Guide+to+Placard+Images

Stone Arch A pointed arch of stone. This arch was part of a house at Ur and dates to approximately 2160 B.C.E. The Stele of Naram-Sin A rounded stone slab depicting King Naram-Sin and his soldiers on the battlefield. It was found at Susa in Iran and dates to the second half of the third millennium B.C.E.

Cuneiform Tablet Circular tablet from Lgash in Iraq, dating to approximately 1980 B.C.E.

Devotional Statue Dating back to 2600 B.C.E. of what scholars believe is a married couple. The gypsum statue was found buried beneath the floor of a shrine at Nippur in Iraq and measures 3 1/2 inches wide at the bottom. The couple originally had feet, and the figures have eyes made of shell and lapis lazuli set in bitumen, a natural cement-like substance.

Sumerian Game Board With playing pieces made of shell, bone lapis lazuli, and red limestone. They were found in the Royal Cemetary at Ur and date to the twenty-fifth century B.C.E. The game board measures about 10 1/2 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide.

Irrigation Irrigated field on the banks of the Euphrates River in Iraq. The irrigation canal connects to the river, which can be seen in the background.

Clay Tablet Two fragments of an ancient Mesopotamian clay tablet containing geometry exercises and questions written in cuneiform.

The First Brain Surgery Ancient Mesopotamian skull with three hole cut into it. Such holes are the result of a surgical procedure performed by ancient Sumerian doctors. This individual is believed to have survived the surgery, since the bone shows signs of healing.

Gold Cups Three gold cups from Ur, dating to approximately 2450 B.C.E. The cup on the right belonged to Queen Shubad and may once have contained the poison that killed her.

Lyre A reconstruction of a lyre found at Ur. The original lyre was made of wood and decorated with gold and lapis lazuli, and it dates to approximately the first half of the third millennium B.C.E.

The Stele of Vultures Two groups of soldiers in formation behind their leaders. They are depicted on a fragment of the Stele of Vultures, a rounded stone slab found at Lagash in Iraq dating to the first half of the third millennium B.C.E.

Two Gods A cylinder-seal impression of two Gods, one with a left hand in a shape of a scorpion and the other plowing behind a dragon and a lion. The impression was made by a seal found at Tell Asmar in Iraq.

Sumerian Sailboat An artist's rendition of one type of Sumerian sailboat. The rope indicates where the sails would have hung on the wooden mast. The body of the boat is made of bundled reeds covered with leather.

Chariot A copper statue of a chariot being pulled by four donkeys. It depicts an early form of the wheel, which Sumerians made by pressing two pieces of wood together. The statue is 2 3/4 inches tall, dates to about 2700 B.C.E. and was found at Tell Agrab in Iraq.

Statue of King Ur-Nammu Copper statue found at Nippur in Iraq, dating to approximately 2100 B.C.E.

Ziggurat A reconstruction of the ziggurat found at Ur. The original ziggurat was built by King Ur-Nammu in the twenty-first century B.C.E. and was made of mud bricks.