A relief carving known as “Assyrian Swimmers,” a gypsum panel, is actually a depiction of an army crossing a river using flotation devices. The panel originates from the Royal Palace of Nimrud, near modern-day Mosul, Iraq.

Created between 865 and 860 B.C., the panel is often misinterpreted as evidence of ancient scuba diving. Instead, it illustrates soldiers navigating a river with the aid of inflated animal skins [1].

Excavated in the 1840s from the Northwest Palace, built on the Tigris river by King Ashurnasirpal II around 865 B.C., the panels originally adorned the throne room and royal apartments. They portray the king leading military campaigns, engaging in rituals, and hunting [2].

The fragment at The British Museum shows men and horses crossing a river. Horses swim, guided by cavalry soldiers. One soldier swims freely, another rows a boat, and two use inflated goat-skin bags for buoyancy.

A cuneiform inscription at the top details King Ashurnasirpal II’s lineage and accomplishments. The panel’s two-dimensional outlook, where figures appear complete rather than submerged, is typical of Assyrian art, according to The British Museum.

“The two-dimensionality of the perspective – in which the figures appear complete and not half-submerged – is typical in Assyrian art.”

Animal skin floats, likely made from goats or pigs, appear frequently in the Nimrud panels. These floats served to keep weapons dry and facilitate surprise attacks. Ashurnasirpal II, known for his military prowess, used these innovative tactics to expand his empire in the ninth century B.C.

while scuba gear might have further aided the Assyrian army, the goat skin floats represent a key invention that helped them maintain power in Mesopotamia for centuries, until the empire fell around 600 B.C.