🏛 1. Origin & Date

• The relief comes from the Neo-Assyrian period, dating back to around the 9th–7th century BCE (approximately 3,000 years ago).
• It was discovered in the North-West Palace of Nimrud (ancient Kalhu, Iraq), built by King Ashurnasirpal II.
• The artifact is currently housed in the British Museum.

🧭 2. Imagery & Equipment in the Relief

• The relief shows an Assyrian soldier swimming across a river, holding or blowing into what appears to be an animal-skin bag—likely made from goat or sheep.
• This bag features a tube-like extension, suggesting it may have been a flotation device rather than a breathing apparatus.
• In the full relief (often cropped in images), soldiers are also seen leading horses across the river, indicating a stealthy or tactical crossing.

🎯 3. Function: Flotation, Not Breathing

• Scholars widely agree that the bag was used as a flotation device, not as a breathing aid like modern scuba tanks.
• If the bag were used to breathe underwater, it would inflate the user’s lungs and make them float uncontrollably, defeating the purpose of stealth.
• It’s believed the soldier might have carried weights or stones to help maintain a low, stable position in the water while still floating enough to move.

📚 4. Historical & Technological Significance

• This relief is a remarkable example of ancient military innovation, showing Assyrians understood basic buoyancy and air displacement.
• These flotation bags enabled soldiers to cross rivers silently, possibly for surprise attacks or infiltration.
• Though not a scuba system in the modern sense, it represents a creative use of primitive technology for tactical advantage.

✅ Conclusion

• The relief depicts an Assyrian soldier using a blown-up animal skin as a primitive flotation device while crossing a river.
• It reflects the Assyrian army’s ingenuity in military logistics and river warfare, not early diving or underwater breathing.
• It is a fascinating insight into how ancient civilizations used simple tools for complex strategic operations.