Recovered!
Head of a Woman
This carved likeness of a woman’s head, possibly made of limestone, dates to the Hellenistic period, which followed Alexander the Great’s conquest of Persia in 334 B.C.
Clasped Hands
These life-size hands, sculpted from limestone, probably belong to a suppliant figure, depicted as worshiping in a temple or showing obeisance to a god or divine king.
Royal Figurine
This terracotta plaque of a king or god may date as early as 2000 B.C. The figure appears to be garbed in ceremonial religious dress.
Stylized Goat
A symbol of virility, goats were frequently depicted in ancient amulets and statues. While excavating at the Sumerian city of Ur in the 1920s, British archaeologist Leonard Woolley found two gold and lapis-lazuli statues of goats—often mistakenly called “rams” caught in a thicket—dating to the mid-third millennium B.C.
Horned Animal
Made of terracotta, this animal figurine with antlers and painted stripes may represent a stag. Similar hand-modeled figurines dating to the second half of the second millennium B.C. have been uncovered in northern Iran (ancient Persia).
Horse and Rider
Small horse-and-rider statuettes, often called Persian Riders, have been found throughout the Near East. This terracotta example may have been made by the Parthians, a Persian people who rose to power in the mid-third century B.C. and controlled a large territory east of the Euphrates River.