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The Nergal Fragment that Changed the World
A fragment of a circular stone vessel which was dedicated to the temple of God Nergal by a high official. The carved scenes in low relief...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 30, 20181 min read


Nergal - Essential Sumerian Knowledge
NergalGod of war, plague, death, and disease📷Ancient Parthian relief carving of Nergal from Hatra in Iraq, dating to the first or second...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 30, 20181 min read


Lahmu God
Lahmu was a minor god associated with the god Ea. Ritual texts prescribe that such figures be buried in the corners of a room and in the...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 30, 20181 min read


Bureaucracy in the Achaemenid Empire: Learning from the Past
In the early days of the Achaemenid empire, the kings came to realise that, if they were to be able to administer the vast mass of land...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 29, 20186 min read


Sasanian Empire
The Sasanian Empire (also spelled Sassanian, Sasanid or Sassanid) was the last pre-Islamic Persian empire, established in 224 CE by...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 29, 20186 min read


Alexander the Great & the Burning of Persepolis
In the year 330 BCE Alexander the Great conquered the Persian capital city of Persepolis, and after looting its treasures, burned the...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 29, 20187 min read


Persepolis
Persepolis is the Greek name (from perses polis for 'Persian City') for the ancient city of Parsa, located seventy miles northeast of...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 29, 20185 min read


Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great King of the Kings. Persian King of Iran. Cyrus the Great (Persian: کوروش بزرگ, Kūrosh-e-Bozorg) (c. 600 BC or 576 BC...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 29, 20182 min read


Persian Wars
The Persian Wars refers to the conflict between Greece and Persia in the 5th century BCE which involved two invasions by the latter in...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 29, 20185 min read


Achaemenid Empire
East of the Zagros Mountains, a high plateau stretches off towards India. While Egypt was rising up against the Hyksos, a wave of...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 29, 20187 min read


Persepolis is one of the oldest and most famous historical sites
Persepolis is one of the oldest and most famous historical sites that stands in Iran and is definitely one of the most impressive. During...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 28, 20181 min read


Stele of the protective goddess Lama
Stele of the protective goddess Lama Period:KassiteDate:ca. 1307–1282 B.C.Geography:Southern MesopotamiaCulture:KassiteMedium:Gypsum...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 28, 20182 min read


Gudea (Piety & Power) (Ancient Sumer)
The first thing I noticed was the ancient ruler Gudea’s large headed and calm disposition, I misread the wall label. It said he was a...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 28, 20182 min read


The Standard of Ur
The Standard of Ur, named by archaeologist Sir Leonard Wooley upon discovery, as it was thought by him to be a royal standard. It is...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 28, 20181 min read


A SUMERIAN GYPSUM ALABASTER HEAD OF A WOMAN, EARLY DYNASTIC II/III, CIRCA 2700-2500 B.C.
A Sumerian Gypsum Alabaster Head of a Woman, Early Dynastic II/III, circa 2700-2500 B.C. from a large votive statuette, her oval face...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 28, 20181 min read


Detail of the War Scene of the Standard of Ur Showing Sumerian Warriors
This is a detail of the so-called "War Scene" of the Standard of Ur. This detail is part of the left half of the middle register. Here,...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 28, 20181 min read


Statue of a Sumerian woman
Upper part of a gypsum statue of a Sumerian woman. The hands are folds in worship. The eyes would have been inlaid. A sheepskin garment...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 28, 20181 min read


A SUMERIAN GYPSUM STANDING WORSHIPPER EARLY DYNASTIC, CIRCA 2550-2250 B.C.
A SUMERIAN GYPSUM STANDING WORSHIPPER EARLY DYNASTIC, CIRCA 2550-2250 B.C. Standing with his elbows bent acutely, his hands clasped in...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 28, 20181 min read


Mesopotamian life - The Standard of Ur
he “Standard of Ur” is a small trapezoidal box (8.5 Inches high by 19.5 Inches long) whose two sides and end panels are covered with...

Ryan Moorhen
Jul 27, 20181 min read
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