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Dick Osseman | all galleries >> Ankara pictures >> Ankara Anatolian Civilizations Museum >> Urartian objects > Ankara 08092012_3540.jpg
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08-Sep-2012 Dick Osseman

Ankara 08092012_3540.jpg

Ivory lion that was fitted on one of three legs of a small bronze table (tripod).
Each leg had a lion, according to the reconstruction. Dimensions: 6,4 cm height – 9,3 cm length.
Urartu, from Altıntepe (= ‘Gold Hill’, near Erzincan). Late 8th century BC.

In antiquity ivory was a very precious material, which is often mentioned in Assyrian annals as tribute or booty. The Urartu kingdom imported ivory (from elephants and hippopotamuses) from India, Nubia and Egypt, but most of all from Nothern Syria (where elephants were living at the time), together with artisans able to work it. It was used to produce decorative elements inserted in furniture, luxury objects (such as combs, seals and perfume boxes) and ritual offerings to temples (such as thrones, daggers and swords). The artisans worked in royal workshops, established in the palaces; their production followed the Urartian iconography, with plenty North-Syrian stylistic influence (more than in e.g. metalworking, which was fully indigenous).

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen
Source: ‘Urartu, vergeten cultuur uit het bergland Armenië’ – Cataloog Tentoonstelling Gent okt ’82-jan ’83.

Nikon D4
1/60s f/9.0 at 70.0mm iso4000 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time08-Sep-2012 16:24:38
MakeNikon
ModelNIKON D4
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length70 mm
Exposure Time1/60 sec
Aperturef/9
ISO Equivalent4000
Exposure Bias-0.67
White Balance0
Metering Modematrix (5)
JPEG Qualityfine (4)
Exposure Programaperture priority (3)
Focus Distance

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