Head of a roaring lion Period: Neo-Assyrian Date: ca. 9th–8th century B.C. Geography: Mesopotamia, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu) Culture: Assyrian Assyrian-style ivory carving, contrasting with Phoenician- and Syrian-style ivories found at Nimrud, is illustrated by this ferocious lion's head. Assyrian craftsmen also carved subjects that appear on the stone bas-reliefs of the Assyrian palaces on flat ivory panels, including scenes of warfare, processions, and divinities approaching the sacred tree.