The Bronze Age: Mesopotamia and Iran

BRONZE AGE: CATALOGUE –THE NEO-ASSYRIAN PERIOD IN NORTHERN IRAQ
B. Catalogue
All the terracottas in this section are from Mallowan’s excavations at Nimrud (1949–1957) (Mallowan
1966). It was not until the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (c.884–859 B.C.) that Nimrud, conveniently situated
halfway between Assur and Nineveh, was designated the capital of Assyria. It was lavishly rebuilt and
repopulated with people drawn from at least eight regions conquered by this king. It remained the primary
residence and administrative centre of the Assyrian empire until Sargon created Khorsabad (Dur-
Sharrukin) in the later eighth century B.C. During most of the seventh century the Assyrian capital was
at Nineveh, sacked in 612 B.C. Nimrud suffered a similar fate at the same time or a year or two earlier.
There was a Hellenistic village on the site in the third and second centuries B.C.
185. Four-winged, bird-headed figurine; mouldmade; sundried brown clay; traces of a
white (gypsum) plastered surface; head damaged; belted, ankle-length garment; left arm
extended down lower left wing to hold a small rectangular bucket with loop handle in
his left hand; right arm bent at the elbow and held against the chest with the hand
originally holding a cone-shaped “purifier”; no feet; cut off along the base-line of his
garment.
AN1954.729 (ND 3522: “Burnt Palace”: one of seven virtually identical figurines found
in a foundation box in the S.W. corner of passage 27). H: 14.3cm W: 8.6cm.
Mallowan 1954, 8, 86ff., 93, pl. XI, XVII (lower left), XX.1; 1966, I, 226, 229, pl. 191;
Rittig 1977, 71, Nr. 5.2.5, 75ff., 248–9, Section 30, fig. 20; Green 1983, 94, pl. IXb.
186. Bearded male figurine of the “spearman” type, probably representing a “lahmu”;
mouldmade; sundried brown clay; traces of black paint on the surface; heavily restored since
excavation; wearing stylized hair or heavy wig and an ankle-length garment; originally holding
a spear in front of his body with arms bent and right hand grasping shaft above left hand at
waist level; cut off along the base-line of the garment.
AN1954.730 (ND 3526: “Burnt Palace” as no. 185) H: 13.9cm. W: 3.8cm.
Mallowan 1954, 87, pl. XIX (lower left) (cf. Mallowan 1966, I, 226, pl. 188–9); Rittig 1977, 64,
Nr. 3.12.30, 75ff., 248–9, Section 30; cf. Green 1983, pl. XIII a,b.
The “Burnt Palace” was to the west of the Nabu Temple and south of the “Governor’s Palace”
at Nimrud (Mallowan 1966, I, fig. 140). It was built in the ninth century over earlier remains and
reconstructed in the reigns of Adadnirari III (c.810–783 B.C.) and Sargon II (c. 721–705 B.C.) in
Mallowan’s view. It may have been used temporarily as a royal residence by Sargon. Mallowan found many
deposits of figurines in this building: “these deposits consisted of little boxes, either rectangular or
horseshoe shaped (cf. Mallowan 1954, pl. XX; 1966, I, 226–30) in which sun-dried clay figurines had been
placed. The bottom of each box invariably rested directly on the older foundation platform, and the top
beneath the skirting of bitumen dado which was a regular feature of the palace walls.... It was, however,
difficult to be certain about the phase or sub-phase at which these foundation figures had been deposited,
because floor levels and renovations of the bitumen often coincided very closely. But the combined
evidence suggested that all the boxes were associated with period I” (Mallowan 1954, 78). This was the
earliest in the series, probably towards the end of the ninth century B.C.
A standard text prescribed the type of figurines to be made and buried at set locations. It begins with a
description of seven askalle (“Sages”), then of apkallu figures with the faces and wings of birds (cf.
Wiggermann 1992, 76–7). In the “Burnt Palace” Mallowan found three septenary sets of these (ND
3518–24; 3527–33; 4101–7), of which no 185 here is an example. Another standard type of apkalle was
cloaked in the skin of a fish (cf. Wiggermann 1992, 75–7); another was leonine (ugallu: “great-lion”) (cf.
Green 1983, pl. X, XII). No. 186 represents another prescribed standard type, the lahmu (cf. Green 1983,
92, pl. XIII), the Old Babylonian version of which is represented by no. 131 here. This monster maybe a
successor of Humbaba (for which see no. 92; Wiggermann 1992, 164–5).
-133-