TEHRAN – A 2,900-year-old carved panel from the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud shows soldiers swimming across a river using inflatable goat skins, according to the British Museum.

The gypsum relief, excavated in the 1840s from the Northwest Palace of King Ashurnasirpal II in present-day Iraq, depicts an army crossing a river alongside swimming horses. Some soldiers are seen free-swimming, rowing small boats, or using inflated animal skins for buoyancy, ILNA reported on Tuesday.

The panel, originally installed on the walls of the king’s throne room and royal apartments, forms part of a series portraying military campaigns, royal rituals and hunting scenes. A cuneiform inscription across the top records the king’s lineage and achievements.

British Museum researchers say animal-skin flotation devices, likely made from goats or pigs, appear in multiple Nimrud panels. These were used to keep weapons dry and to facilitate surprise river crossings during military operations.

Ashurnasirpal II, who ruled from 883 to 859 B.C., expanded Assyrian territory through military innovations, including the use of flotation devices. The Assyrian Empire maintained dominance in Mesopotamia for centuries until its collapse around 600 B.C.

The panel is now part of the British Museum’s collection.

The ancestral lands that constitute the Assyrian homeland encompass ancient Mesopotamia and the areas surrounding the Tigris and Zab rivers. Today, this region is divided among modern-day Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, and northeastern Syria.

AM