2022**, 132. Erbil Citadel Visitor Center. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Erbil Citadel Visitor Center. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1fd34ebf-f5a3-417d-a90b-81136d02e8f8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:132._Erbil_Citadel_Visitor_Center._Interior_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 187. The French Institute of the Near East (left). Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The French Institute of the Near East (left). Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1ea5ef6e-c1f5-4e6e-883c-43f631017413) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:187._The_French_Institute_of_the_Near_East_(left)._Interior_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 255. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The Citadel Antique shop (souvenirs). Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The Citadel Antique shop (souvenirs). Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/be90ee99-3fcf-40b3-b761-7d70a794689d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:255._Interior_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq._The_Citadel_Antique_shop_(souvenirs).jpg
- **2022**, 12. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e636d94b-536b-499c-ab7b-4f3cae8e9b36) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:12._Part_of_the_wall_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 140. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a06d691b-1624-4a98-9516-3225ca600388) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:140._Part_of_the_wall_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 65. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6fbb32a3-60fc-4396-86d0-b1a40eeddbf3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:65._Interior_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 81. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/25e8651a-220f-4be1-acc2-da5b0cf6bf62) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:81._Interior_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 41. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b8dbabcd-061c-4cec-8341-34f4ed6ed0a1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:41._Part_of_the_wall_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 48. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/26e3645b-86c3-43ab-b48c-b64c57fea3d1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:48._Part_of_the_wall_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 53. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/43f2b492-bb17-47e3-b44e-cee5906bc4a4) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:53._Part_of_the_wall_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 87. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/929847dc-b67b-4eb9-8cd4-ec8ca16e4361) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:87._Part_of_the_wall_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, 96. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Part of the wall of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/72ffedf0-95c3-45c2-9edf-a3f7fc436535) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:96._Part_of_the_wall_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq.jpg
- **2022**, Eridu.Canopus. Die Kulmination des Sterns Canopus auf dem südlichen Meridian von Eridu aus gesehen. Die sechs eingezeichneten Bahnen stehen von unten nach oben für die Jahre 4500, 4000, 3500, 3000, 2500 und 2000 vor Christus und zeigen die zunehmende scheinbare Helligkeit von Canopus im höchsten Punkt seiner Bahn. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/90f600ee-2122-48cc-a37f-a86bc9adf425) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eridu.Canopus.png
- **2022**, FIBD2022EnkiBilal. Enki Bilal au Festival d'Angoulême 2022 . Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/36f89fb1-5c2a-4e80-ac9d-9ef6e29c1cb0) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FIBD2022EnkiBilal.jpg
- **2022**, Archeologists find 2,700-year-old murals in Mosul. Archaeologists find 2,700-year-old murals in Mosul. Painted decoration rarely survives on Assyrian sites, so wall painting is a significant find wherever it appears. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6f50b6c9-c80b-4e74-a95d-b9968e87a000) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMffBNbroeE
- **2022**, 001125-Babylon-IMG 8087-2. Saddam Palace, View from Babylon, Hillah, Iraq - February 2022 - Photo by: Safa Daneshvar. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9b2f4d18-b5b3-4a0a-8ad1-1751e93374ff) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:001125-Babylon-IMG_8087-2.jpg
- **2022**, 001125-SaddamPalace-Iraq-IMG 8020-2. Saddam Palace, View from Babylon, Hillah, Iraq - February 2022 - Photo by: Safa Daneshvar قصر صدام حسین - نمایی از طرف شهر قدیم بابل، حله عراق، بهمن ۱۴۰۰ - عکس از صفا دانشور. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/878983ad-995b-4f60-a354-df886f19b11c) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:001125-SaddamPalace-Iraq-IMG_8020-2.jpg
- **2022**, Ausgrabungsparadies Irak: Forscher kehren wieder nach Larsa zurück. Researchers return to Larsa in southern Iraq. Larsa was a major city of the early second millennium BC and rival of Isin, and French missions have worked there for decades. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ff74985e-4517-442b-8fcb-2ecdb2397601) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CELhGs0iXVc
- **2022**, Inlay frieze fragments Kish ED Ashmolean. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/120661e4-b50c-4e85-808c-54b8be7ae964) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inlay_frieze_fragments_Kish_ED_Ashmolean.jpg
- **2022**, Iraqi antiquities recovered in New York [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c48f791f-ea05-4da5-946d-e763ecfff743) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm5K-uiFfEw
- **2022**, Archeologists excavate Iraq’s ancient city of Nineveh. Archaeologists excavate at Nineveh, the Assyrian capital beside modern Mosul. Nineveh consists of two mounds, Kuyunjik and Nebi Yunus, and the palace reliefs and the tablet library both came from Kuyunjik. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/66f3f471-1da3-40bf-8a3c-eabb07f212b9) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtzosF9gjF4
- **2022**, 253. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The Kurdish Textile and Ethnographic (Cultural) Museum is in the background. The Grand Gate appears on the right. Interior of Erbil Citadel, Hawler, Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The Kurdish Textile and Ethnographic (Cultural) Museum is in the background. The Grand Gate appears on the right. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f42f3d97-6648-450b-a7a0-589273b01eb8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:253._Interior_of_Erbil_Citadel,_Hawler,_Erbil_Governorate,_Iraq._The_Kurdish_Textile_and_Ethnographic_(Cultural)_Museum_is_in_the_background._The_Grand_Gate_appears_on_the_right.jpg
- **2022**, Door socket Ur Namma Ashmolean. Stone door socket, probably one of a pair, dedicated by king Ur-Namma of Ur (ca. 2112-2095 BC) to the god Enki, "deluge of heaven and earth". Ashmolean Museum. RIME 3/2.01.01.32, ex. 01 / CDLI https://cdli.ucla.edu/search/archival\_view.php?ObjectID=P226930. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5a8e49ed-37e3-480c-b175-6fc179877da1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Door_socket_Ur_Namma_Ashmolean.jpg
- **2022**, Archaeologists explore palace under Mosul shrine. Archaeologists explore the palace found beneath the destroyed shrine of Jonah in Mosul. Destruction produced a discovery here, which is a real and uncomfortable part of the record. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a38e4156-3602-44ed-83cb-334c3e41ce53) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtUC8BsMtNU
- **2022**, Journal de fouilles Cros Tello. (a cast or replica, not the original object). Diary of excavations of the Chaldean mission, excavations of Tello (ancient Girsu), kept by Gaston Cros (1861-1915) between 1903 and 1909. With copy of a cuneiform inscription, and its photograph (cyanotype). Bibliothèque nationale de France, département des Manuscrits. The nineteenth-century excavation folios of Layard, Botta and Place recorded Assyrian palaces in engraved plates. Much of what they drew has since been destroyed or has weathered away, so the plates are now primary evidence in their own right. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ab947d32-0f2f-4e1a-9fe3-9e2bb0ab2460) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Journal_de_fouilles_Cros_Tello.jpg
- **2022-06-30**, Out of the Ashes: Post-Conflict Recovery - Mosul Museum Project Zero (Jan 2021). Out of the ashes, on the Mosul Museum Project Zero. Reopening dates for the museum have been repeatedly rescheduled and should be checked before any claim that it has reopened. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/efe80a66-1962-4a86-8d09-3dd56aa6a45c) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DhZMDLcYcE
- **2022-07-06**, Cylinder Seal: An Ancient Signature?. A cylinder seal considered as an ancient signature. Seals were personal property, often worn, and they carry some of the earliest and densest imagery from the region. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/746a8aba-fb88-4759-970d-575f4c9bf482) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW373ZK8Edk
- **2022-09-11**, The restoration of the Mosul Cultural Museum in Iraq.. World Monuments Fund on the restoration of the Mosul Cultural Museum. Conservators are reassembling smashed sculpture from fragments recovered on the gallery floor. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1e3ade16-9d79-4286-b630-6a0546cfa7c1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juyta-SjAss
- **2022-09-15**, Restoring the Legendary Ishtar Gate: A Journey to Babylon’s Iconic Site. A World Monuments Fund programme on restoring the Ishtar Gate at Babylon. The gate carries the mushhushshu, the dragon of Marduk, alongside bulls of the storm god Adad. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4ea04ce5-5659-43c4-ac3e-63e1d00182ef) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlQ_mosZaps
- **2022-09-15**, Journey to Babylon and discover the legendary Ishtar Gate.. World Monuments Fund on Babylon and the Ishtar Gate at the site itself. What stands at Babylon today includes substantial Saddam-era reconstruction built directly on the ancient foundations, which complicated the World Heritage case for decades. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/756ad7df-fb3c-42fd-b293-ef9758c97b11) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrINmuTTn1s
- **2022-09-26**, Art Break: Uncovering Color in Ancient Assyrian Sculpture. A Getty session on uncovering colour in ancient Assyrian sculpture. The reliefs now read as plain stone but carried paint, and traces survive in protected areas of the carving. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6e4b0160-3d41-4558-a914-923a339ff997) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mseeiHn-iA
- **2022-09-28**, Lagash: Archaeological Investigations at an early Mesopotamian City. Archaeological investigation at Lagash, an early Mesopotamian city in the south. Lagash, at Tell al-Hiba, is distinct from its religious centre Girsu at Tello, and both belonged to the same state. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/59d33b7f-3a5b-445b-bfa2-9d7bee7db8db) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EQD549rffc
- **2022-11-03**, Lecture: She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia ca. 3400-2000 BC. A Morgan Library lecture on Enheduanna and the women of Mesopotamia. Her status as the first named author is seriously contested: every manuscript of the poems is an Old Babylonian copy about 500 years after her life, and the contemporary anchor is the Penn disk B16665, not the poems. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1f1e1416-68a7-43e6-951d-d5ac2d7c7a51) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlWewLEWbyM
- **2022-11-04**, 105. The archeological site of Bakr Awa, an ancient mound near Halabja, Shahrizor Plain, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq. November 4, 2022. The tell and. 2014. An area before the tell. Looting pits at an Iraqi archaeological site. The larger loss was never the Iraq Museum: unexcavated site looting removed far more, and it gets less coverage because there is no dramatic footage of it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9874f9dc-c4f7-412c-ad21-a116da866977) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:105._The_archeological_site_of_Bakr_Awa,_an_ancient_mound_near_Halabja,_Shahrizor_Plain,_Sulaymaniyah,_Iraq._November_4,_2022._The_tell_and_its_surrounding_area_were_lastly_excavated_in_2014._An_area_before_the_tell.jpg
- **2022-11-10**, BISI Lecture: Prof Dirk Wicke 'On Nimrud Bowls and Nimrud Ivories'. Dirk Wicke on the Nimrud bowls and ivories. The Nimrud ivories were carved in Phoenician and Syrian workshops and reached Assyria as tribute and booty, so the finest objects in an Assyrian palace were often not Assyrian. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/8ba8511e-f644-46ae-911b-fe82e77acb12) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eb0hKOY6VY
- **2022-11-11**, She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia, ca. 3400–2000 B.C.. The Morgan Library exhibition She Who Wrote, on Enheduanna and women of Mesopotamia. Enheduanna was daughter of Sargon of Akkad and high priestess of the moon god at Ur, and she remains important whatever the attribution question decides. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/113a4597-42f9-4fc5-b0f4-8ce02e1f23c9) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_4UVlubKxk
- **2022-11-23**, ASOR 2022: The Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey, 2012-2022. Ten years of the Erbil Plain Archaeological Survey, 2012 to 2022, presented at ASOR. Regional survey maps settlement across a landscape rather than digging a single mound, which is how the shape of Assyrian occupation is reconstructed. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/218eec49-a27c-4238-9b8f-0d21e5cb8624) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XeYHYzyEVs
- **2022-12-06**, Ur Colloquium: Prof R Matthews & Dr A Richardson on 'Ur & the City Seals: Issues & Approaches'. Roger Matthews and Amy Richardson on Ur and the city seals. Seal impressions naming multiple cities suggest an early network of southern centres acting together, which is inferred from the sealings rather than stated in any text. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dec62709-6247-44a1-b252-0ce0c8dbe526) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FChSLpCLoZQ
### 2023
- **2023-01-10**, 8/27 - De la redécouverte de Khorsabad et du déchiffrement de l’assyrien à François Thureau-Dangin. The rediscovery of Khorsabad, the decipherment of Assyrian and the work of Francois Thureau-Dangin. Khorsabad is Dur-Sharrukin, Sargon II's purpose-built capital, largely abandoned after his death in battle. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/66065fb4-a397-4f10-a044-51381804fd31) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY35IqODpIM
- **2023-02-01**, Exhibitions Unpacked: Challenging Legacies: The Kingdom of Iraq and Gertrude Bell. An exhibition unpacking Gertrude Bell's role in the Kingdom of Iraq. Her collection of excavation photographs is a major visual record of Iraqi sites before modern development. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c1521cf4-f58c-4f84-808a-fcd77efadef8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dhbaCyvxCA
- **2023-02-02**, Felipe Rojas Silva \| Cuneiform and Cross: Early Armenian Reuse of Urartian Inscriptions. Felipe Rojas Silva on early Armenian reuse of Urartian inscriptions. Cuneiform outlived Mesopotamian statehood and was reinterpreted by later peoples who could not read it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0929ba2a-a030-4a39-9ea5-397e2b7c5dac) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SG5owPePAA
- **2023-02-13**, Othman Imad Abdulelah Al-Hayali, Site Engineer at Al Nouri Mosque and Al-Hadba Minaret in Mosul. A second site engineer at the al-Nuri Mosque and al-Hadba minaret reconstruction. The minaret's famous lean had to be reproduced deliberately in the rebuild. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a4a17020-04c6-43d3-ae1d-5d590ad0ebd6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiGz8p_DZmk
- **2023-02-13**, Interview with Omar Yasir Adil Taqa, Site Engineer at Al Nouri Mosque and Al-Hadba Minaret in Mosul. An interview with a site engineer at the al-Nuri Mosque and al-Hadba minaret in Mosul. Iraqi engineers lead the reconstruction on the ground. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d35e863e-06c5-44fc-b83a-622461ed7656) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADr2_323Ws4
- **2023-02-27**, Ur Colloquium: Dr Brad Hafford on 'Woolley and Site Formation at Ur: Old Notes and New Excavations'. Brad Hafford on Woolley's site formation at Ur, comparing the original notebooks with new excavation. Woolley dug at Ur from 1922 to 1934 for the British Museum and the Penn Museum jointly, and his records are now being re-read against the ground. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2b2832c0-a4d4-4fdb-bff0-468d3ac9cda7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG8WI_PYfvI
- **2023-03-02**, An Inside Look at the Ancient Sumerian City of Nippur \| Unearthed \| Science Channel. An overview of the Sumerian city of Nippur. Nippur was the cult centre of Enlil and a scholarly capital, and its school tablets are the main source for Sumerian literature. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ddc40382-442d-48f1-82d0-4127ab49e4f9) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4ptdxaWnks
- **2023-03-05**, Unlocking the Secrets of Mesopotamian Magic with Dr. Irving Finkel. Irving Finkel on Mesopotamian magic. Incantations against ghosts, demons and illness make up a substantial share of the tablets recovered from Nineveh. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5786e405-e1f2-4dcd-a116-16e68f105fa0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THA1Ez_kw0g
- **2023-03-06**, Nadya Saad Hussein Al Aghidi, Team Leader in the reconstruction of Heritage Houses in Mosul, Iraq. A team leader in the reconstruction of heritage houses in Mosul. Much of the workforce on these projects is local and includes women in technical roles. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7a203228-3d69-482d-bfaa-dd8a2e3bf054) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXZu0wLQQY8
- **2023-03-08**, Session (6): “Post-Conflict Heritage Reconstruction in Iraq”. A session on post-conflict heritage reconstruction in Iraq. The debate runs between restoring what was there and recording what was lost. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c650ba7b-f00c-4d82-9377-d9ee631ea529) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcOitNk6qvQ
- **2023-03-26**, \[Audio Only\] Project Mosul Digital Restoration of Mosul's Lost Heritage. Project Mosul and the digital restoration of Mosul's lost heritage. A photogrammetric model is a record and a teaching object, not a replacement for the destroyed thing, and the projects are careful to say so. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c098713a-470d-4f2f-a040-71f7557e1d69) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAXKcrdcoG8
- **2023-03-29**, Experts working to piece together destroyed artefacts in Iraq's Cultural Museum in Mosul. Conservators piece together destroyed artefacts at Mosul's Cultural Museum. Reassembly from fragments is slow, and some objects cannot be put back at all. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3feff4c4-64f3-49dd-aca3-fb4812c1e0ba) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-cCx9veNPc
- **2023-04-19**, Fundamentals in Heritage Conservation, Care of Museum Collections, English. Fundamentals in heritage conservation and the care of museum collections, taught at the Iraqi Institute. Collections care is the unglamorous work that decides whether objects survive. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49bd8396-d463-4a00-8106-1649809cf2eb) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GxYbMoR4ag
- **2023-04-19**, Fundamentals in Heritage Conservation, Introduction to Care of Museum Collections, English subtitles. An introduction to the care of museum collections from the Iraqi Institute in Erbil. Iraqi museum staff now train inside Iraq rather than only abroad. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/60f63262-2fff-4dba-881c-21430cfa12f3) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WcDQ2UXDj8
- **2023-04-20**, Excavating Cuneiform Tablets in Iraq with the Girsu Project \| Curator's Corner S8 Ep3. The Girsu Project excavating cuneiform tablets at Tello in southern Iraq, a British Museum programme run with Iraqi archaeologists. Girsu was the sacred centre of the state of Lagash and the source of the Gudea statues now in the Louvre. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/be1739c0-47e3-4b03-8f15-b8e464d8c966) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwGmyy2Aabg
- **2023-04-23**, Uncovering Secrets of Mesopotamian Medicine \| Dr. Irving Finkel. Irving Finkel on Mesopotamian medicine. Medical texts prescribe plant and mineral remedies in detail, and the same practitioners handled ritual causes and physical treatment. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/78370dd5-bf37-4483-832d-e6311e053dba) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgbR_UJMwYo
- **2023-05-05**, Affluent Suburbs or Disenfranchised Banlieue: The Urban Edge at Nippur, Iraq. Work on the urban edge at Nippur in Iraq. Excavating the outskirts rather than the temple centre changes what a Mesopotamian city looks like as a social space. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/65459308-7aba-4f2b-a105-329d9312644b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUbCasjXfxo
- **2023-05-08**, “Reframing The Met’s Assyrian Sculpture Court” [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/e3d9713f-272d-475c-ad54-e055b0d8e394) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vTKPljnULU
- **2023-06-06**, Marshland of Cities: Lagash and its Neighbors ca. 2500 BCE. Penn Museum on Lagash and its neighbours around 2500 BC, drawn from the current excavation at Tell al-Hiba. Recent seasons there identified a public eating place among the finds, which is unusual evidence for ordinary urban life. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/071537e9-7c74-4b01-a33e-f72f8324b5af) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSMxi9wQwec
- **2023-06-11**, Deciphering the Secrets of Mesopotamian Divination \| Dr. Irving Finkel. Irving Finkel on Mesopotamian divination. Extispicy, reading the liver of a sacrificed sheep, was state practice, and clay liver models survive as teaching aids. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/faa0124c-d4e0-40c8-abd2-b15f1598f809) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ5sLAevrSc
- **2023**, Iraq, regno neosumero, statua di gudea, principe di lagash, 2120 ac ca., da girsu (oggi tello) 02 (louvre) testa. Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1e250ff9-5dff-49d2-927e-5b9504ca8a57) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq,_regno_neosumero,_statua_di_gudea,_principe_di_lagash,_2120_ac_ca.,_da_girsu_(oggi_tello)_02_(louvre)_testa.jpg
- **2023**, Iraq, regno neosumero, statua di gudea, principe di lagash, 2120 ac ca., da girsu (oggi tello) 04 (louvre) mani. Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7d90d689-88ef-4c81-83e1-f58c6c00acd1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq,_regno_neosumero,_statua_di_gudea,_principe_di_lagash,_2120_ac_ca.,_da_girsu_(oggi_tello)_04_(louvre)_mani.jpg
- **2023**, Iraq, regno neosumero, statua di gudea, principe di lagash, 2120 ac ca., da girsu (oggi tello) 05 (louvre) piedi. Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d181c0ec-79a6-4f41-85e6-9934e7c39342) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq,_regno_neosumero,_statua_di_gudea,_principe_di_lagash,_2120_ac_ca.,_da_girsu_(oggi_tello)_05_(louvre)_piedi.jpg
- **2023**, Modern imports threaten ancient Iraqi pottery craft. Imported goods threaten Iraq's traditional pottery craft. Continuity of craft is a different kind of heritage from excavated objects and is easier to lose quietly. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/889d8f08-2f51-42ca-a036-a7a1cd837520) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bq5dgJ4rY8
- **2023**, Replicas of a ritual vase, originally from the 4th millennium BC, originally alabaster, replicas made of plaster cast, from Uruk aka Warka,. 1027a (a cast or replica, not the original object). The Warka Vase, roughly 3200 to 3000 BC from Uruk, is the earliest surviving large carved stone ritual vessel. It was looted from the Iraq Museum in 2003 and returned broken during the amnesty programme. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b11aff68-6898-4ca7-9d4e-c29cbc17d6df) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Replicas_of_a_ritual_vase,_originally_from_the_4th_millennium_BC,_originally_alabaster,_replicas_made_of_plaster_cast,_from_Uruk_aka_Warka,_original_in_the_Baghdad_National_Museum,_these_in_the_Pergamon_Museum_in_Berlin,_VAG_1027a.jpg
- **2023**, Assyrian relief sculpture of gazelles (53410610531). The Lion Hunt reliefs from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh, seventh century BC. The Assyrian reputation for unique brutality is largely an artefact of asymmetric self-documentation: they carved their conquests and their hunts in stone and their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/232fce05-ef84-40a6-833d-3d5061f08c03) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assyrian_relief_sculpture_of_gazelles_(53410610531).jpg
- **2023**, Iraq's marshes are dying, and a civilisation with them \| AFP. The marshes of southern Iraq are drying, and a way of life with them. This is the landscape in which the earliest cities appeared, and its condition is a live archaeological as well as human question. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6989a477-6ec9-4acf-bd00-384b92809001) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-JhYyySyuQ
- **2023**, The Ziggurat from Old Sacramento. A zoomed-in picture of The Ziggurat, taken from the Old Sacramento Historic District. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9ed0c5db-164f-4d46-b4e8-53e45f935e6e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Ziggurat_from_Old_Sacramento.jpg
- **2023**, Iraq's looted artefacts: Thousands of antiquities still on black market • FRANCE 24 English. Thousands of looted Iraqi antiquities remain on the black market. Cylinder seals and tablets move easily because they are small, numerous and hard to distinguish from legally held pieces without provenance research. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/390e56e4-f0b5-48a6-87bd-51c66ef54429) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA7sGlZXFUY
- **2023**, Iraq dig unearths 2,700-year-old winged sculpture largely intact \| AFP. An Iraqi dig unearths a 2,700-year-old winged sculpture largely intact. A lamassu of this kind guarded a palace or city gateway and is usually carved with five legs so it reads from both front and side. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/466916cd-e930-414b-840f-3060c3d32910) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eusg8407yhY
- **2023**, Iraq starts major project to renovate Mosul Museum. Iraq begins a major project to renovate the Mosul Museum. The programme runs with UNESCO, ALIPH, the Louvre, the Smithsonian and the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2329ddc4-31c2-4c4e-8090-152479a68e83) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-DSF8CZ5sA
- **2023**, The Gilgamesh Dream tablet. From Iraq. Middle Babylonian Period, First Sealand Dynasty, 1732-1460 BCE. Iraq Museum, Baghdad. The Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The widely reported figure of 170,000 items lost in 2003 is wrong: it came from a miscommunication by the first crews on the scene plus empty cases whose contents curators had removed before the First Gulf War. The accurate figure is around 15,000 items, of which roughly 6,000 had been recovered as of 2009. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d35c70e7-5d20-4dbb-8530-db72ce8df34a) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Gilgamesh_Dream_tablet._From_Iraq._Middle_Babylonian_Period,_First_Sealand_Dynasty,_1732-1460_BCE._Iraq_Museum,_Baghdad.jpg
- **2023**, A late 1960s photograph captures students from Saint Thomas Private High School for Girls in Baghdad, Iraq, visiting the colossal lamassu at. ’s Nergal Gate. A lamassu, the human-headed winged bull that guarded Assyrian palace gateways. Several were carved with five legs, so the figure reads as standing when seen from the front and as walking when seen from the side. The Nergal Gate lamassu at Nineveh was destroyed in 2015. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c28a81c9-bbc9-4b51-a098-c12503bca4a3) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_late_1960s_photograph_captures_students_from_Saint_Thomas_Private_High_School_for_Girls_in_Baghdad,_Iraq,_visiting_the_colossal_lamassu_at_Mosul%E2%80%99s_Nergal_Gate.jpg
- **2023**, Archaeologists in Iraq unearth ancient restaurant. Archaeologists at Lagash in southern Iraq uncover what was reported as an ancient tavern or public eating place. Most Mesopotamian excavation has concentrated on temples and palaces, so domestic and commercial contexts are comparatively rare. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a1a3e665-f79a-4222-8566-6da0a608b07e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th70vAM5MN4
- **2023**, Complaint tablet to Ea-Nasir three quater view. The tablet of Nanni to Ea-nasir, roughly 1750 BC from Ur, complaining about substandard copper. It is the oldest known customer complaint and a legitimate way into the enormous world of Mesopotamian commercial correspondence, which is most of what survives. British Museum. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dbb25aca-6ae9-432e-aa8e-aeb09fdc6ec5) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Complaint_tablet_to_Ea-Nasir_three_quater_view.JPG
- **2023**, Complaint tablet to Ea-Nasir 2023 rotated. The tablet of Nanni to Ea-nasir, roughly 1750 BC from Ur, complaining about substandard copper. It is the oldest known customer complaint and a legitimate way into the enormous world of Mesopotamian commercial correspondence, which is most of what survives. British Museum. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b90b77e6-871e-42c9-ad68-ae59d8f4870e) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Complaint_tablet_to_Ea-Nasir_2023_rotated.jpg
- **2023-06-16**, The aftermath of immigration in the art of the Neo-Assyrian period. The aftermath of deportation in the art of the Neo-Assyrian period. Mass deportation was real and systematic, and modern scholarship increasingly reads it as labour allocation and population engineering rather than extermination. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/498030bc-c32b-481a-ab70-3f608925527a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8tNisMtKeE
- **2023-06-21**, Interdisciplinary team cooks 4000-year old Babylonian stews at NYU event. An interdisciplinary team cooks 4,000-year-old Babylonian stews from the Yale tablets. Reconstruction cooking is a way of testing what the terse recipe texts actually mean. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/544cda01-c502-4907-90e3-85d63bd65c49) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMSvptyuRnQ
- **2023-07-05**, Safeguarding the diversity of cultural heritage in Basrah. 's heritage includes marsh, port and Ottoman layers alongside the ancient south. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b174f82d-a40d-4a9e-9ba7-75cdf826096c) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxc3bQF9rGY
- **2023-07-11**, Balawat Gates – Archaeology Studio 139. The Balawat Gates of Shalmaneser III. The bronze bands are embossed with campaign scenes in narrow registers and are among the few surviving Assyrian works in metal at scale. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/da1c90c2-a3ae-457b-b6ba-38787a8592df) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vySjfs-s8EQ
- **2023-08-11**, Mesopotamian Ruins and Contemporary Art in Post-Conflict Iraq \| Hanaa Malallah and Kiersten Neumann. Mesopotamian ruins and contemporary art in post-conflict Iraq, with the artist Hanaa Malallah. Iraqi artists have engaged directly with the destruction of their own heritage. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5770cd16-9db3-41e5-a5a6-86a649b6dc66) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy3t76ZZoww
- **2023-09-04**, Gateway Guardians: Lamassu of Ancient Assyria – Archaeology Studio 142. The lamassu of ancient Assyria as gateway guardians. A pair flanked each major doorway, and the largest weigh upwards of thirty tonnes. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/640abe1c-b4cd-488e-9802-52d04fe0c4ef) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSyWjffv2fU
- **2023-09-20**, Nimrud in the British Museum. Nimrud material in the British Museum, examined panel by panel. Layard excavated here from 1845 and shipped reliefs to London, believing at first that he was digging Nineveh. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/009a5704-ef53-47b4-866d-f09ee9e394a4) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpGh3MqLFCM
- **2023-09-22**, Boshell Lecture Series: Modern Deconstructions & Reconstructions of Nimrud \| the Walters Art Museum. A Walters Art Museum lecture on the modern deconstructions and reconstructions of Nimrud. The site has been dismantled twice: once by nineteenth-century excavators shipping reliefs abroad, and once by demolition in 2015. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/76129386-b6d4-4000-8861-d3e2fe6b0311) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4sQWCKKFDM
- **2023-10-04**, Nimrud: Palace of Adad Nirari III, 2023. The palace of Adad-nirari III at Nimrud, recorded in 2023. Fieldwork at Nimrud now proceeds alongside the recovery of material destroyed in 2015. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1e12e669-2041-496c-922e-dd0212741960) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84-xATdEf_E
- **2023-10-06**, Back to School in Babylonia: The Aims of Babylonian Education \| Susanne Paulus, ISAC. Susanne Paulus on the aims of Babylonian education. The edubba, the tablet house, taught scribes through copying exercises and lexical lists, and those school tablets are a large part of what survives. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/fcbede3c-2076-4d16-ac6a-778f00695c3a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvkr4_DQKXg
- **2023-10-11**, Nimrud: Ishtar Temple, 2023, part 1. The Ishtar temple at Nimrud, recorded in 2023. Nimrud is Kalhu, made the Assyrian capital by Ashurnasirpal II in the ninth century BC. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/99fe3fb2-17d2-4b63-bd14-ded08340db50) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFEYC70QorM
- **2023-10-18**, Ancient Inscribed Brick: King of the Universe?. An inscribed brick claiming the title king of the universe. Royal titles like king of the universe and king of the four quarters were formulaic claims rather than descriptions of actual reach. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49ff8d87-a2b9-4032-8187-43100beb1106) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S07CnPqVfWs
- **2023-10-25**, Nimrud: Northwest Palace of Assurnasirpal II. The Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II at Nimrud. Its throne room reliefs are the ones that reached museums across Europe and North America in the nineteenth century. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/51b88428-8d5b-40f3-8c40-d7d868d42f87) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7cKIkrkbXc
- **2023-10-27**, L'Assyrien par Ariane Thomas - A la découverte des écritures et langues anciennes. Louvre curator Ariane Thomas introduces Assyrian, that is Akkadian written in cuneiform. The script was used for Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Elamite and others, so cuneiform is a writing system rather than a language. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/de6ee4c0-65e5-4846-809a-fb1e6f7ccc47) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfFWxo3k1vk
- **2023-11-01**, Agatha Christie and Nimrud. Agatha Christie at Nimrud, where she accompanied her husband Max Mallowan on excavation seasons through the 1950s. She photographed finds, cleaned ivories with face cream and set Murder in Mesopotamia among a dig house cast. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/88b415d2-e764-4372-a540-810d7e2b53b7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0q9x--xCdE
- **2023-12-12**, Law and Morality in Sumerian Satirical Tales \| Jana Matuszak, ISAC. Jana Matuszak on law and morality in Sumerian satirical tales. Sumerian literature includes disputation poems and satire alongside hymns, so the corpus is broader than the mythological texts that get anthologised. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1ef1cc68-60e3-452a-ad5c-811bf933b17f) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Mm53Q4Wydo
### 2024
- **2024-01-09**, Challenging Legacies: The Kingdom of Iraq and Gertrude Bell. Gertrude Bell and the Kingdom of Iraq, and the legacies she left. She was both the founder of the national museum and an agent of the British administration that created the state around it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/878cbdcb-ce02-468a-88fe-332bb73759c1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HzOJ5JgDZs
- **2024-01-11**, L'Œuvre en scène : « La Statue d'Ebih-Il ». The Louvre examines the statue of Ebih-Il, a superintendent from Mari, seated with hands clasped and eyes of shell and lapis. Mari, at Tell Hariri on the Euphrates, was excavated by Andre Parrot from 1933 and produced both this sculpture and an enormous palace archive. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/ba8d0405-f8ef-48a6-bd1b-6eea7684145a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHPYH1D761w
- **2024-01-26**, Enheduanna: Voicing the Feminine Divine Presentation and Musical Performance. Enheduanna's poetry presented with musical performance at Harvard Divinity School. The Exaltation of Inanna, Nin-me-shara, is the composition most associated with her name. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/05df582a-2e09-41d6-9fbf-45b0e90d696a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb-zw4loKgo
- **2024-01-27**, Settlement research in al-Hira, Iraq using declassified HEXAGON satellite imagery. Settlement research at al-Hira in Iraq using declassified HEXAGON satellite imagery. The technique recovers sites and canal systems that no longer read on the ground. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5e287553-32a9-4f78-9b9c-4613b2cb11cc) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiT9etAGDFY
- **2024-03-14**, AAI Reads: Murder In Mesopotamia. A reading of Murder in Mesopotamia, Agatha Christie's 1936 novel set on an Iraqi excavation. She knew the dig-house world firsthand from the Mallowan expeditions. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/5d890334-6764-4604-954f-493dee80b9e6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMsT5_2URb0
- **2024-03-21**, UNESCO and culture in emergencies: Protecting heritage and rebuilding hope. UNESCO on culture in emergencies. Heritage response is now treated as part of humanitarian work rather than as separate from it. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0e534c59-45d8-4c50-a3b5-b07f9eb6a6fd) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTZT2laagQI
- **2024-05-01**, Dominique Charpin \| Epigraphic Discoveries in Southern Iraq (Ur and Larsa), 2015-2023. Dominique Charpin on epigraphic discoveries at Ur and Larsa between 2015 and 2023. Tablets are still coming out of the ground in southern Iraq, read on site by epigraphers working with the excavators. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49782f8b-b04e-45f3-88c2-a4680f04ec77) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXXNNS5PlHI
- **2024-05-02**, Kid's Corner: Make a Cylinder Seal!. A children's workshop making a cylinder seal at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Carving a rolling design in reverse is the technical problem the ancient seal cutters solved daily. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/20669353-9789-4a94-941e-323c1e539424) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqQVnByleBA
- **2024-05-10**, Nele Ziegler \| Music and Musicians in Mari – a Diachronic Overview. Nele Ziegler on music and musicians at Mari. The Mari letters name musicians and describe their training, which is rare documentary evidence for ancient performance. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/16dfa841-86a9-4228-8eb4-53c20801d4f0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXyx79j_If8
- **2024-05-15**, UrukVR - Digital Twin. UrukVR, a digital twin of Uruk from the German Archaeological Institute. Uruk was the largest city in the world in the late fourth millennium BC and the source of the earliest proto-cuneiform tablets. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0f0592d6-2e45-47d5-8957-49e39f105d66) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBe9Iy-Aeck
- **2024-05-24**, Protecting Cultural Heritage under Siege. 1954 Hague Convention and its protocols set the legal framework, and enforcement remains the difficulty. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/0b079289-ada7-4d04-86b8-7dc2b1a2d112) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guhw4s6v1X0
- **2024-06-13**, We found a lost temple using maths sent by an ancient Sumerian god \| Curator's Corner S9 Ep3. British Museum curators on a temple located through the mathematics of an ancient text. The Mesopotamian scribal tradition included substantial mathematical and astronomical work in base sixty, the ancestor of our sixty-minute hour and 360-degree circle. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/31bd9575-e748-480a-bb45-812dd3fb064d) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WctTJVdsISE
- **2024**, RoyalGameOfUrRuleSet. The Royal Game of Ur, a board game from the Royal Cemetery at Ur, roughly 2600 BC. A cuneiform tablet in the British Museum preserves its rules, which is why it is one of the few ancient games that can actually be played. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/615a9271-66b2-4f61-bcc5-00ee0307c3d6) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RoyalGameOfUrRuleSet.jpg
- **2024**, Mitanni, sigillo con culto a un dio sole e genio a doppia testa leonina, in ematite, dall'iraq, 1600-1300 ac ca., AO 10857, 01. Near Eastern Antiquities in the Louvre - Room 227. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/60609ba1-27e3-478e-9214-e82e537d682f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitanni,_sigillo_con_culto_a_un_dio_sole_e_genio_a_doppia_testa_leonina,_in_ematite,_dall%27iraq,_1600-1300_ac_ca.,_AO_10857,_01.jpg
- **2024**, Periodo medio-assiro, sigillo con leone che assalta toro, palma, cane e cavalletta, dediche a marduk e shamash, in diaspro, dall'iraq, 1392-. 911 ac ca., MNB1907, 01. Near Eastern Antiquities in the Louvre - Room 227. Cylinder seals were rolled across damp clay to sign and secure documents, and the impression, not the stone, was the point. They are among the most numerous surviving Mesopotamian objects and around 5,000 were among the roughly 15,000 items taken from the Iraq Museum in 2003. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/1d130dd7-4daa-4bb9-89e6-4fb944b1ab96) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Periodo_medio-assiro,_sigillo_con_leone_che_assalta_toro,_palma,_cane_e_cavalletta,_dediche_a_marduk_e_shamash,_in_diaspro,_dall%27iraq,_1392-911_ac_ca.,_MNB1907,_01.jpg
- **2024**, Chibayish Marshes in Iraq 30. Chibayish Marshes in Iraq - Nasiriyah. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/39e30981-5687-43b1-8f21-ed04eeee8753) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chibayish_Marshes_in_Iraq_30.jpg
- **2024**, Grilling Fish in Chibayish Marshes in Iraq 02. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4539b8da-5914-48b2-9e2f-2cab9545f803) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grilling_Fish_in_Chibayish_Marshes_in_Iraq_02.jpg
- **2024**, Pelita at Mari Mari Cultural Village 01. Pelita torch at Mari Mari Cultural Village. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/63134560-b381-4978-a19a-24fa9c63bb1f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pelita_at_Mari_Mari_Cultural_Village_01.jpg
- **2024**, Pelita at Mari Mari Cultural Village. Pelita torch at Mari Mari Cultural Village. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/79e6fc82-18e9-4f9b-9a9a-f4b88fe15c24) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pelita_at_Mari_Mari_Cultural_Village.jpg
- **2024**, Triumphal Entry of Alexander into Babylon. This panel is from the frieze called the Triumphal Entry of Alexander into Babylon. Depicted are Macedonian soldiers on horseback in the train of Alexander the Great. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cc8a223c-599a-4636-96f3-885412ac48ca) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triumphal_Entry_of_Alexander_into_Babylon.jpg
- **2024**, Mesopotamia, rilievo da palazzo di assurbanipal II a nimrud, in alabastro, 875-860 ac ca. 02 testa di mostro ad aquila. Nimrud, ancient Kalhu, capital under Ashurnasirpal II and the site of the Northwest Palace, the Nimrud ivories and the queens' tombs found by the Iraqi archaeologist Muzahim Mahmud Hussein between 1988 and 1990, a discovery usually left out of Western tellings. It was bulldozed in 2015, and it was the real catastrophe of that year, more than the Mosul Museum video. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dc2369aa-6f24-49d5-a660-3c5f1ea8b318) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mesopotamia,_rilievo_da_palazzo_di_assurbanipal_II_a_nimrud,_in_alabastro,_875-860_ac_ca._02_testa_di_mostro_ad_aquila.jpg
- **2024**, Dedication of a gift-offering to the Ekur temple of Enlil in Nippur, from Hasmar-galsu, c. 15th century BC, black diorite - Otago Museum - D. 04835. Exhibit in Otago Museum - Dunedin, New Zealand. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/cb2e2cbf-0388-4acc-8a15-b30bdb175c8f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dedication_of_a_gift-offering_to_the_Ekur_temple_of_Enlil_in_Nippur,_from_Hasmar-galsu,_c._15th_century_BC,_black_diorite_-_Otago_Museum_-_Dunedin,_NZ_-_DSC04835.jpg
- **2024**, Restoring Iraq's history: Thousands of stolen artifacts back on display. Thousands of recovered artefacts go back on display in Baghdad. Roughly 6,000 of the 15,000 stolen in 2003 had returned by 2009, and recovery has continued since. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/20c878b8-9cd1-4581-808a-69e81dcca421) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9aDJ1aHLFY
- **2024**, Old city destruction. An old heritage neighborhood has been destroyed due to the war in mosul. The 2015 Mosul Museum video showed both replicas and genuine originals being destroyed, and accounts that present only one half of that are wrong in both directions. Nimrud, bulldozed the same year, was the real catastrophe. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/39d7cefd-4e6f-43ab-87a3-bd4e6a76ef99) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_city_destruction.jpg
- **2024**, Cyrus Cylinder, Babylon, Iraq, mid 500s BC, cuneiform on clay - British Museum - DSC01316. The Cyrus Cylinder, a Babylonian foundation deposit recording Cyrus the Great's capture of Babylon in 539 BC, the event that ends this archive's ancient span. It is often described as the first charter of human rights, a modern reading that the text itself does not support: it is a conventional Mesopotamian royal building inscription in form. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/15155b67-fd92-48f8-956e-6e9769b88ca1) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cyrus_Cylinder,_Babylon,_Iraq,_mid_500s_BC,_cuneiform_on_clay_-_British_Museum_-_DSC01316.jpg
- **2024**, Archaeologists locate centuries-old battle site in Iraq using declassified spy satellite images. Archaeologists locate a battle site in Iraq using declassified spy satellite imagery. Cold War CORONA and HEXAGON photographs record the Iraqi landscape before modern agriculture and looting altered it, so they have become a standard survey tool. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7496f4cd-fc72-429a-9cb2-26a412c84935) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M18OcuwPEeY
- **2024-07-10**, Daniel Schwemer \| Living in a Precarious World: Magical Rituals from Ancient Mesopotamia. Daniel Schwemer on magical rituals from ancient Mesopotamia. Incantation and ritual texts are one of the largest surviving genres and were the working literature of professional exorcists. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/08483546-1e5e-497e-86db-5ee410d7b956) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOakUi2-fJc
- **2024-08-01**, The Babylonian Map of the World with Irving Finkel \| Curator’s Corner S9 Ep5. Irving Finkel handles the Babylonian Map of the World, BM 92687, a clay tablet carrying a schematic diagram of the earth ringed by a bitter river with regions radiating beyond it. It is the oldest surviving world map of its kind and the caption text names places the diagram does not label. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/a008b3b6-0141-4b21-9254-7b8da6cf37f1) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUxFzh8r384
- **2024-08-28**, Ancient Mesopotamian Figurines [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b299cddd-9deb-47a1-9f66-435bd9d2b91e) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDE7mrPjPwM
- **2024-08-29**, Archaeologists keep re-excavating this 4000-year-old brick \| Curator's Corner S9 Ep6. A British Museum curator on an inscribed brick that archaeologists keep re-excavating. Stamped bricks carrying a king's name are among the most common finds on Mesopotamian sites and are how many buildings are attributed at all. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9f848dc6-fbe1-4d6b-9f68-1854f3b45dac) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffWBf0HmuqA
- **2024-09-23**, A Future for Nimrud Conference: Cultural Heritage Preservation at Nimrud 2022–2024. A conference on heritage preservation at Nimrud covering work from 2022 to 2024. Nimrud is under active conservation with international funding and Iraqi teams doing the work on the ground. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/790f3fa2-279f-4492-8a5a-e6f7be145ce0) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEVVzNfCDy4
- **2024-10-22**, The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: A Biodiversity Haven and Ancient Mesopotamian Marvel. The Ahwar of southern Iraq, the Mesopotamian marshes, as biodiversity and cultural landscape. The marshes were drained in the 1990s and partially reflooded after 2003, and they are the living landscape closest to the ancient one. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dbe6872e-b579-4f09-8290-cc3c2ba1e352) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8mC6hBMyLo
- **2024-10-30**, Ancient Demon: Queen of the Night?. The Burney Relief, also called the Queen of the Night, British Museum 2003,0718.1. Its authenticity was doubted for decades and is now generally accepted, and the identity of the winged goddess, Ishtar or Ereshkigal or Lilitu, is still argued. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/2c73a9af-12a5-4d5d-9892-ea01b464d915) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auJGMVlCrts
- **2024-11-04**, A Cursed Tablet [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/13610507-e6d5-4717-b062-dedf6d9431f6) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yPo4T7Lwhc
- **2024-11-19**, From above and from the ground: combining aerial and ground assessment of heritage destruction. Combining aerial and ground assessment of heritage destruction. Aerial survey establishes the scale of looting damage that ground visits can only sample. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7ed1517d-c5de-4f8e-88d3-b8cddf1ece52) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbNWmXWSRYY
- **2024-11-25**, Dr Jon Taylor on Reading the Library of Ashurbanipal. Jon Taylor on reading the Library of Ashurbanipal. The Kuyunjik collection came to London in the nineteenth century in tens of thousands of fragments, and joining them back into tablets is still unfinished work. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/dbf04e2a-26e6-436b-9bac-239f2f5b1ebb) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfCVMzm1rfc
### 2025
- **2025-01-23**, The Black Obelisk. 118885, found by Layard at Nimrud in 1846. Its registers show tribute from five regions, and one figure is captioned as Jehu son of Omri, which ties Assyrian record-keeping to a name known from the Hebrew Bible. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d1280911-f415-47f3-bf06-e5ea2498b407) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opMT1snZ3mU
- **2025-02-04**, Mosul's revival: A lasting legacy built through international cooperation. Mosul's revival through international cooperation. Reconstruction funding has come through UNESCO, ALIPH, the European Union and the United Arab Emirates, with Iraqi engineers and craftspeople doing the work. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/74437f97-d33f-45c9-84af-afd73c47a173) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ4p36Fxzz8
- **2025-03-27**, Rebuilding Hope: Tutunji House Reopens in the Heart of Mosul. Tutunji House reopens in the heart of Mosul after restoration. Restoring an Ottoman merchant house is part of returning the old city to use, not a separate antiquarian exercise. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/11b5c411-f3ce-4366-ac33-2c8d130f8fa8) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqVlQZMP11w
- **2025-05-29**, Dr Sébastien Rey and Dr Ebru Torun on The Girsu Project in Iraq. Sebastien Rey and Ebru Torun on the Girsu Project, the British Museum excavation at Tello in southern Iraq run with Iraqi archaeologists. Girsu was the religious centre of the Sumerian state of Lagash and was first dug by Ernest de Sarzec from 1877. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/d90efba5-9c42-4d80-b373-a57c8d2c17c7) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMnj4FAHZuc
- **2025**, Beer inspired by 5,000-year-old Sumerian recipe served up Madrid \| REUTERS. Beer brewed from a 5,000-year-old Sumerian recipe served in Madrid. Reconstruction projects are how brewing methods described in cuneiform get tested. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c0c6cf3f-0ee3-47c9-87ef-ac3dd2279002) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPQ4xv6DbdM
- **2025**, Iraq’s drought reveals hidden ancient ruins • FRANCE 24 English. Drought in Iraq exposes hidden ancient ruins. Falling water levels have revealed sites that were flooded by twentieth-century dam building. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c1b36c2b-87b2-43f3-924a-5d6df77dd208) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZofISM1gpU
- **2025**, Iraq’s water buffalo herds dwindle as drought and dams shrink ancient marshlands. Water buffalo herds dwindle as drought and upstream dams shrink the ancient marshlands. Buffalo herding in the Ahwar is a continuity with the marsh economy visible in third-millennium imagery. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/886d4d40-49bb-48e6-a685-03103365b421) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rndxFr1G2oU
- **2025**, Archaeologists discover vast irrigation network used in ancient Eridu in southern Iraq. A vast irrigation network mapped at ancient Eridu in southern Iraq. Eridu, at Tell Abu Shahrain, is one of the oldest known city sites and appears at the head of the Sumerian King List as the place where kingship first descended. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/117c1f77-9b9e-4930-b12e-bcb8d176c5fa) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09cwhnCY5Lw
- **2025-07-17**, History of Mesopotamian Archaeology told with Underpants @preservethings Curator's Corner S10 Ep4. A British Museum account of how Mesopotamian archaeology developed, from the nineteenth-century race between Layard, Botta and Rassam to modern fieldwork. Those early expeditions removed the Assyrian reliefs to London and Paris under arrangements that would not be made today. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/30326cba-e4d0-483c-b883-47df8ca0d162) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0UdSk08vQo
- **2025-07-31**, The revealing details of the Assyrian Lion Hunt Reliefs \| Curator’s Corner S10 Ep5. A British Museum curator walks through the Lion Hunt reliefs from Ashurbanipal's North Palace at Nineveh, panel by panel. The palace carvings are Assyria's own account of itself, made to be seen; the reputation for unique brutality rests largely on the fact that the Assyrians documented their conquests in stone while their neighbours did not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/9ce2ea9e-c790-444c-a957-eb16f5808375) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eBL5quTa9s
- **2025-08-20**, Nimrud/Kalhu Shrine Excavation, Fall 2024 Part 1. Excavation of a shrine at Nimrud in autumn 2024, part of the ongoing Iraqi and international work at the site. Digging at Nimrud now happens alongside the recovery of material demolished in 2015. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4e339d1a-bb9c-489d-9c92-ff7f6dd6eebf) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iiqbTtxqOw
- **2025-09-04**, What Was The Purpose Of The Tell Asmar Statues? - Archaeology Quest. The purpose of the Tell Asmar statues. The hoard was buried beneath the floor of the Square Temple at Eshnunna, and the figures are understood as substitutes standing in perpetual prayer on behalf of their donors. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b08654b1-e86f-4a53-a235-2f3797d88d6a) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kdVpbU37Ng
- **2025-09-14**, Art and Writing in Early Mesopotamian Cities. Art and writing in the earliest Mesopotamian cities. Recent work argues that pre-literate cylinder seal motifs are a direct source for proto-cuneiform sign shapes, which cuts against the familiar claim that writing descended from clay tokens. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/23a624ad-851d-4785-807e-b474e6613171) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsNI9o920YM
- **2025-09-14**, Assyrian Reliefs Tell the Story of an Empire. Assyrian reliefs read as the story of an empire, from the Getty. The annals and the carvings are state instruments: the point was to make submission look preferable to resistance. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/af8e379d-5ea7-49d9-b496-c7b977ee3607) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUaCUXSTIvg
### 2026
- **2026-02-09**, The Epic of Atrahasis and the History of Cuneiform \| Collection in Focus. The Morgan Library on the Epic of Atrahasis and the history of cuneiform. Atrahasis carries a flood narrative independent of the Gilgamesh version and is older as a composition. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c4711934-cbfe-4679-af2d-b85ebd962c14) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G95CmxL1UC0
- **2026-03-05**, The oldest bridge in the world \| Curators' Corner S10 Ep12. British Museum curators on the mudbrick bridge at Girsu in southern Iraq, among the oldest known constructed bridges anywhere. Mesopotamian architecture is mudbrick, which is why so much of it now reads as brown mounds. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/6c98b9f3-6833-4ef7-92e3-d0454e6f4067) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWSlI9HZqZQ
- **2026-03-21**, The Statues of Gudea of Lagash - Masterpieces of Ancient Mesopotamia. The statues of Gudea of Lagash. Around thirty survive, most from Girsu, and they are the defining sculpture of the period between the fall of Akkad and the Third Dynasty of Ur. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/7118059e-9c67-461c-982c-abb9068da80b) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW_Yv_21Gck
- **2026-03-22**, Who Was Gertrude Bell?. An introduction to Gertrude Bell. As Honorary Director of Antiquities she personally supervised the partage divisions that sent half of Ur to London and Philadelphia. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/4443ab18-5c45-4673-9f4b-849536a246b5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHBLC5Tm_zA
- **2026**, Statue de Gudea dite 'à l'épaule brisée' - Musée du Louvre Antiquités orientales AO 7. Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/f58c6808-2d17-4ab5-b053-88d06cfb67b8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_de_Gudea_dite_%27%C3%A0_l%27%C3%A9paule_bris%C3%A9e%27_-_Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre_Antiquit%C3%A9s_orientales_AO_7.jpg
- **2026**, Statue de Gudea - Musée du Louvre Antiquités orientales AO 4. Gudea ruled Lagash around 2100 BC and had himself carved repeatedly in hard imported diorite. The statues came from Girsu, modern Tello, where Ernest de Sarzec began digging in 1877, work that effectively proved the Sumerians had existed after their existence had been doubted. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/49f234d9-4207-478c-83da-35d1f747542d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Statue_de_Gudea_-_Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre_Antiquit%C3%A9s_orientales_AO_4.jpg
- **2026**, 01930 Jødiske fanger, assyrisk billede. The Lachish reliefs from Sennacherib's Southwest Palace at Nineveh record the Assyrian siege of the Judaean city of Lachish in 701 BC. They are an unusual case where an event is documented by the attacker in stone, by the defeated side in text, and in the archaeology of the site itself. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/78828c11-ddc2-44dd-bdf3-308a4b11409d) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:01930_J%C3%B8diske_fanger,_assyrisk_billede.jpg
- **2026**, Iraq restores ancient Ur site threatened by climate erosion. Iraq works to protect the site of Ur from climate erosion. Mudbrick and fired brick both suffer badly from salt and from changing rainfall patterns. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/05a07188-38fd-4d47-a6e2-76becf3d7d28) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdXLSlR_rEA
- **2026**, Iraq's Ziggurat Of Ur Shows Signs of Damage as Loss of Storm Barriers Leaves Site Exposed \|WION News. The Ziggurat of Ur shows damage after the loss of storm barriers. Conservation at Ur is now largely a matter of managing water and salt. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3f33c1c5-605a-4e57-89f1-b1311f002b93) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSw5P-BAVPQ
- **2026**, Foundation nail from the Temple of Nin-Girsu built by Ur-Baba, governor of Lagash, Babylonian, c. 2250 BC, terracotta - California Palace of. 09698. Exhibit in the California Palace of the Legion of Honor - San Francisco, California, USA. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c8247149-2f44-459f-acdf-aa1df5f09a4f) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Foundation_nail_from_the_Temple_of_Nin-Girsu_built_by_Ur-Baba,_governor_of_Lagash,_Babylonian,_c._2250_BC,_terracotta_-_California_Palace_of_the_Legion_of_Honor_-_San_Francisco,_CA_-_DSC09698.jpg
- **2026**, Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque - Nineveh - Mosul - Iraq 03. Photos to be added to Wikipedia Articles. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/3d3994e0-4a23-4a0e-a596-32412cce80ab) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Nabi_Yunus_Mosque_-_Nineveh_-_Mosul_-_Iraq_03.jpg
- **2026**, Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque - Nineveh - Mosul - Iraq 02. Photos to be added to Wikipedia Articles. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/20665b09-911c-4179-88e1-a31a70f6c2d7) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Nabi_Yunus_Mosque_-_Nineveh_-_Mosul_-_Iraq_02.jpg
- **2026**, Lion de Mari - Musée du Louvre Antiquités orientales AO 19520 ; AO 19824. Provenance is about where things are. Objects that stayed in Iraq are the hardest for an archive like this to show, and objects that left are the easiest, because the institutions holding them abroad publish open-licensed images and the Iraqi institutions largely do not. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/c14d49ee-ae86-420f-b430-c11ac0b42431) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lion_de_Mari_-_Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre_Antiquit%C3%A9s_orientales_AO_19520_;_AO_19824.jpg
- **2026**, Al-Nabi Yunus Mosque - Nineveh - Mosul - Iraq 01. Photos to be added to Wikipedia Articles. Mesopotamian cities were built in mud brick, and mud brick melts. The sites are mounds, not standing ruins, and there is no Mesopotamian Parthenon. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/77318ee3-8da5-4485-b826-aa736291cfe8) Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al-Nabi_Yunus_Mosque_-_Nineveh_-_Mosul_-_Iraq_01.jpg
- **2026-06-19**, "L'Eau primordiale", une exposition sur l'eau dans les antiquités orientales du Louvre.. A Louvre exhibition on water in the ancient Near Eastern collections. Irrigation is why cities appeared in southern Mesopotamia at all: the rivers made intensive agriculture possible and the management of water made large institutions necessary. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/229e3be6-5059-4ef2-ba84-70580c3559d5) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T3XLW_xifU
- **2026-07-11**, Using X-Rays to read sealed cuneiform tablets. Using X-rays to read cuneiform tablets still sealed inside their clay envelopes. Imaging lets a document be read without breaking the case that carries the sender's seal impression, so both survive. [scene](https://loreline.live/loreline/mesopotamia/scene/b65bd29b-6946-4ab9-aedf-78eced2b9f86) Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25HDGbvi-48

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1,000 moments · Attribution: Loreline (loreline.live) · Public contributions welcome.