Italy gives Iraq copy of Bull of Nimrud statue that ISIS destroyed
The replica of the Bull of Nimrud at the Colosseum. Photo: Museo Archaeologico del Colosseo
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – In what has been described as a miracle of Italian cultural diplomacy, Italy has given the Iraqi government an Assyrian monument that has been rebuilt.
Built in the ninth century BC, the five-meter-tall Bull of Nimrud was demolished by ISIS terrorists in 2015, but Italian craftsmen were able to use 3D printing technology to recreate the monument, according to The Art Newspaper.
Relocated permanently outside the entrance of Basrah Museum, the model was once on exhibit at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and the Colosseum in Rome.
The Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, said in a statement during the museum’s inaugural event on Tuesday that Italy is at the forefront of protecting cultural heritage.
In 2015, Isis seized several archeological sites, using explosives and bulldozers to destroy priceless artifacts. Among the damaged structures was the Bull of Nimrud, an emblem of the Assyrian civilization that had stood at the location.
Following the attack, a team of restorers examined images and videos of the monument, which enabled them to create a polystyrene replica. Then, to give it a more realistic appearance, a fiberglass duplicate was created using a 3D printer and coated with plastic materials combined with stone dust.