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Length: 113.000 cm
Excavated by M.E.L. Mallowan
ME 127430
Room 56: Mesopotamia
Agatha Christie and archaeology
Altar frieze
An altar stood at one end of the Eye Temple, its sides decorated with an elaborate frieze composed of decorative bands of blue limestone, white marble and green shale and encased in a moulding of gold foil that had been fastened to a wooden backing (of which nothing remained when it was excavated) with gold-headed silver nails. The stone bands were put together with rectangular strips that had perforations at the back so that thin copper wire could be threaded through them and attached to the wooden backing.
It has been suggested that the altar frieze is a form of architectural decoration, reminiscent of façades common on temples and public buildings at the time, where the plain mud brick walls were relieved by niches and mosaic decoration.
Another section of the frieze can be seen at the Aleppo Museum.
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