British Museum

The hill country of Canaan was quite difficult for a chariot to negotiate. In this detail from Band 23 of the Gates of Shalmaneser (ninth century B.C.), both manpower and horsepower are needed to transport chariotry across mountainous terrain. The Israelites used the hilly terrain to their advantage by conducting military operations there. This bronze plaque, attached to the door of a temple in Balawat in northern Iraq, is made in repoussé technique (raised by hammering from behind).