Old Babylonian Goddess, London

3D Model

A plaque made of baked straw-tempered clay featuring a winged Babylonian goddess. It was found in southern Iraq and brought to the British Museum (BM) in 1933. It was named the “Burney Relief” after its owner, the London antique dealer Sidney Burney. Authenticity was in doubt for many years but thermoluminescence tests confirm the plaque was made between 1765 and 45 BC, thus slotted into the Old Babylonian period 1800–1750 BC. Plaque was then purchased by the BM in 2003.

There is a great debate about who is depicted as the plaque was renamed “the Queen of the Night”. For years argued to be baby-stealing demon Lilitu, but now Ishtar is now the accepted interpretation.

Photos from testing my Nikon D5500. Uploaded on Walpurgisnacht 2020.