Ancient Relief Sculptures

Historical reliefs depicting various scenes of battle, daily life, and royal festivities from Assyrian to Roman cultures, illustrating storytelling through stone.

Cooks in a royal palace or city. Nimrud, 8th. c. BC.

RELIEVE MESOPOTAMICO - SOLDADOS QUE SALEN DE EXPEDICCION. Location: BRITISH MUSEUM. LONDON. ENGLAND.

Bas-reliefs on the north gallery, depicting the combat between Krishna and Bana, east wing of Angkor Wat, Angkor, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, Asia

Woodcut from Albrecht Dürers workshop depicting the start of Emperor Maximilian Is family tree at the honorary gate, created on pear wood stick in 1515.

Relief depicting a group of dancers. New Kingdom. Temple of Luxor. Egypt.

Assyrian wall panel, dated approximately 728 BC depicting the royal chariot. From the Central Palace in Nimrud.

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III (858-824 BC) Assyrian, about 827 BC. The obelisk was erected in the centre of Nimrud, shortly before Shalmaneser III's death. It records the king's campaigns, showing tribute brought from all directions. The stone itself is a fine-grain black limestone streaked with white.

Funerary altar, calcerows. Caesarea. Roman period, late 1st-2nd century BC. On the front of the altar is the image of an eagle perched within aniche. The eagle is crowned with a wreath by NIke, the goddes of victory. Deceased: Julius Magnus, Centurion. Rockefeller Archaeological Museum. Jerusalem. Israel.

Cylinder seal with monsters 8th - 7th century B.C. Assyrian. Cylinder seal with monsters 324518

Karnak. Templo de Thutmose III. Templo de Tutmosis III (o Thutmose III), Egipto.

Egipto. Tumba 162 Quenamon. Parennefer (TT-162).

in iran the bas relief of an antique warrior

Cast of Three reliefs depicting the Carchemish royal family Neo-Hittite, about 800 BC Yariri, the regent, is shown holding the young King Kamani by the arm. Young princes play with knuckle-bones and tops, and one is learning to walk. The queen or nurse-maid carries a baby. The inscription describes Yariri's

Turkey, Malatya, Relief representing a deer hunting, Neo-Hittite site

Funerary stele with relief depicting a chariot scene. The standing charioteer pulls at the reins, while a second figure holding a weapon, possibly a sword, is depicted in front of the chariot. The spirals represent waves, indicating the coastal location of the scene. Made in Poros stone. Circle A. Grave V. Mycenae. 1500 BC. National Archaeological Museum. Athens, Greece.

Stele 3, Bonampak, Chiapas, Mexico

Turkey, Central Anatolia, Ankara. Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.

Relief depicting peasants and child, from Palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, Iraq

Mastaba of Ptahhotep and Akhethotep. 5th Dynasty. Old Kingdom. Egyptian viziers. Father and son. Relief where the deceased is depicted standing with cane. Saqqara. Egypt.

Dancing Apsaras, bas-relief at the Bayon, temple, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Asia

Sumerian cylinder-seal impression depicting a governor being introduced to the king. Artist: Unknown

This tomb stele with the king's serpent is from Abydos in Egypt. It is known as the Stele of the Serpent King (one of the king's royal names). It owes its name to the cobra engraved at its center, and to Emile Amelineau, who discovered it in 1896. This is one of the oldest examples of monumental hieroglyphs from the earliest Egyptian dynasties (beginning in 3100 B.C.). This royal stele is outstanding both for its size and its craftsmanship. It is not only a historical document of prime importance, but also a precious example of artistic and linguistic conventions dating back to 3100 BC and the first pharaohs of Egypt. The cobra is contained within a rectangular sign representing a building (probably the royal residence). The outside, a decorated wall, and the inside (featuring the royal name) are visible. The rectangle is topped by a falcon, sacred to the god Horus whom the pharaoh incarnated on earth. The inscription thus reads 'Horus Cobra', naming the king, a successor of Horus in t

Bas-relief of soldiers at war, in Khmer temple, Angkor Wat, Siem Riep, Cambodia

Relief panel from Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II (reign 883-859 BCE) at Kalhu (modern Nimrud, Iraq). Relief of Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II with protective spirit. 9th century BC. Neues Museum (New Museum). Berlin. Germany.

RELIEVE-CABALLERIA ASIRIA DE ASURBANIPAL. Location: MUSEO DEL LOUVRE-ESCULTURAS. France. ASURBANIPAL. ASSURBANIPAL.

Lintel from Yaxchilan 690 A.D.

Figure relief in a cathedral, Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, British Isles, Europe

Relief panel ca. 883-859 B.C. Assyrian In most rooms of the Northwest Palace at Nimrud (ancient Kalhu), the reliefs showing magical figures had a single, overlifesize pictorial register, with the inscription in the center cutting across the imagery. The relief shown here, however, in which two registers of imagery are separated by a central band containing the inscription, is a type found only in certain rooms of the palace. It is not clear why the design is different in these rooms, although their position in the palace suggests they had special ritual significance. One theory is that the reliefs were divided in order to multiply the number of magical protective images in these special spaces; another theory is that, because of their importance, these rooms were decorated first and the artistic plan subsequently changed. The stone of the reliefs in these rooms often has a more translucent and mottled appearance than in other parts of the palace, although whether this distinction was t

Cylinder seal with three-figure contest scene late 9th - 6th century B.C. Babylonian or Achaemenid. Cylinder seal with three-figure contest scene 327688

Stele with pth and lion goddess; 2. PO. VI century BC ; Half-ny period (-550-00-00--500-00-00);BASTOL (MITOL.), DIEDBASTETJUFANCH (CA 550-500 A.C.), PADIHYT (CA 550-500 A.C.), PTAH (MITOL.), Sachmet (MITOL.), Society of Fine Arts encouragement (Warsaw-1860-1940)-collection Tyszkiewicz, Michał (1828-1897), Tyszkiewicz, Michał (1828-1897)-collections, UAS scepter (iconogr.), Egyptian deities, gift (provenance), sun disk (iconogr.), Sacrifice formulas, hieroglyphs

Oblong sandstone chest with relief figures carved. Huaxtec, Classic Veracruz, Mexico, 4th-12th century AD

Cylinder seal with three-figure contest scene late 8th century B.C. Assyro-Babylonian. Cylinder seal with three-figure contest scene. Assyro-Babylonian. late 8th century B.C.. Neutral Chalcedony (Quartz). Neo-Assyrian / Neo-Babylonian. Mesopotamia

Relief on bronze plate depicting Clytemnestra piercing Cassandra, from Heraion di Argo

Monumento funerario de Malla, Ajuntament de Malla.

TEMPLO RAMSES IV - RELIEVE DE AMON-RA - FOTO AÑOS 80. Location: VALLE DE LOS REYES. Thebes. EGYPT.

Nakhon Thom Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Photograph, 1981, from a negative by John Thomson, 1866.

Statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II's Daughter Bintanath, Karnak Temple, Luxor, Thebes, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Egypt, North Africa, Africa

engravings, castle of Foix, 10th century, Foix, department of Ariège, Occitanie, Pyrenean mountain range, France.

Tomb of Ardevol from the chapel of Corpus Christi paiau of the Marquis de la Floresta Tarrega. Dated 14th Century

Ashurnasirpal II and a Winged Deity. Northern Iraq, Nimrud, 9th century B.C.. Sculpture. Gypseous alabaster

DINTEL 26 DE YAXCHILAN - CHIAPAS - CLASICO TARDIO - 600-800 DC - FECHA MAYA 724 DC - ITZ BALAM II GOBERNANTE DE YAXCHILAN Y SU ESPOSA KO XOK. Location: MUSEO NACIONAL DE ANTROPOLOGIA. MEXICO CITY. CIUDAD DE MEXICO.

Cylinder seal ca. 1820-1730 B.C.. Cylinder seal. ca. 1820-1730 B.C.. Hematite. Old Syrian. Syria

The expedition against Ilu-khiti of Rure, 1880 - 1902., 1880 - 1902., London. Publisher, Society of Biblical Archaeology. Topics include Gates, Assyria, Bas-reliefs, Assyria, Shalmaneser III, King of Assyria, active 9th century B.C., and Palaces

Cylinder seal ca. 2350-2150 B.C. Akkadian. Cylinder seal 326969

Sixth Dynasty, sacrificial chamber and wall from the tomb of Manufer, circa 2,335 BC. Facing the entrance gate, a false door, approximately two metres high, stands at the top of a flight of three steps; it is part of the sacrificial chamber of Manufer, chief wig-maker to the king.

, Italy, Calabria, Reggio Calabria, National Museum, Magna Grecia, Pinax From Mannella Sanctuary in Locri Epizefiri, Terracotta Votive Small Plank, Girl Offering a Cock to a Priestess.

Cambodia - Bas-reliefs at the east side of the third gallery in the temple of Angkor Wat. The temple complexes of Angkor ('city') were the heart of the Khmer empire which flourished from the 9th to the 13th century and today are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Siem Reap province, northwest Cambodia.

The decoration of Assyrian Palaces. Assyrian Kings competed to make each new palace finer than the last. Carved reliefs decorated the interior walls, while colossal man-headed lions or bulls stood as guardians of gateways.

Frieze from a wall at Palace in Persepolis, a Royal Achaemenid city in the Persian Empire. The palace was built between 6th Century BC-5th Century BC

Bas-relief carvings, Angkor Wat, Angkor, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Siem Reap, Cambodia, Indochina, Southeast Asia, Asia

This carved relief from a tomb in Saqqara shows a slave with gazelle from tomb in Saqqara. This relief of a slave carrying an offering of a gazelle is from the chapel of Raemkai that was originally built and decorated for an official named Neferiretnes. The chapel was part of a tomb in Saqqara, the royal necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital Memphis. The reliefs in this section show the tomb owner's attendants bringing six steppe animals to their lord. The animal attendants are called Ka-servants, meaning they were employed on the estates that supplied the provisions for the tomb owner's funeral cult. The attendant pictured here was named Ptahshepses and he carries a domesticated gazelle on his shoulders. The time period is the Old Kingdom, Dynasty V and more specifically, between c. 24462389 b.c.e.The illustration is credited to Belgium art historian Jean Capart (1877-1947) and Emil Roemmler (died 1941).

return from the lion hunt. Panel from the North Palace at Nineveh, Iraq. Assyrian 645-636 BC

Bas-relief depicting a battle, Northern Gallery, Angkor Wat, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia, Asia

Detail from a Terracotta Krater (Large vase), Greek, 725BC Depicts a funeral scene

blur in iran persepolis the old ruins historical destination monuments and ruin

Curbstone of well. Dated 1032. From the Aljama Mosque of Toledo, which existed on the site of the present-day cathedral. It shows an inscription in kufic characters, commemorating the end of the construction of a well or cistern in the major mosque of Toledo, ordered by Ismail Dü-l-Nün al-Zafir, first king of the Du-l-nuníes Dynasty in the taifa of Toledo. White marble. Detail. Museum of Santa Cruz. Toledo. Spain.

Tell Halaf: Hunter with bow. Aramean relief from the Palace of Kaparra; first millennium B.C.

Stone carved bas relief of the death of Valin in the south west corner pavilion at Angkor Wat, built in the 11th century by Suryavarman the 2nd, - Cambodia

Abu Simbel, Aswan, Egypt. Relief mural depicting captured Nubian at the Great Temple of Ramesses II.

Greece, Rhodes, Medieval fortified wall carvings

Cylinder seal and modern impression: animal-headed divinities with prey ca. 14th century B.C. Cypriot Although engraved stones had been used as early as the seventh millennium B.C. to stamp impressions in clay, the invention in the fourth millennium B.C. of carved cylinders that could be rolled over clay allowed the development of more complex seal designs. These cylinder seals, first used in Mesopotamia, served as a mark of ownership or identification. Seals were either impressed on lumps of clay that were used to close jars, doors, and baskets, or they were rolled onto clay tablets that recorded information about commercial or legal transactions. The seals were often made of precious stones. Protective properties may have been ascribed to both the material itself and the carved designs. Seals are important to the study of ancient Near Eastern art because many examples survive from every period and can, therefore, help to define chronological phases. Often preserving imagery no longer

Stół ofiarny księcia Ibi-aa. unknown, author

Carved slab from King Ashurnasirpal II's throne room at Nimrud. Two Assyrian archers are shooting at the enemies swimming in the water using inflated animal-skins to help support themselves. Euphrates River, Iraq. Middle East. Drawing by Edward Dujardin (1817 - 1889) Persia, Chaldea and Susiana 1881-1882 by Jane Dieulafoy (1851 - 1916) Le Tour du Monde 1886

Bas relief from Nimrud: Bearers of tribute in the form of apes from distant lands, as an offering to the Assyrian ruler.

Chichen Itza hieroglyphics mayan pok ta pok ball court Mexico

Christ Church Lutheran, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, United States. Architect: Eliel Saarinen, 1949. Detail of sculpture by William M. McVey on west elevation.

Cylinder seal ca. early 2nd millennium B.C. (). Cylinder seal. ca. early 2nd millennium B.C. (). Hematite. Mesopotamia

Myanmar (Burma) Pagan Hpetleik Stupa terracotta plaques Plate 47. Swaan, Wim. 1966 or earlier Photographic production materials for Lost Cities of Asia: Ceylon, Pagan, Angkor Photographs of architecture were selected and digitized from these materials. Portraits, ethnographic images, and images of museum objects were excluded. Digital images are arranged geographically, first by country, then by city, then by site complex or monument, with all names in alphabetical order. Location names are derived from the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN)®, Library of Congress subject headings, and scholarly publications. Published images are followed by unpublished images. Versos of prints and slide mounts were not digitized. The information in any handwritten identifications found on these surfaces was incorporated into the metadata for individual images. All digital images are cropped to the edge of the frame and are not color-corrected. Photographic production materials for Lost Cities of

Sarcophagus with depiction of a carriage in the Terme Museum, National Museum of Rome, Lazio, Italy, Europe

ESTELA DE ANKHF.PROCEDE DE HERAKLEOPOLIS. PRIMER PERIODO INTERMEDIO (2170-2020 A.C.) CALCAREA POLICR. Location: EGYPTIAN MUSEUM. KAIRO. EGYPT.

Death's head on gravestone

Cylinder seal with three-figure contest scene late 8th century B.C. Assyro-Babylonian. Cylinder seal with three-figure contest scene. Assyro-Babylonian. late 8th century B.C.. Neutral Chalcedony (Quartz). Neo-Assyrian / Neo-Babylonian. Mesopotamia

Limbs carved into rock, hieroglyphics on the temple wall of the Pre-Columbian ruins at Sechin, Casma, Peru, South America

Relief with an official and two bulls ca. 1353-1336 B.C. New Kingdom, Amarna Period. Relief with an official and two bulls. ca. 1353-1336 B.C.. Limestone, paint (mostly modern). New Kingdom, Amarna Period. From Egypt; Probably originally from Amarna (Akhetaten); Probably from Middle Egypt, Hermopolis (Ashmunein; Khemenu). Dynasty 18

Furniture plaque carved in relief with two falcon-headed sphinxes trampling captives ca. 9th-7th century B.C. Assyrian This fragmentary, rectangular plaque is carved in low relief with two falcon-headed sphinxes, hybrid creatures that combine the body of lion with the head and wings of a falcon, trampling two fallen, bearded male figures. While the head of the sphinx on the right is not preserved, it was probably a falcon head crowned by a sun disc like the sphinx on the left. Found in a large storeroom at Fort Shalmaneser, a royal building at Nimrud that was probably used to store tribute and booty collected by the Assyrians while on military campaign, the preserved tenon projecting from the left edge of this piece suggests that it may have originally been fitted into a frame, likely as part of a piece of furniture. Several elements, including the falcon head, nemes cloth (a royal, pleated headdress), solar disc crown, and wesekh broad collar with pendant droplets, are drawn from Egyp

Frankish stone funerary monument 7th century showing stylised figure of Jesus Christ. Museum: Rheinishches Landesmuseum, BONN, GERMANY.

Guatemala, Izabal, Quirigua National Park. Mayan archaeological site, Classic Period (AD 200-900). Great Plaza, detail of elaborately carved sandstone stelae (Large format sizes available).

Wall relief from the palace of the Tiglathpile III .. The relief shows two bearded, with a sword male figures in a long robe with toll and meanderbord doors. The first supports the hand on her sword, the second has put his hands interposed. Behind her are the folded hands of a third man to be seen, which was cut off during the desert of the original plate. Shown are military or civil officers of the king. It is a section of a scene in which links the king is perched or stands, while the right-moving train of officials makes him message or prisoners presented. Since the left figure carries a headband, it could be the highest posterior officials, which leads the train. Under the figures there is a one-line wedge inscription. After the English researcher Peter Hulin this is: "Prisoners from the Land Hatti", d. H. The land of Hittites, today's Anatolia. The Palace Tiglathpileser III., of the last Assyrian king, was excavated by Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817-1894) on behalf of the English P

Old murals. Frieze of Egyptian Goddess. Wall carving.

Relief of a queen or goddess 4th-2nd century B.C. Late Dynastic - Ptolemaic Period. Relief of a queen or goddess 558356

Boar Incarnation of God Vishnu (Varaha) Lifting the Earth Goddess Bhudevi. India; Rajasthan. Date: 1001-1100. Dimensions: 132.1 x 58.5 x 29.3 cm (52 x 23 x 11 1/2 in.). Red sandstone. Origin: Rajasthan. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

impression of a cylinder seal from Tell Billa, which shows two cultic scenes involving a boat ride and a procession toward a temple, is missing from the Iraqi National Museum collection. The item dates to 3000 B.C

Detail from the stone stela 31, is the accession monument of Siyaj Chan K'awiil II, also bearing two portraits of his father, Yax Nuun Ayiin, as a youth dressed as a Teotihuacan warrior. He carries a spearthrower in one hand and bears a shield decorated with the face of Tlaloc, the Teotihuacan war god, Maya period from Tikal, Guatemala.

Roman relief of the city of Avezzano. Artist: Unknown

A stone carving at The Ancient Ruins of Persepolis, Persepolis, Iran

blur in iran persepolis the old ruins historical destination monuments and ruin

Hieroglyphics, Ramses II Temple, Abu Simbel

Iraq/Mesopotamia: Four servants carrying furniture and a bowl, Relief from the walls of the Palace of King Sargon II at Dur Sharrukin (now Khorsabad in Iraq), 716-713 BCE, Louvre, Paris. Photo by 0x010C (CC BY-SA 4.0 License)

A pottery tile of the Han Dynasty, depicting hunting and battle scenes containing emblematic figures of the 'five cardinal directions' (the four cardinal directions plus the centre). The Four Symbols (Chinese: 象; pinyin: Sì Xiàng) are four mythological creatures in the Chinese constellations. They are the Azure Dragon, of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Turtle of the North. Each one of them represents a direction and a season, and each has its own individual characteristics and origins. Symbolically and as part of spiritual and religious belief, they have been culturally important in China, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.

Gundestrup Cauldron, 1st-2nd cent. BC, Warriors on horseback, Denmark.

Relief depicting birds among the papyri, from funerary temple of Userkaf at Abusir

Tombstone, limestone. Nablus (Palestine). Roman period, 2nd-3rd century AD. The Latin inscription is dedicated to the deified soul of the departed Augindai, horseman in the squadron of the Mauritanians (Roman colony). Rockefeller Archaeological Museum. Jerusalem. Israel. Detail.

Egypt, El-Moa'alla, Tomb of Ankhtifi, painted relief depicting pharaoh

Frieze from Xanthos depicting wild fowl which may have been sacrificial offerings to the deceased. Dated 470 BC

Very large Storage Jar (adult height) known as a Pithos; Crete; 700-600 B.C. Often decorated with Sphinx; bull; snake or geometric patterns.

Tablet showing King Hammurapi at worship, First Dynasty of Babylon, about 1760-1750 BC. Artist: Unknown

Greece, Delphi, Siphnian Treasury, Relief from gable depicting Aeneas fighting beneath walls of Troy

Mexico - Maya Civilization - Xochicalco - Stone of the four glyphs (calendar system)

Relief with offerings and royal arm ca. 1353-1336 B.C. New Kingdom, Amarna Period. Relief with offerings and royal arm 544975

Obelisk of Tuthmosis III, Close Up, Karnak Temple, Luxor, Egypt

Cylinder seal ca. 15th-13th century B.C. Mitanni. Cylinder seal. Mitanni. ca. 15th-13th century B.C.. Rock crystal. Mitanni. Mesopotamia or Syria

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