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LOT 0188
Temple Brick Section of Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon
CIRCA 604-562 B.C.
18 1/8 x 14 1/4 in. (3.07 kg total, 46 x 36.3 cm).
A rectangular section with fourteen columns of cuneiform text mentioning the foundation of a temple by Nebuchadnezzar II, translating as 'King of Babylon provisioner of Esagil and Ezida prime son of Nabopolassar, King of Babylon and Ebabbara, the temple of Shamash in Larsa..[...]; mounted in a custom-made velvet lined display frame. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Cf. cuneiform text relating to Nebuchadnezzar II and the restorations at Babylon on a terracotta cylinder from Babylon and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under accession no.86.11.282.
FootnotesThe construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the destruction of Jerusalem's temple are ascribed to Nebuchadnezzar II. He is featured in the Book of Daniel and is mentioned in several other books of the Bible.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0188
Temple Brick Section of Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon
Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,160
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Syro-Hittite Silver Amulet
Circa 14th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £2,080
Amulet of a deity in human form wearing a pointed cap and pleated kilt, hands placed on the chest supporting coiled serpent (or staff), ledge to rear; possibly Tarḫunna, the Hittite weather-god. 3.9 grams, 29 mm
From the Bavarian private collection of F.U., Germany, before 2000. Acquired Gorny & Mosch, 17 June 2015, lot 246. Property of a French collector. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant Gorny & Mosch catalogue pages. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12123-214885.
The proper name of the weather god is not known, as it was expressed with an ideogram in the texts; his name was probably Tarhunna, from Hattic Taru. Among the Luwians he was called Datta and Tarhunt. The Hittite province of Tarhuntassa, south of the heartland of the Hittite Empire, took its name from the latter: 'land of the weather god'. -
Western Asiatic and Other Bead Group
1st millennium B.C. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £111
Comprising a large quantity of beads in various shapes and sizes in glass, stone, coral and lapis lazuli. 178 grams total, 2-34 mm
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s. -
late Babylonian Stone Cylinder Seal with Contest Scene
1000-800 B.C.Estimate: £800 - 1,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £400
With incuse frieze depicting a winged male figure wearing a tall headdress and holding a khopesh hooked sword, one foot placed on the corpse of a goat or ram, grappling with a rearing bull-headed winged beast and gripping its raised foreleg; behind, a second winged male figure with a sceptre and raised club to strike the bull-headed beast from behind; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 32.6 grams, 40 mm
From the property of late Mr SM, London, UK, 1970-1990s, thence by descent. Examined by Professor Wilfrid George Lambert FBA (1926-2011), historian, archaeologist, and specialist in Assyriology and Near Eastern archaeology, in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
