showing scores of men dragging lamassu figures with the aid of
ropes and sledges. The Assyrian lamassu sculptures are partly in the
round, but the sculptor nonetheless conceived them as high reliefs
on adjacent sides of a corner. They combine the front view of the an-
imal at rest with the side view of it in motion. Seeking to present a
complete picture of the lamassu from both the front and the side,
the sculptor gave the monster five legs—two seen from the front,
four seen from the side. This sculpture, then, is yet another case of
early artists’ providing a conceptual picture of an animal or person
and of all its important parts, as opposed to an optical view of the
lamassu as it actually would stand in space.
PALACE OF ASHURNASIRPAL IIFor their palace walls the
Assyrian kings commissioned extensive series of painted narrative re-
liefs exalting royal power. The degree of documentary detail in the As-
syrian reliefs is without parallel in the ancient world before the Roman
Empire (see Chapter 10). One of the earliest and most extensive cycles
of reliefs comes from the palace of Ashurnasirpal II (r. 883–859 BCE) at
Kalhu. Throughout the palace, painted gypsum reliefs sheathed the
lower parts of the mud-brick walls below brightly colored plaster. Rich
textiles on the floors contributed to the luxurious ambience. Every re-
lief celebrated the king and bore an inscription naming Ashurnasirpal
and describing his accomplishments.
FIG. 2-22probably depicts an episode that occurred in 878 BCE
when Ashurnasirpal drove his enemy’s forces into the Euphrates River.
In the relief, two Assyrian archers shoot arrows at the fleeing foe.
Three enemy soldiers are in the water. One swims with an arrow in his
back. The other two attempt to float to safety by inflating animal2-22Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, relief from the Northwest Palace of Ashurnasirpal II, Kalhu (modern Nimrud), Iraq, ca. 875–860 bce.
Gypsum, 2 105 – 8 high. British Museum, London.
Assyrian palaces were adorned with extensive series of narrative reliefs exalting the king and recounting his great deeds. This one depicts Assyrian
archers driving the enemy into the Euphrates River.
2-23Ashurbanipal hunting lions, relief from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh (modern Kuyunjik), Iraq, ca. 645–640 bce.Gypsum,
5 4 high. British Museum, London.
In addition to ceremonial and battle scenes, the hunt was a common subject of Assyrian palace reliefs. The Assyrians considered the hunting and
killing of lions manly royal virtues on a par with victory in warfare.
46 Chapter 2 THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST1 ft.1 ft.2-22AAshur-
nasirpal II with
attendants,
Kalhu, ca.
875–860 BCE.