Between Heaven and Earth: The Art of Ancient Assyria -- Dr. Kiersten Neumann -- #ARCC26

Hinzugefügt: 2026-06-05

[00:00:00]There was also, uh, private homes and burials dating to the, uh, Middle Assyrian period that were excavated, including over a thousand private burials. Um, and here I want to look at just one to show you what it really represents of Assyrian art during the Middle Assyrian period. Um, this is the tomb of Baba-aha-iddina, often referred to as tomb 45 by scholars. He was a powerful Assyrian official, chancellor under King Shalmaneser the III. And it was in 1908 that the German team excavated this, uh, burial. Um, they found the entrance to the tomb, and underneath it was sealed.

[00:00:38]Um, there was a square entry shaft, and then below that were deceased individuals and several grave goods.

[00:00:45]What is remarkable of these grave goods is the wealth, um, and the raw materials too that are represented. Um, these goods play an important role in tracking the emergence of a distinct Assyrian style that, as we'll see by the Neo-Assyrian period, culminated in well-known forms that came to define imperial power specifically.

[00:01:08]Um, I'm showing here some of the personal adornment, the jewelry that was included in the burial. There's beads of carnelian, lapis lazuli, agate, and gold. There's also amulets of semi-precious stones, of rock crystal.

[00:01:24]There were expertly carved stone vessels, um, of light stone, as well as cylinder seals and cuneiform tablets. And here I want to draw attention to the scene on the seal, where you have a replication of animals and landscape.

[00:01:41]This connects with a small pyxis. This means a small container, um, carved from ivory that was also found in the tomb.

[00:01:50]Um, this is not an everyday item, but very much an item of luxury. It was carved from a section of, uh, the ivory tusk, and on it you can see finally executed incised imagery.

[00:02:04]This incised design shows gazelles striding among fruiting date palms alternating with conifers that are lading with cones and possibly hens perched on branches. What's worth noting is the clarity of the line and the form and the very naturalistic rendering of the animals and the vegetation.