This ivory sculpture, currently a valued possession of Aleppo's Museum, was discovered at Arslan Tash (ancient Hadatu) in northern Syria near the Turkish border. According to Assyrian texts, it originally belonged to the treasure of Hazael, King of Aram-Damascus 844-812 BC until his son, Ben-Hadad II (or Ben-Hadad III depending on the source) was forced to hand it -as part of a substantial booty including a bed and a litter of ivory- to the Assyrian king Adad-nirari III to persuade the latter to abandon the siege of Damascus. This is an elaborate and beautiful piece of Syrian art with a marked Egyptian influence as demonstrated by the two winged sphinxes mounted with Egypt's double crown facing a sacred plant.
LA SYRIE ANTIQUE ET MÉDIÉVALE ILLUSTRÉE
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