Image Details

British Institute of the Study of Iraq (formerly the British School of Archaeology in Iraq), the Iraq Museum, Baghdad, and Stuart Laidlaw

A human-headed bird with outspread wings grips a goat in its talons, as goose-necked vultures on either side peck at the prey. The carving probably originated in north Syria. Three holes on the back indicate this 3.8-by-6-inch plaque was affixed to a flat surface such as a chair.