
Ancient Near East

From physical models to virtual reality, reconstructing ancient sites and objects can help us understand the past.

Artists have depicted the Tower of Babel throughout the ages, a symbol of the extraordinary—but it did exist.
Towers of Babel

What do the 60-minute clock and the zodiac have in common? The answer lies in ancient Babylon.
The Babylonian mind

The soaring audience hall of the Achaemenid Persian kings was an imposing space, designed to impress.
Persepolis: The Audience Hall of Darius and ...

These records tell us a great deal about the ancient world, with topics ranging from receipts to school assignments.
Cuneiform Tablets

Unlike modern writing, cuneiform wasn’t written in ink—but was instead pressed into the surface of clay.
Writing Cuneiform

See an ancient cylinder seal used 4000 years after it was made, and learn about its dynastic symbolism.
Cylinder seal with a modern impression

Intentionally buried as part of an elaborate ritual, this ornate object tells us so much, but also too little.
Standard of Ur and other objects from ...

One of a group buried in a temple almost 5,000 years ago, this statue’s job was to worship Abu—forever.
Standing Male Worshipper (Tell Asmar)

Winged, human-headed bulls served as guardians of the city and its palace—walking by, they almost seem to move.
Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II

This massive capital is very different from those of Greece, and suggests the frightening power of the Persian Empire.
Capital of a column from the audience ...

Only the king was permitted to kill lions—and doing so signified his power and ability to keep nature at bay.
Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions

Naram-Sin leads his victorious army up a mountain, as vanquished Lullubi people fall before him.
Victory Stele of Naram-Sin

Even today with international tourism waning in the face of military threats, Iraqis regularly visit this famous site.
Visiting Babylon

“I, Nebuchadnezzar … magnificently adorned them with luxurious splendor for all mankind to behold in awe.”
The Ishtar Gate and Neo-Babylonian art and ...

The Kassites controlled Babylonia for 400 years—now all that remains are these carved boundary stones.
Kassite art: Unfinished Kudurru

Law is at the heart of modern civilization, and is often based on principles listed here nearly 4,000 years ago.
Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi

A gleaming temple built atop a mud-brick platform, it towered above the flat plain of Uruk.
White Temple and ziggurat, Uruk

The great Ziggurat of Ur has been reconstructed twice, in antiquity and in the 1980s—what’s left of the original?
Ziggurat of Ur

More than 4,000 years ago, Ur-Nanshe, the chief priest and king, displayed his piety and power by building a temple.