Assyrian stele containing ancient curse will not be reunited with its other half

“Whoever discards this image from the presence of Salmanu puts it into another place, whether he throws it into water or covers it with earth or brings and places it into a taboo house where it is inaccessible, may the god Salmanu, the great lord, overthrow his sovereignty; may his name and his seed disappear in the land; may he live in a contingent together with the slave women of his land”

These are the translated words of the curse etched onto an ancient Assyrian artefact dating back to 800 BC, which will go up for auction with Bonhams on 3^rd April. The British Museum, keeper of the other half of this ‘cursed’ relic have confirmed that they will not be purchasing the stele to reunite it with the remaining fragment in their possession.