Giants among us

One of the most imposing exhibits you view at the British Museum are the enormous human-headed, winged bull sculptures that stand guard as you enter the Assyrian galleries.

Defending our faith Chris Sinkinson

Excavated by Henry Austen Layard in the Victorian period they were shipped, along with many carvings and reliefs from Nimrud, near Mosul, to London where they have been on display ever since. A number of these sculptures are on display at the British Museum, but they can also be seen in museums in Berlin, Paris, New York and Iraq.