Ramada Plaza Regents Park (18 Lodge Road.)

A mysterious object with one of the earliest representations of a Sumerian army
This object was found in one of the largest graves in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, lying in the corner of a chamber above the right shoulder of a man. Its original function is still not understood. Leonard Woolley, the excavator at Ur, imagined that it was carried on a pole as a standard, Which is how it arrived at its current title. Another theory suggests that it formed the soundbox of a musical instrument.
When found, the original wooden frame for the mosaic of shell, red limestone and lapis lazuli had decayed, and the two main panels had been crushed together by the weight of the soil. The bitumen acting as glue had disintegrated and the end panels were broken. As a result, the present restoration is only a best guess as to how it originally appeared.
The main panels are known as 'War' and 'Peace'. 'War' shows one of the earliest representations of a Sumerian army. Chariots, each pulled by four donkeys, trample enemies; infantry with cloaks carry spears; enemy soldiers are killed with axes, others are paraded naked and presented to the king who holds a spear.
The 'Peace' panel depicts animals, fish and other goods brought in procession to a banquet. Seated figures, wearing woollen fleeces or fringed skirts, drink to the accompaniment of a musician playing a lyre. Banquet scenes such as this are common on cylinder seals of the period, such as on the seal of the 'Queen' Pu-abi, also in the British Museum.
Height: 21.59 cm
Length: 49.53 cmJust going to see things I'd always heard about: such as the British Museum, National Gallery, War Rooms, changing of the guard, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London.
For those of you who like a tipple, the London Pubs really are a bit special - and that's from a teetotaller!
For cryptic crossword buffs, of whom I have to admit to being one, Ur is the most famous ancient town of all as it is often used as a clue.