Primeval Waters: Lessons from Mesopotamia

Look for

• The Stela of the Vultures

  In room 236, text and carved images recount Eannatum of Lagash defeating Umma around 2450 BC over a disputed water source.

• The Code of Hammurabi

  In room 227, the law code that obliged every man to maintain his dykes and canals or pay neighbours when they flooded.

• The unfinished kudurru

  A boundary stone left blank for its inscription, with a horned serpent for the underground waters coiled round its base and crenellated towers above.

• Sargon II's timber relief

  In room 229, soldiers ferry tree trunks by sea past fortified cities, through water full of fish and fantastical creatures.

• The Amathus Vase

  In room 316, a limestone vase from Cyprus weighing over twelve tonnes and holding around 5,000 litres of water.

Good for

• An Hour Or Less
• Evening Visits
• Locals Who've Seen It All
• Nerding Out

About 45 min

Skip if

You want one compact room: the trail spreads 27 works across the whole Near Eastern department.

With kids

Fifteen school classes wrote a children's trail of labels, with a downloadable booklet, and the Eau-riginal workshop is for families with children aged 6 to 10. Under-18s go free.