Plaque fragment ca. 9th-8th century B.C. Assyrian This strip of ivory depicts a combat scene between animals, in which a griffin and a lion attack a bull. The bulls body entirely fills the space between the top and bottom border, but his head is not preserved. At the top right corner of the plaque, a lions paw can be seen mauling the bulls neck. A griffin, an eagle-headed fantastic creature with the body of a lion, attacks the bulls hindquarters, and its lower beak is shown piercing the bulls flesh. Carved ivory pieces such as this were widely used in the production of elite furniture during the early first millennium B.C., and were often inlaid into a wooden frame using joinery techniques and glue. This fragment was clearly part of a larger carved strip, perhaps part of a chair or bed. The scene of energetic combat between real and fantastic animals is a common motif on ivories attributed to North Syrian workshops.Built by the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II, the palaces and store