Asset number
631923001
Description
Object of uncertain original function. Originally a hollow box, decorated on all four sides with inlaid mosaic scenes made from shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli, set in bitumen. One side shows a war scene; a Sumerian army with chariots and infantry charges the enemy; prisoners are brought before the king, who is accompanied by guards and has his own chariot waiting behind him. The reverse shows scenes of peace; men are bringing animals, fish etc, possibly as booty or tribute; at the top the king banquets with friends; they are entertained at the right by a singer and a man with a lyre. The triangular end panels show fanciful scenes, found damaged.
© The Trustees of the British Museum
Using this image
Commercial use
To license images for charged-for journals and publications, and other commercial uses, please contact sales@bmimages.com and BM Images will advise on the
quality of the existing files. While image files may be relatively large, they may not
be adequately colour-managed and may not accurately reflect the appearance of
the object.
Contact BM Images
Non-commercial use
This image can be shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. Read more about the British Museum and the Creative Commons licence.
Please use the credit:
© The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Download this image
New photography
If you cannot see an image that you want on the British Museum website, or if the existing image is not of adequate quality, you can order new photography from us.
Order new image
