Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone, wood, and bone has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the earliest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint arrowhead in our hand, delicately carved to a fine point thousands of years ago, we are holding the nascent breath of civilization. Tools allowed mankind to utilize his natural setting to its fullest potential, to altar the surroundings to suite his needs, and to create his own collective habitats that would eventually evolve into great cities. An arrowhead head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could have been used to fell a fleeing prey or to spear a fish. As well, the delicate serrated edge could be used to cut and prepare the meat for cooking. This stone arrowhead represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to conquer. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people evolving from arrowheads to temples. - (N.1065)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone, wood, and bone has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the earliest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint arrowhead in our hand, delicately carved to a fine point thousands of years ago, we are holding the nascent breath of civilization. Tools allowed mankind to utilize his natural setting to its fullest potential, to altar the surroundings to suite his needs, and to create his own collective habitats that would eventually evolve into great cities. An arrowhead head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could have been used to fell a fleeing prey or to spear a fish. As well, the delicate serrated edge could be used to cut and prepare the meat for cooking. This stone arrowhead represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to conquer. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people evolving from arrowheads to temples. - (N.1066)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone, wood, and bone has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the earliest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint arrowhead in our hand, delicately carved to a fine point thousands of years ago, we are holding the nascent breath of civilization. Tools allowed mankind to utilize his natural setting to its fullest potential, to altar the surroundings to suite his needs, and to create his own collective habitats that would eventually evolve into great cities. An arrowhead head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could have been used to fell a fleeing prey or to spear a fish. As well, the delicate serrated edge could be used to cut and prepare the meat for cooking. This stone arrowhead represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to conquer. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people evolving from arrowheads to temples. - (N.1067)   « Less

This magnificent alabaster bust of a man is closely related to the famed series of sculptures commissioned by Gudea of Lagash. After the collapse of the Akkadian empire,  More »

This magnificent alabaster bust of a man is closely related to the famed series of sculptures commissioned by Gudea of Lagash. After the collapse of the Akkadian empire, southern Mesopotamia was divided into a series of independent city-states ruled by local kings. The city-state of Lagash prospered under the enlightened rule of Gudea and his son Ur- Ningrisu. Gudea set about restoring the temples of Lagash and commissioned a series of sculpture of the gods and himself to decorate these renovated structures. It is through inscriptions found on these sculptures as well as through contemporary texts, composed mostly of Sumerian hymns and prayers, that we know about Gudea. While the art of the Akkadian period can be characterized by a sense of dynamic realism, the works from this Neo- Sumerian culture that survive are filled with a sense of piety and restraint, perhaps relating to their nature as religious icons. This bust depicts a man wearing the distinctive Persian-lamb fur cap that is traditionally associated with the ensi, or governor Neo-Sumerian Alabaster Bust ofa Priest-X.0211Origin:Mesopotamia Circa:2200BCto2100BCDimensions:12.5"(31.8cm) high x 9.5" (24.1cm) wide Collection: Near Eastern Style: Neo-Sumerian   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone, wood, and bone has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the earliest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint arrowhead in our hand, delicately carved to a fine point thousands of years ago, we are holding the nascent breath of civilization. Tools allowed mankind to utilize his natural setting to its fullest potential, to altar the surroundings to suite his needs, and to create his own collective habitats that would eventually evolve into great cities. An arrowhead head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could have been used to fell a fleeing prey or to spear a fish. As well, the delicate serrated edge could be used to cut and prepare the meat for cooking. This stone arrowhead represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to conquer. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people evolving from arrowheads to temples. - (N.1068)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone, wood, and bone has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the earliest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint arrowhead in our hand, delicately carved to a fine point thousands of years ago, we are holding the nascent breath of civilization. Tools allowed mankind to utilize his natural setting to its fullest potential, to altar the surroundings to suite his needs, and to create his own collective habitats that would eventually evolve into great cities. An arrowhead head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could have been used to fell a fleeing prey or to spear a fish. As well, the delicate serrated edge could be used to cut and prepare the meat for cooking. This stone arrowhead represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to conquer. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people evolving from arrowheads to temples. - (N.1069)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone, wood, and bone has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the earliest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint arrowhead in our hand, delicately carved to a fine point thousands of years ago, we are holding the nascent breath of civilization. Tools allowed mankind to utilize his natural setting to its fullest potential, to altar the surroundings to suite his needs, and to create his own collective habitats that would eventually evolve into great cities. An arrowhead head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could have been used to fell a fleeing prey or to spear a fish. As well, the delicate serrated edge could be used to cut and prepare the meat for cooking. This stone arrowhead represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to conquer. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people evolving from arrowheads to temples. - (N.1070)   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone, wood, and bone has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the earliest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint arrowhead in our hand, delicately carved to a fine point thousands of years ago, we are holding the nascent breath of civilization. Tools allowed mankind to utilize his natural setting to its fullest potential, to altar the surroundings to suite his needs, and to create his own collective habitats that would eventually evolve into great cities. An arrowhead head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could have been used to fell a fleeing prey or to spear a fish. As well, the delicate serrated edge could be used to cut and prepare the meat for cooking. This stone arrowhead represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to conquer. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people evolving from arrowheads to temples. - (N.1071)   « Less

Although archaeological excavations reveal that the land of the Assyrians had been inhabited as early as 5000 B.C., it was not until the reign of King Sargon of Akkad in 2371  More »

Although archaeological excavations reveal that the land of the Assyrians had been inhabited as early as 5000 B.C., it was not until the reign of King Sargon of Akkad in 2371 B.C. that the Assyrians first rose to glory. Under Sargon, the kingdom rapidly expanded north to the city of Ashur and as far west as the Mediterranean, controlled by a central government based in Akkad. By 1813 B.C., King Shamshi-Adad I united the cities of Ashur, Nineveh, and Arbel into one cohesive administrative unit. These three cities, as well as Arrapkha and Kalhu (later known as Nimrud), form the historical core of the Assyrian Kingdom which would remain a credible force throughout the Mediterranean world for the next millennium. While various parts of Assyrian territory were annexed for brief periods of time by neighboring civilizations, this core remained firmly intact. The Assyrians experienced another Golden Age, lasting from the 9th until the 7th Century B.C. (this period is referred to as “Neo-Assyrian”). During this period, the kingdom grew to its largest extent, encompassing the lands from parts of modern Iran to the Mediterranean, from Anatolia to Egypt. However, it proved difficult even for the powerful Assyrian monarchs to maintain control over this vast territory for very long. By the end of the 7th Century, the Assyrian Kingdom began to collapse under the weight of assaults from the Babylonians to the south and the newly founded Medes Kingdom to the east. In 612 B.C., Nimrud burned for the second time in three years, followed by the sacking of Ashur and Nineveh, effectively ending Assyrian control oftheancient Near Eas Assyrian Glazed Brick Tile Depictinga Mythological Creature-X.0262Origin:Mesopotamia Circa: 900 BC to 700BCDimensions:21.75"(55.2cm)highollection:Near Eastern Style Assyrian Medium: Glazed Terracotta   « Less

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes  More »

Origin: Egypt Circa: 6000 BC to 4000 BC Collection: Egyptian Style: Neolithic Medium: Flint The creation of tools utilizing the natural environment is what distinguishes man from animal. What was once created using stone, wood, and bone has, over the centuries, evolved into metalworking and modern-day plastics. But it is the earliest tools, those carved from stone, which allowed mankind to conquer the natural environment and to prosper. Holding this flint arrowhead in our hand, delicately carved to a fine point thousands of years ago, we are holding the nascent breath of civilization. Tools allowed mankind to utilize his natural setting to its fullest potential, to altar the surroundings to suite his needs, and to create his own collective habitats that would eventually evolve into great cities. An arrowhead head like this one, when tied securely to a wooden shaft, could have been used to fell a fleeing prey or to spear a fish. As well, the delicate serrated edge could be used to cut and prepare the meat for cooking. This stone arrowhead represents the innate human drive to altar the environment, to innovate, and to conquer. It is in these earliest tools that we are able to witness the birth of civilization. From such tools, mankind learned to carve stones and rocks into new shapes and forms that suited the needs of the people evolving from arrowheads to temples. - (N.1072)   « Less