An Examination of Late Assyrian Metalwork: with Special Reference to Nimrud - Hardcover

Curtis, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1842175076 ISBN 13: 9781842175071

Publisher: Oxbow Books, 2012

Synopsis

Although the Assyrian kingdom that dominated the Ancient Near East between the ninth and seventh centuries BC had a rich material culture, attested particularly by the distinctive stone wall reliefs and colossal gateway figures, practically nothing is known about Assyrian metalwork. There has been no previous survey of this subject, largely because most of the material was not accessible. This volume makes available for the first time a vast amount of previously unpublished metalwork, much of it from the Assyrian capital city of Nimrud, excavated first by Sir Henry Layard between 1845 and 1851 and then by the British School of Archaeology in Iraq between 1949 and 1963. It emerges that Assyria had a thriving metalworking industry probably superior to any contemporary state in the region, and was producing large quantities of sophisticated bronze and ironwork, of high technical quality and sometimes elaborately decorated. This book will therefore be of interest to archaeologists, art historians and metallurgists. It is the publication of a PhD thesis that was successfully submitted in 1979. It is published here in its original form in order to make the large amount of primary data that it contains available to a wider circle of scholars.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter I. Review Of The Evidence
Introduction
A) Nimrud
B) Nineveh
C) Khorsabad
D) Ashur
E) Balawat
F) Sharif Khan
G) Tell Billa
H) Tell al Rimah
I) Tell Abu Marya
J) Sites in the Makhmur Plain
K) Assyrian metalwork abroad

Chapter II. Tools And Weapons
Introduction
A) Axes
B) Axe-adze
C) Adzes
D) Pick-axes
E) Saws
F) Ploughshares
G) Sickle-blades
H) Hoes
I) Knife-blades
J) Needles and bodkins
K) Wedges
L) Miscellaneous tools
M) Daggers
N) Swords
O) Scabbards
P) Spearheads
Q) Spear-butts
R) Arrowheads
S) Quivers
T) Quiver-pin
U) Helmets
V) Shields
W) Armour scales

Chapter III. Fixtures And Fittings
Introduction
A) Foundation plaques and bosses
B) Miniature symbols
C) Model dogs
D) Masonry clamps
E) Brick-stamps
F–G) Wall-pegs and plaques
H) Pivot-casings
I) Gate-post caps
J) Holdfasts for doors
K) Door-lock(?)
L) Bronze gate overlay
M) Metal overlay for columns
N) Bronze overlay for ‘hands of Ishtar’
O) Ring fixtures
P) Movable temple furniture
Q) Grappling-irons and chains
R) Pulley-wheels
S) Altar- and throne-bases

Chapter IV. Tripods, Vessels And Weights
A) Tripods
B) Cauldrons and large vessels
C) Bowls and other small vessels
D) Buckets
E) Strainers
F) Spoons
G) Lamps
H) Weights

Chapter V. Furniture And Boxes
Introduction
A) Complete items of furniture
B) Furniture legs and feet
C) Furniture finials
D) Bronze furniture overlay
E) Applied furniture ornaments
F) Furniture hinges and connecting rods
G) Holdfasts for boxes
H) Box hinges
I) Box handles
J) Decorative plaques for boxes

Chapter VI. Horse Harness And Chariot Fittings
Introduction
A) Horse-bits
B) Decorative bosses
C) Blinker ornaments
D) Bronze bells
E) Decorative bronze plaques
F) Decorative bronze caps
G) Bronze nail-studs
H) Tubular beads
I) Corrugated caps and their fittings
J)‘Torques’
K) Wire tassel
L) Figure-of-eight plaques
M) Bronze toggles
N) Linch-pins
O) Wheel-flange(?)

Chapter VII. Personal Ornaments
Introduction
A) Bracelets
B) Anklets
C) Finger-rings
D) Earrings
E) Hair-rings
F) Torques
G) Fibulae
H) Pendants
I) Beads
J) Moulds
K) Garment plaques
L) Pins
M) Belts
N) Belt-buckles
O) Mirrors
P) Tweezers
Q) Spatulae

Chapter VIII. Varia
A) Mace-heads
B) Standards
C) Iron ingots
D) Statuary
E) Cymbals

Chapter IX. The Industry
A) Organization
B) Techniques
C) Ore sources

Chapter X. Conclusions
A) Ironwork
B) Bronzework
C) Gold, Silver and lead
D) The introduction of iron
E) An indigenous tradition?
F) Status of Assyrian metalwork
G) Historical conclusions
Catalogue
1) Tools and weapons
2) Fixtures and fittings
3) Tripods, vessels and weights
4) Furniture and boxes
5) Horse harness and chariot fittings
6) Personal ornaments
7) Varia

About this title

About the Author

John Curtis is Keeper of Special Middle East Projects at the British Museum and a Fellow of the British Academy. His personal research interests focus on the archaeology and history of Iraq and Iran, c.1000-330 BC. He is the author of a number of books including An Examination of Late Assyrian Metalwork, Ancient Persia, The Oxus Treasure, Forgotten Empire (with Nigel Tallis) and The Horse: From Arabia to Royal Ascot (with Nigel Tallis).

Review

An Examination of Late Assyrian Metalwork provides an excellent survey of largely unpublished material and makes this primary data more readily accessible to a wider circle of scholars. It goes a long way towards demonstrating the thriving metal industry that existed in first millennia Assyria and is often neglected or underestimated next to the contemporary industries of Uratu or western Iran. A book that is well worth the wait. (Dr. Amy E. Barron, University of Toronto Journal of the Canadian Society for Mesopotamian Studies, Volume 7, Fall 2012)

“A handsome publication”

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxbow Books
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1842175076
• ISBN 13: 9781842175071
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 330