The First Handshake Ever Recorded in the World between the King of Assyria Shalmanasser III and King of Babylon Marduk-Zakir-Shumi.
Note: Swords sheathed, two kings clasp hands as equals beneath a canopy (near left). Escorted by an archer bearing a mace, Shalmanaser III of Assyria (shown on the right) greets Mardukh-Zakir-Shumi, whom he reinstalled on the throne of Babylon in the ninth century B.C. Other panels on the stone dais from Shalmanaser's throne room at Kalhu - today's Nimrud - depict neighboring peoples paying tribute to the Assyrians. Because of Babylon's cultural preeminence, however, her citizens enjoyed a privileged status even in times of political weakness.