Balawat gates reconstruction, 9th century BC, This is a full-scale reconstruction, in cedarwood, of the gates of the palace of Shalmaneser III (858 - 824 BC) at Balawat. The small stone statue in front is that of Ashurnasirpal II (865-860 BC), from the Ishtar temple at Nimrud. Gates like these were placed in many public buildings. The bronze strips across them show scenes of Shalmaneser's campaigns. Some detail of the original bronze strips is shown in the next few photos. |