Part of a stone sill from a doorway in the South-West Palace of Sennacherib

Nineveh, northern Iraq
Neo-Assyrian, about 669-630 BC

Imitation of ancient carpets?

This stone 'carpet' decorated with intricate designs, is from the threshold of a doorway, placed between a pair of gigantic protective figures. When found it was broken into three pieces. Very similar slabs were carved in the palace of Sennacherib's grandson, Ashurbanipal.

The design probably imitates actual floor coverings. The Near East has traditionally been associated with carpet manufacture, though there is little material evidence for their existence before the ninth century BC. However, the oblong shape and layout of these door-sills with surrounding borders corresponds closely to what is known of later pile carpets. The design may have played a similar role to those depicted on royal garments and throne covers, as symbolically protective and representative of the king's power.

Earlier Assyrian examples from the Assyrian city of Nimrud usually have a cuneiform inscription in the centre of the design. This gives the names and titles of the royal builder. At Nineveh, however, the inscription does not appear. Perhaps Sennacherib did not want people walking over his name.

D. Collon, Ancient Near Eastern art (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)