UK (London, The British Museum)

Assyrian Trade - Ivory plaque of Egyptian inspiration found in Nimrud. British Museum

3121

Date Created: Circa 8th century BCE. Period: The Neo-Assyrian Period (circa 911–609 BCE), an era marked by widespread imperial expansion, cosmopolitan artistic syncretism, and intensive international trade and tribute networks.

Furniture Inlay and Luxury Art: Like the majority of Nimrud ivories, this plaque originally served as a decorative furniture inlay (such as for a royal throne, couch, or box) or as a small luxury panel traded or collected as tribute. Symbol of Ideological and Commercial Exchange: It physically manifested the synthesis of elite Mediterranean cultures, blending Egyptian iconographic symbols with Near Eastern craftsmanship to project royal prestige and wealth.