The Lion of Mosul was one of a pair of limestone statues dating to 860 BCE,  said to have stood at the entrance of the Temple of Ishtar at Nimrud in Iraq. It was destroyed alongside other valuable historic artefacts by the Islamic State at the Mosul Museum in 2015.

But now Google Arts & Culture has reconstructed the statue using photographs shared through Rekrei, a platform that crowdsources data to digitally preserve lost cultural heritage. 

The replica is included in the exhibition “What Remains”, one of three exhibitions running concurrently as part of the “Culture Under Attack” season at the Imperial War Museum. It explores why cultural heritage is a target in conflict – and what happens after the act takes place. “Culture has become victim of both indiscriminate and deliberate damage, especially as the line between the home front and the battlefield continues to blur,” says exhibition co-curator Carl Warner.

An interactive 3D model of the piece is also available to view on the Google Poly platform. The reconstruction is partial, owning to the placement of the piece within the museum collection. 

“It’s been heart-breaking to see the destruction of so many unique artefacts and archeological sites in recent years, however, Culture Under Attack and the What Remains exhibition highlight the potential of technology – both in terms of digitally preserving culture and telling these amazing stories in engaging new ways,” says Rekrei co-founder, and Google Arts & Culture Preservation Lead, Chance Coughenour.