Detail, Assyrian. Apkallu-figure Between Two Sacred Trees, Ca. 883-859 BC, Brooklyn Museum ,New York, USA. Editorial Photo

Detail, Assyrian. Apkallu-figure Between Two Sacred Trees, ca. 883-859 B.C.E. Gypsum stone, pigment, Brooklyn Museum ,New York, USA. Each genie depicted in the reliefs exhibited here carries two knives tucked in his garment and in some cases a whetstone for sharpening the blades as well. Knives of this type are known to have been used from as early as the twelfth century b.c. Their hilts were often inlaid with bone, ivory, bronze, or precious metal, and their scabbards were decorated with the heads of birds. The whetstones were also decorated with an animal head, often of a horse or a bull.