the secret of nimrud

December 15, 2005 9:50 PM

The Secret of Nimrud Hey! What's down in this basement here? Looks like Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky! And, hey, a golden Assyrian mask from 800 BC! A photo-essay on the re-discovery of treasures in Iraq.
posted by vacapinta (14 comments total)

Thoughts:

1. Nobody's face melted.

2. This pawing through the collection was a conservator's nightmare. No cataloguing going on. Heterogenous glove materials. Bare hands galore. Toilet paper fibers. Damp location. Get that stuff to a proper conservation lab ASAP.

3. What's with the golden bull's head? God is so going to smite that. Is this Armageddon now?

4. Where's Geraldo?

5. For once, something that is supposed to be treasure actually looks like real treasure.
posted by Miko at 10:02 PM on December 15, 2005

1. Nobody's face melted.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one who was reminded of this scene.
posted by JoshTeeters at 10:23 PM on December 15, 2005

coolest wristwatch ever.
posted by carsonb at 10:29 PM on December 15, 2005

Note: There are 418 pages in this photo essay.
posted by odinsdream at 10:36 PM on December 15, 2005

re: coolest wristwatch ever.
That IS a really interesting piece. Anyone know any details about the design, symbols, etc?
posted by well_balanced at 11:40 PM on December 15, 2005

This is a fascinating story, great post. I was intrigued by the photo of a young Queen Elizabeth that emerged early on - I wonder how that got there?

I was also amused by the reportage in the article - bumbling Hugh-Grant style Englishman meets tough-talking American soldier-scholar who knows his archaelogy. Now where have I seen a vaguely similar set-up?

Indy: Brody's got friends in every town and village from here to the Sudan, he speaks a dozen languages, knows every local custom, he'll blend in, disappear, you'll never see him again. With any luck, he's got the grail/Treasure of Nimrud already.

*cut to Middle Eastern market*

Marcus: Does anyone here speak English?


posted by greycap at 11:51 PM on December 15, 2005

Sure am glad I didn't request a Grease Monkey script filtering all posts related to Iraq.
posted by sourwookie at 12:01 AM on December 16, 2005

Treasure of Nimrud Is Found In Iraq, and It's Spectacular
WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | Friday, June 6, 2003 | DAVID LUHNOW

Wow, take me back to the good old days when the whole Iraq war was a quick fight for freedom and democracy and making the world safe from terrorism.

The funny thing on the Iraq Museum International website is all of the stuff sold on Christie's. Who gets the money from that? I assume it probably goes to support the museum? Or does it bulk up someone's swiss bank account?
posted by JJ86 at 3:08 AM on December 16, 2005

I loved the expression of the soldier in the background of this pic just as they extract the golden mask.

What a great way to share the experience of unpacking these artifacts. Great post.
posted by furtive at 3:31 AM on December 16, 2005

There was a really interesting interview last week on NPR by the guy that lead the conservation effort and how he purposely got the soldiers and law enforcement guys involved in the actual conservation of the objects so that they would really understand their value.
posted by Pollomacho at 5:58 AM on December 16, 2005

Cool post. Should I add how much I hate George W. Bush? Doesn't seem right to have an Iraq post without it.
posted by fungible at 6:02 AM on December 16, 2005

Heheh, furtive. That expression is the result of the momentary mind-freeze when two conflicting voices are trying to shout each other down in one's head.

The first: "My God. That's so beautiful."

The second: "What is the price of gold per ounce on the black market? Think! THINK!"

Seriously, though, this is pretty cool. I would have loved to have been involved in this re-discovery effort.

And as for that wristwatch, how neat! It comes with its own scrying eyeball!

/me suspects wizardry...
posted by darkstar at 6:37 AM on December 16, 2005

Very cool. Thanks vacapinta.
posted by peacay at 7:24 AM on December 16, 2005

Cool stuff, lousy presentation. There's a reason professional photographers edit their pictures.
posted by sacre_bleu at 7:56 AM on December 16, 2005