Search

Assyrian

til tuba — Reading Assyrian art isn't easy — but it's always worth it.

Assyria vs Elam: The battle of Til ...

by The British Museum

Ashurbanipal taking aim at a lion (detail), Lion Hunts of Ashurbanipal (ruled 669-630 B.C.E.), c. 645 B.C.E., gypsum,Neo-Assyrian, hall reliefs from Palace at Ninevah across the Tigris from present day Mosul, Iraq (British Museum) — Led by aggressive warrior kings, Assyria dominated the fertile crescent for half a millennia, amassing vast wealth.

Assyria, an introduction

by Dr. Senta German

Ashurbanipal wasn't just an Assyrian king, he was a propaganda king.

The palace decoration of Ashurbanipal

by The British Museum

Leveraging their enormous wealth, the Assyrians built great temples and palaces full of art, all paid for by conquest.

Assyrian Sculpture

by The British Museum

Winged human-headed bull (lamassu or shedu), Neo-Assyrian Period, reign of Sargon II (721-705 B.C.E.) Khorsabad, ancient Dur Sharrukin, Assyria, Iraq, gypseous alabaster, 4.20 x 4.36 x 0.97 m, excavated by P.-E. Botta 1843-44 (Musée du Louvre) — Winged, human-headed bulls served as guardians of the city and its palace—walking by, they almost seem to move.

Lamassu from the citadel of Sargon II

by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker

Lion Hunts of Ashurbanipal (ruled 669-630 B.C.E.), c. 645 B.C.E., gypsum,Neo-Assyrian, hall reliefs from Palace at Ninevah across the Tigris from present day Mosul, Iraq; excavated by H. Rassam beginning in 1853 (British Museum) — Only the king was permitted to kill lions—and doing so signified his power and ability to keep nature at bay.

Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions

by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris