The oldest known written language, cuneiform, first used by the ancient peoples of the Near East over 5000 years ago, is composed of a series of wedge-shaped incisions made  More »

The oldest known written language, cuneiform, first used by the ancient peoples of the Near East over 5000 years ago, is composed of a series of wedge-shaped incisions made with a sharpened reed stylus. This script was adopted by all the major civilizations of Mesopotamia for recording their distinct languages, including the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. Clay tablets were the preferred media for everyday writing because they could either be easily recycled or, if a permanent record was required, fired in a kiln and preserved. The earliest recorded inscriptions are not myths of histories, but rather banal economic transactions and accounting documents. Later, one of the most famous written works of the ancient world, Hammurabi’s code, was recorded in the cuneiform script. While these marks may appear obscure and mysterious to our eyes, scholars have made much progress in deciphering cuneiform after discovering inscriptions on the Behistun Rock, a cliff in western Iran. Much like the Rosetta Stone, the Behistun Inscription contained the same text written in three different languages (Persian, Babylonian, and Elamite), all of which utilized the cuneiform system of writing. Due to the resemblance of these languages to modern ones, scholars wereabletocracktocode Middleabylonian Terracotta Cuneiform Tablet-X.0126Origin:Mesopotamia Circa:1308BCto1282BCDimensions:4" (10.2cm)highx2.5"(6.4cm)wide Collection:Near Eastern Style:Kassite Period Medium: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.1079)   « Less

The Parthians defeated the Seleucids towards the end of the third century BC and went on to found an empire that stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indus. Formerly a  More »

The Parthians defeated the Seleucids towards the end of the third century BC and went on to found an empire that stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indus. Formerly a Central Asian nomadic people they acquired great wealth through their control of caravan cities along the Silk Route. Led by the Arsacid Dynasty, they were Rome’s strongest opponents in the East. The Romans disputed territory in Syria, Armenia and Mesopotamia but were often defeated in battle by the superiority of the Parthian cavalry. In contrast to their hostile relationship with Rome, the Parthians seem to have courted the favour of the Chinese Han Dynasty. As early as the second century BC the Chinese explorer Zhang Qian visited Parthia and described it as an advanced urban civilisation. Embassies were sent in both directions and trade with China flourished. A detailed account of Parthian civilisation has yet to be written- partly because so little of their own literature has survived. Historians are forced to rely on foreign histories and numismatic evidence. However it is clear from the coins alone that Parthian kings were consciously modelling themselves and attached great significancetothevisualarts.Parthian Turquoise-Glazed Terracotta Rhyton Central Asia Circa: 1 st Century AD to 2 nd Century ADDimensions: 14.50" (36.8cm) high Collection: Near Eastern Style: Parthian 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.1080)   « Less

The Sassanids were the last native Persian Kingdom to rule Ancient Iran before the Islamic conquest. The Sassanid era was a golden age of Persian culture that witnessed the  More »

The Sassanids were the last native Persian Kingdom to rule Ancient Iran before the Islamic conquest. The Sassanid era was a golden age of Persian culture that witnessed the revival of Zoroastrianism, an ancient mystical belief native to these lands, and a literary Renaissance spurred by the translation of many Old Persian epics written in cuneiform into the Middle Persian language of Pahlavi written in an alphabet derived from Aramaic. Based on written sources and the iconography found in silver dishes such as this one, monumental rock-cut relief sculptures, engraved gems, and coins, scholars have surmised that Sassanian art was an official art, reflecting the ideology of the state, and in particular the state religion: Zoroastrianism. Sassanid Silver Elliptical Bowlwith Incised Decorations-X.0367Origin:Central Asia Circa:5th Century ADto7th Century ADDimensions:9.75"(24.8cm)wide Collection:Near Eastern Style:Sassanid Medium: Silver   « 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 ge,lasting from the 9th until the 7th Century B.C. (this During this period, 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 vastterritoryforverylong.Assyrian Limestonethe Head-X.0376 Origin: Near East Circa: 900 BC to Eastern Style: Assyrian Medium: Limestone   « Less

Persian Stone Sculpture ofa Recumbent Bull-X.0448Origin:Persia Circa:1900BCto1300 BCDimensions: 2.75" (7.0cm) high x 4" (10.2cm) wide Collection: Near Eastern Style:  More »

Persian Stone Sculpture ofa Recumbent Bull-X.0448Origin:Persia Circa:1900BCto1300 BCDimensions: 2.75" (7.0cm) high x 4" (10.2cm) wide Collection: Near Eastern Style: Zoomorphic Medium: Stone   « Less

The term "Babylonian demon bowl" is used to describe earthenware vessels found exclusively in various sites of Iran and Iraq, created as forms of both protective and  More »

The term "Babylonian demon bowl" is used to describe earthenware vessels found exclusively in various sites of Iran and Iraq, created as forms of both protective and aggressive magic. They are identified by writing on the interior, and occasionally on the outside, in either Jewish- Aramaic, Syriac, Mandaic or Persian (Pehlevi). Placed in the corners of rooms where demons were believed to sneak in through cracks in the floor and walls, the bowl was buried facedown to lure malevolent spirits inside in order to trap them. The script was presumably an enticement, attracting demons so they would not do harm to persons or property. The open area in the center, combined with the sinuous, flowing script along the flared sides, does give the impression of a swirling vortex. Elegant in its simplicity, powerful in its incantation, this extraordinary bowl is a tangible link to magical practices of the Near East in Late Antiquity.Terracotta Incantation Bowl with Aramaic Inscription - X.0552Origin: Mesopotamia Circa:500AD to800ADDimensions:2.5"(6.4cm)highx6.25"(15.9cm)wide Collection:Near Eastern Medium: Terracotta Condition: Extra Fine   « Less

Babylonian Stone Relief Sculpture Depictingaeated Figure-LO.525Origin:Mesopotamia Circa: 1900 BC to 1600 BCDimensions: 3" (7.6cm) hig Collection: Near Eastern Style:  More »

Babylonian Stone Relief Sculpture Depictingaeated Figure-LO.525Origin:Mesopotamia Circa: 1900 BC to 1600 BCDimensions: 3" (7.6cm) hig Collection: Near Eastern Style: Babylonian Medium: Stone Condition: Very Fine   « Less

Neolithic Catal Hoyuk Terracotta Fertility Goddess-LO.554Origin:Anatolia Circa:6000 BC to 5000BCDimensions:6.75"(17.1cm)high Collection:Near Eastern Style:Catal Hoyu Medium:  More »

Neolithic Catal Hoyuk Terracotta Fertility Goddess-LO.554Origin:Anatolia Circa:6000 BC to 5000BCDimensions:6.75"(17.1cm)high Collection:Near Eastern Style:Catal Hoyu Medium: Terracotta   « Less