Neo-Assyrian wall panel
- Gallery: Room 7
- Culture: Neo-Assyrian
- Date: 865BC-860BC
- Object type: wall panel, relief
- Materials: gypsum
- Museum number: 124562
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a Neo-Assyrian wall panel carved from gypsum, dating to around 865 to 860 BC. Before you is a relief detailing two tribute bearers, figures who once presented gifts to the Assyrian king. One figure wears a distinctive North West Syrian-style turban and raises his hands in a gesture of submission. The other, possibly Phoenician, carries a pair of apes—animals that suggest long-distance trade connections.
Near the top of the panel is an inscription in cuneiform script, with some signs showing partial white infilling. Originally, the panel was painted; traces of black paint were once visible along the top, though they are no longer apparent today.
This panel once adorned the façade of the throne room in the North West Palace at Nimrud. It gives us a rare look at the artistry and international influence of Assyrian court culture.
See it in person
Neo-Assyrian wall panel is on display in Room 7 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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