Animal head carved in the round. Culture: Assyrian. Dimensions: 0.55 x 0.59 x 0.91 in. (1.4 x 1.5 x 2.31 cm). Date: ca. 8th-7th century B.C..This carved ivory head was found in a storage room in Fort Shalmaneser, a royal building at Nimrud that was used to store booty and tribute collected by the Assyrians while on military campaign. It depicts an animal with a long, narrow snout, mouth open and tongue extended, and large eyes that would have been inlaid with materials in contrasting colors. A tenon at the back of the head would likely have been used to attach the head to the animal's body, perhaps carved out of another piece of ivory or a different material. Carved ivory pieces such as this were widely used in the production of elite furniture during the early first millennium B.C. They were often inlaid into a wooden frame using joinery techniques and glue, and could be overlaid with gold foil or inlaid to create a dazzling effect of gleaming surfaces and bright colors. The piece ma