Fig. 16. Reconstruction drawing of the face of a Phyrgian inlaid serving stand, Tumulus P. Gordion, eighth century BCE. Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Ankara.
Ancient furniture, like modern furniture, was most often made of wood and other organic materials that are subject to decay over time. Consequently, archaeological finds of ancient furniture are rare. Only in Egypt, where the dry climate has helped inhibit the decay process, does buried wooden furniture commonly survive. It is fortunate, then, that a number of sites in western and central Asia have yielded the remains of furniture. In many cases, these consist of decorative furniture fittings of ivory or bronze that had once been attached to wood frames. In a few special instances, actual pieces of wooden furniture have survived nearly intact. Beyond this, much can be understood from depictions of furniture in ancient near eastern art and references to furniture in ancient texts. From these incomplete but informative sources, a history of furniture in the ancient Near East can be reconstructed.
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