The Balawat Gates
- Gallery: Room 6b
- Culture: Neo-Assyrian
- Date: 848BC (about)
- Object type: door-fitting
- Materials: bronze
- Museum number: 124662
- 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 "The Balawat Gates," a bronze band from an ancient Assyrian palace gate. It belonged to King Shalmaneser III, who ruled around 848 BCE. The doorband is embossed and engraved with two levels of detailed scenes.
Look closely—you'll see a figurative scene showing the king at Lake Van and the capture of the Urartian city Sugunia. The images are bordered by decorative rosettes and dome-headed nails that once held the band securely to the door.
Carved from bronze in the Neo-Assyrian style, this piece was discovered at Balawat, now known as Imgur-Enlil. The craftsmanship reflects the advanced metalworking techniques of the time. The scenes provide a glimpse into royal military achievements, capturing both battles and symbolic moments from the king’s reign.
Inscribed in cuneiform, this artifact tells a story both visual and written, preserving a slice of ancient Assyrian history.
See it in person
The Balawat Gates is on display in Room 6b 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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