Italy Gifts ‘Bull of Nimrud’ Replica to Iraq’s Basrah Museum

Iraq has been given a replica of the famous Assyrian “Bull of Nimrud” statue that stood in the Roman Colosseum in Rome and at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, according to the Art Newspaper. A gift from the Italian government, the statue now permanently resides outside the Basrah Museum.

The original monument, which was destroyed by ISIS militants in 2015, was made in the 9^th century BC and stood over 16 feet. The replica was constructed with 3D printing technology.

“Italy is at the forefront of safeguarding cultural heritage because it is the soul of a nation and embodies its history,” Gennaro Sangiuliano, Italy’s culture minister, said in a statement read out at an inauguration ceremony at the museum attended by Italian and Iraqi officials on Tuesday. “It will therefore continue to make every effort to advance international collaboration in the field of cultural heritage protection and to work for the enhancement of the heritage of humanity.”

The historical city of Nimrud, located near modern-day Mosul, was chosen as capital city by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal II (883–859 BC). Ashurbanipal II built a grand palace decorated with multiple “lamassu” monuments: statues of lions or winged bulls, each with the head of a bearded man. The “Bull of Nimrud” is among the many cultural artifacts that ISIS destroyed when they attacked the archaeological site in 2015.

The replica was made by a team of experts led by the restoration specialist Nicola Salvioli, who crafted a model of the creature out of polystyrene from images and video footage. Later, that model was used as the basis for a larger fiberglass copy that was fabricated by a 3D printer. Once the process was completed, the monument was covered in a mixture of plastic and stone dust to give the appearance of authenticity.

The gift comes on the heels of a high-profile restitution from Italy to Iraq of a tablet engraved with cuneiform text and the insignia of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III in June of last year. According to prior reports, “the circumstances surrounding the tablet’s arrival in Italy remain unclear.”