A Wonder to Behold : Craftsmanship and the Creation of Babylon’s Ishtar Gate Hardback

Edited by Anastasia Amrhein, Clare Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Knott

Part of the Institute for the Study of Ancient World Exhibition Catalogs series

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An in-depth and beautifully illustrated look at one of the most revered works of antiquity, the Ishtar Gate of ancient BabylonIn the ancient Near East, expert craftspeople were more than technicians: they numbered among those special members of society who could access the divine.

While the artisansâ€™ names are largely unknown today, their legacy remains in the form of spectacular artworks and monuments.

One of the most celebrated works of antiquityâ€”Babylon's Ishtar Gate and its affiliated Processional Wayâ€”featured a dazzling array of colorful beasts assembled from molded, baked, and glazed bricks.

Such an awe-inspiring structure demanded the highest level of craft; each animal was created from dozens of bricks that interlocked like a jigsaw.

Yet this display of technical and artistic skill also served a ritual purpose, since the Gate provided a divinely protected entrance to the sacred inner city of Babylon. A Wonder to Behold explores ancient Near Eastern ideas about the transformative power of materials and craftsmanship as they relate to the Ishtar Gate.

This beautifully illustrated catalogue accompanies an exhibition at New York Universityâ€™s Institute for the Study of the Ancient World.

Essays by archaeologists, art historians, curators, conservators, and text specialists examine a wide variety of artifacts from major American and European institutions. Contributors include Anastasia Amrhein, Heather Baker, Jean-FranÃ§ois de LapÃ©rouse, Eduardo Escobar, Anja FÃ¼gert, Sarah Graff, Helen Gries, Elizabeth Knott, Katherine Larson, Beate Pongratz-Leisten, Shiyanthi Thavapalan, and May-Sarah ZeÃŸin. Distributed for the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York UniversityExhibition ScheduleInstitute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York UniversityExhibition Dates: November 6, 2019â€“May 24, 2020