820:
315:
852:
36:
909:
631:". Both have reliefs on all four sides in eight and five registers respectively, and long inscriptions describing the events. The Black and Rassam Obelisks were both set up in what seems to have been the central square in the citadel of Nimrud, presumably a very public space, and the White in Nineveh. All record much the same types of scenes as the narrative sections of wall-relief, and the gates. The Black Obelisk concentrates on scenes of the bringing of tribute from conquered kingdoms, including Israel, while the White also has scenes of war, hunting, and religious figures. The White Obelisk, from 1049–1031, and the "Broken Obelisk" from 1074–1056, predate the earliest known wall-reliefs by 160 years or more, but are respectively in worn and fragmentary condition.
373:
576:
931:
20:
389:
507:
1168:, followed by the site museums and other collections in Iraq, which in the 20th century were the largest holdings when taken together, though after the wars of the 21st century their current holdings are uncertain. The fate of the considerable number of pieces that have been found and then reburied is also uncertain. At the peak of excavations, the volume found was too large for the British and French to manage, and many pieces either were diverted at some point on their journey to Europe, or were given away by the museums. Other pieces were excavated by diggers working for dealers. As a result, there are significant groups of large
256:; the meaning of this remains unclear., Especially on larger figures, details and patterns on areas such as costumes, hair and beards, tree trunks and leaves, and the like, are very meticulously carved. More important figures are often shown larger than others, and in landscapes more distant elements are shown higher up, but not smaller than, those in the foreground, though some scenes have been interpreted as using scale to indicate distance. Other scenes seem to repeat a figure in a succession of different moments, performing the same action, most famously a charging lion. But these were apparently experiments that remain unusual.
805:
864:
1083:, the ambassador in Constantinople, to personally fund an expedition to excavate there. On his first day digging at Nimrud, with only six workers in November 1845, slabs were found, initially only with inscriptions, but soon with reliefs. He continued to dig until June 1847, with the British government, through the British Museum, taking over the funding from Canning in late 1846, repaying his expenditure. The volume of finds was such that getting them back to Britain was a major task, and many pieces either were reburied, or reached other countries. Layard had recruited the 20-year old
336:
260:
897:
351:
2012:
1061:
176:
832:
969:
2021:
883:
655:
1111:, which was "in some respects the finest sculptured palace of all", in the new French area of Kuyunjik. Fortunately, Place had not started digging there, and according to Rassam "it was an established rule that whenever one discovered a new palace, no one else could meddle with it, and thus,... I had secured it for England". The new palace took until 1855 to clear, being finished by the
1119:
1034:(1809–1889), an artist who had already made careful archaeological drawings of Persian antiquities in a long trip beginning in 1839. Botta decided there was no more to find at the site in October 1844, and concentrated on the difficult task of getting his finds back to Paris, where the first large consignments did not arrive until December 1846. Botta left the two huge
819:
729:. The Assyrians probably took the form from the Hittites; the sites chosen for their 49 recorded reliefs often also make little sense if "signalling" to the general population was the intent, being high and remote, but often near water. The Neo-Assyrians recorded in other places, including metal reliefs on the
314:
955:
of the wall, often through a whole suite of rooms. Most trenches could be open to the sky, but at Nimrud, where one palace overlay another, tunnels were necessary in places. Layard estimated "that he had exposed nearly two miles of sculptured walls in
Sennacherib's palace alone", not to mention the
954:
The character of the palace reliefs made excavation relatively straightforward, if the right site was chosen. Assyrian palaces were built on high mud-brick platforms. Test trenches were started in various directions, and once one of them had hit sculpture, the trenches had only to follow the lines
566:
After the palaces were abandoned and lost their wooden roofs, the unbaked mud-brick walls gradually collapsed, covering the space in front of the reliefs, and largely protecting them from further damage from the weather. Relatively few traces of paint remain, and these are often on heads and faces –
112:
on thin slabs of alabaster, which were originally painted, at least in part, and fixed on the wall all round the main rooms of palaces. Most of these are in museums in Europe or
America, following a hectic period of excavations from 1842 to 1855, which took Assyrian art from being almost completely
713:
for various purposes, including marking boundaries. Many just carry inscriptions, but there are some with significant relief sculpture, mostly a large standing portrait of the king of the day, pointing at symbols of the gods, similar in pose to those in palace reliefs, surrounded by a round-topped
603:
strips, each carrying two registers of narrative reliefs some five inches high. There were presumably equivalents at other
Assyrian sites, but at the collapse of the empire the buildings at Balawat caught fire "before they had been efficiently looted" by the enemy, and remained hidden in the ashes
213:
script, explaining the action or giving the name and extravagant titles of the king. Heads and legs are shown in profile, but torsos in a front or three-quarters view, as in earlier
Mesopotamian art. Eyes are also largely shown frontally. Some panels show only a few figures at close to life-size,
697:
erected it for the "titilation" or enjoyment of the people. It might represent Ishtar, goddess of love among other things, in which case it would be the only known
Assyrian statue of a major divinity. All these have standing poses, though seated statues were already known in Mesopotamian art, for
514:
There are outcrops of the "Mosul marble" gypsum rock normally used at several places in the
Assyrian realm, though not especially close to the capitals. The rock is very soft and slightly soluble in water, and exposed faces degraded, and needed to be cut into before usable stone was reached. There
410:
Lamassu were protective minor deities or spirits, the
Assyrian version of the "human-headed bull" figure that had long figured in Mesopotamian mythology and art. Lamassu have wings, a male human head with the elaborate headgear of a divinity, and the elaborately-braided hair and beards shared with
299:
The enormous scales of the palace schemes allowed narratives to be shown at an unprecedentedly expansive pace, making the sequence of events clear and allowing richly detailed depictions of the activities of large numbers of figures, not to be paralleled until the Roman narrative column reliefs of
1143:
Although it was not yet realized, by "the close of excavations in 1855, the hectic Heroic Age of
Assyrian archaeology ended", with the great majority of surviving Assyrian sculpture found. Work has continued up to the present day, but no new palaces have been found at the capitals, and finds have
1090:
Layard returned to
England in June 1847, also taking Rassam, who he had arranged to study at Cambridge. He left a few workers, mainly to keep other diggers off the sites, as the French were digging again. His finds were arriving in London, to great public interest, which he greatly increased by
959:
he found there. His excavation practices left a lot to be desired by modern standards; the centres of rooms were not only not excavated, but the material removed from the trench in one room might be deposited in another, compromising later excavations. Typically the slabs were sawn to roughly a
550:
tools. There can be considerable differences in style, and quality, between adjacent panels, suggesting that different master carvers were allocated these. Probably the master drew or incised the design on the slab before a team of carvers laboriously cut away the background areas and finished
244:
of lions already captured and released into an arena, from the North Palace at
Nineveh. The realism of the lions has always been praised, and the scenes are often regarded as "the supreme masterpieces of Assyrian art", although the pathos modern viewers tend to feel was perhaps not part of the
950:
throughout the 19th century, and the government was content to allow foreign excavations and the removal of finds with little hindrance. Even in the 1870s excavators were often only regulated by a regime intended for mining operations, and had to pay a tax based on a proportion of the value of
275:
The king is often shown in narrative scenes, and also as a large standing figure in a few prominent places, generally attended by winged genies. A composition repeated twice in what is traditionally called the "throne-room" (though perhaps it was not) of Ashurbanipal's palace at Nimrud shows a
1099:
had at that point become convinced that the Nimrud site was actually the ancient Nineveh, though he changed his mind soon after. By October 1849 Layard was back in Mosul, accompanied by the artist Frederick Cooper, and continued to dig until April 1851, after which Rassam took charge of the
669:
There are very few large free-standing Assyrian statues and, with one possible exception (below), none have been found of the major divinities in their temples. Possibly others existed; any in precious metals would have been looted as the empire fell. Two statues of kings are similar to the
463:
and two such heroes with lions surrounded the entrance to the "throne room", "a concentration of figures which produced an overwhelming impression of power". The arrangement was repeated in Sennacherib's palace at Nineveh, with a total of ten lamassu. Other accompanying figures for colossal
733:
showing them being made, the carving of rock reliefs, and it has been suggested that the main intended audience was the gods, the reliefs and the inscriptions that often accompany them being almost of the nature of a "business report" submitted by the ruler. A canal system built by the
590:
Apart from the alabaster wall reliefs, all found in palaces, other objects carrying relatively large reliefs are bronze strips used to reinforce and decorate large gates. Parts of three sets have survived, all from the 9th century BC and the relatively minor city of Imgur-Enlil, modern
202:. Thereafter, new royal palaces, of which there was typically one per reign, were extensively decorated in this way for the roughly 250 years until the end of the Assyrian Empire. There was subtle stylistic development, but a very large degree of continuity in subjects and treatment.
558:
The reliefs only covered the lower parts of the walls of rooms in the palaces, and higher areas were often painted, at least in patterns, and at least sometimes with other figures. Brightly coloured carpets on the floor completed what was probably a striking decor, largely in
296:, who ran much of the administration of the empire, unless they also have the shaved heads and very tall hats of priests. Kings are often accompanied by several courtiers, the closest to the king probably often being the appointed heir, who was not necessarily the oldest son.
567:
hair and beards were black, and at least the whites of eyes white. Possibly metal leaf was used on some elements, such as small scenes shown decorating textiles. Julian Reade concludes that "It is nonetheless puzzling that more traces of painting have not been recorded".
1100:
excavations. By this stage, thanks to Rawlinson and other linguists working on the tablets and inscriptions brought back and other material, the Assyrian cuneiform was at the least becoming partly understood, a task that progressed well over the next decade.
527:. Blocks were extracted, using prisoners of war, and sawed into slabs with long iron saws. This may have happened at the palace site, which is certainly where the carving of orthostats was done, after the slabs had been fixed into place as a facing to a
1007:, went to Mosul and the site of ancient Nineveh, where he was told of a large relief panel that had been found and soon broken up. His account was published in 1836; he also brought back two small fragments. In 1842 the French consul in Mosul,
781:
of Egypt, had rather optimistically commemorated the boundary of his empire many centuries earlier; many later rulers added to the collection. The Assyrian examples were perhaps significant in suggesting the style of the much more ambitious
35:
851:
604:
and rubble; gypsum slabs were not worth the trouble of looting, unlike bronze. The subjects were similar to the wall reliefs, but on a smaller scale; a typical band is 27 centimetres high, 1.8 metres wide, and only a millimetre thick.
217:
Campaigns focus on the progress of the army, including the fording of rivers, and usually culminates in the siege of a city, followed by the surrender and paying of tribute, and the return of the army home. A full and characteristic
291:
Women are relatively rarely shown, and then usually as prisoners or refugees; an exception is a "picnic" scene showing Ashurbanipal with his queen. The many beardless royal attendants can probably be assumed to be
167:, an important group of small plaques which decorated furniture, were found in a palace storeroom near reliefs, but they came from around the Mediterranean, with relatively few made locally in an Assyrian style.
551:
carving the figures. Scribes then set out any inscriptions for cutters to follow, after which the slab was polished smooth, and any paint added. Scribes are shown directing carvers in another relief (on the
908:
642:, which in the 19th century was regarded as timely support for texts whose historical accuracy was under increasing attack. Other, much smaller pieces with helpful inscriptions were a set of sixteen
209:, typically about 7 feet high, using between one and three horizontal registers of images, with scenes generally reading from left to right. The sculptures are often accompanied with inscriptions in
214:
such scenes usually including the king and other courtiers, but depictions of military campaigns include dozens of small figures, as well as many animals and attempts at showing landscape settings.
1606:
1593:
634:
The Black Obelisk is of special interest as the lengthy inscriptions, with names of places and rulers that could be related to other sources, were of importance in the decipherment of
415:
were typically placed at entrances in palaces, facing the street and also internal courtyards. They were "double-aspect" figures on corners, in high relief, a type earlier found in
1087:
in Mosul, where his brother was British Vice-consul, to handle the pay and supervision of the diggers, and encouraged the development of his career as a diplomat and archaeologist.
831:
2117:
1107:
mound to the French, whose new consul, Victor Place, had resumed digging at Khorsabad. The British funds were running out by December 1853, when Rassam hit upon the palace of
804:
186:
The palace reliefs were fixed to the walls of royal palaces forming continuous strips along the walls of large halls. The style apparently began after about 879 BC, when
1112:
372:
288:
on the real costumes, and the major gods are normally shown in discs or purely as symbols hovering in the air. Elsewhere the tree is often attended to by genies.
1148:. Many of the pieces reburied have been re-excavated, some very quickly by art dealers, and others by the Iraqi government in the 1960s, leaving them on display
1080:
863:
1172:
corner figures and palace relief panels in Paris, Berlin, New York, and Chicago. Many other museums have panels, especially a group of college museums in
430:
The colossal entrance way figures were often followed by a hero grasping a wriggling lion, also colossal and in high relief; these and some genies beside
252:", but the major Assyrian deities are only represented by symbols. The "genies" often perform a gesture of purification, fertilization or blessing with a
2068:"Grove": Russell, John M., Section 6. "c 1000–539 BC., (i) Neo-Assyrian." in Dominique Collon, et al. "Mesopotamia, §III: Sculpture." Grove Art Online,
960:
third of their original depth, to save weight in carrying them back to Europe, which was typically more complicated and difficult than digging them up.
555:) showing the creation of a rock relief; presumably they ensured that the depiction of royal and religious aspects of the subjects was as it should be.
1655:
1635:
1292:
638:
script. The Obelisk contains the earliest writing mentioning both the Persian and Jewish peoples, and confirmed some of the events described in the
350:
510:
Relief fragments from Nimrud, showing the depth of the slabs (probably sawn down in excavation) and scale. The main head belongs to a court eunuch.
284:
the chief god, leans out of a winged disc, relatively small in scale. Such scenes are shown elsewhere on the robe of the king, no doubt reflecting
1920:
628:
1964:
2130:
419:. From the front they appear to stand, and from the side, walk, and in earlier versions have five legs, as is apparent when viewed obliquely.
1027:
280:" flanked by two figures of the king, with winged genies using the bucket and cone behind him. Above the tree one of the major gods, perhaps
1952:
147:, reliefs and statues from temples, bronze relief strips used on large doors, and small quantities of metalwork. A group of sixteen bronze
2267:
1246:
In November 2016 the situation remains unclear. Browne, Gareth, "Isis flattened ancient capital after shipping out its treasures" in
670:
portraits in palace reliefs, though seen frontally. They came from temples, where they showed the king's devotion to the deity. The
563:. None of these have survived, but we have some door-sills carved with repeated geometric motifs, presumed to imitate the carpets.
1941:
1252:(London), 19 November 2016 says that the most serious damage to Nimrud was done in late 2016, as the allied forces moved to retake
1153:
1152:
for visitors, after the sites were configured as museums. These were already damaged in wars in the 1990s, and have probably been
1136:
896:
125:
2184:
Assyrian Reliefs and Ivories in the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Palace Reliefs of Assurnasirpal II and Ivory Carvings from Nimrud
2262:
1694:
1304:
335:
1716:
766:
411:
royalty. The body is that of either a bull or a lion, the form of the feet being the main difference. Prominent pairs of
129:
1192:
1103:
Initially Rassam's finds dwindled, in terms of large objects, and the British even agreed to cede the rights to half the
1023:
was found a few feet below the surface, with plentiful reliefs, although they had been burned and disintegrated easily.
2141:
575:
2155:
2107:
2046:
1429:
498:
built by the Assyrian kings. In the case of temples, pairs of colossal lions guarding the entrances have been found.
234:
observed that none of the many casualties ever come from the Assyrian side. Another famous sequence there shows the
1096:
1039:
842:
838:
624:
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825:
Group displayed in the British Museum, including a lion from a temple entrance, and the Black and White Obelisks
2236:
2221:
2206:
2191:
2176:
2090:
2063:
930:
427:
figures are common, but they sometimes appear within narrative reliefs, apparently protecting the Assyrians.
19:
1026:
Press reports of Botta's finds, from May 1843, interested the French government, who sent him funds and the
2085:, 1st edn. 1982 (many later editions), Macmillan, London, page refs to 1984 Macmillan 1st edn. paperback.
2073:
1196:
869:
765:
is a late example in modern Iran, apparently related to a military campaign. The Assyrians added to the
686:
599:
were all double gates about 20 foot high, with both the front and back sides decorated with eight bronze
120:
which glorify the king, showing him at war, hunting, and fulfilling other kingly roles. Many works left
2229:
The Triumph of the Symbol: Pictorial Representation of Deities in Mesopotamia and the Biblical Image Ban
539:" is used, as in several rooms in the South-West Palace at Nineveh. In contrast to the orthostats, the
388:
1968:
1200:
671:
1042:, by now British Resident in Bagdhad, sawed them into several pieces for transport in 1849. In 1849
992:
693:
at Nineveh. The pubic hair is carefully represented. It carries an inscription on the back that King
506:
423:
do not generally appear as large figures in the low-relief schemes running round palace rooms, where
322:
305:
236:
41:
2127:
882:
1019:(ancient Dur-Sharrukin) nearby, where "a short trial was dramatically successful", as a palace of
434:
are generally the only other types of high relief in Assyrian sculpture. The heroes continue the
2272:
996:
956:
888:
536:
600:
113:
unknown to being the subject of several best-selling books, and imitated in political cartoons.
546:
The alabaster stone is soft but not brittle, and very suitable for detailed carving with early
133:
2240:
2112:
Kreppner, Florian Janoscha, "Public Space in Nature: The Case of Neo-Assyrian Rock-Reliefs",
1988:
914:
643:
543:
were carved, or at least partly so, at the quarry, no doubt to reduce their enormous weight.
152:
148:
787:
1015:, the largest mound at Nineveh. Little was found until a local farmer suggested they try
757:, are "almost inaccessible and invisible for humans". Probably built by Sennacherib's son
259:
8:
2024:
1072:
981:
443:
160:
57:
1008:
1392:
Honour & Fleming, 76–77; Reade, 72–79, 73 quoted; Frankfort, 186–192; Hoving, 40–41
1177:
89:
2011:
2232:
2217:
2202:
2187:
2172:
2151:
2137:
2103:
2086:
2069:
2059:
2042:
1164:
As a result of the history of excavations, much the best single collection is in the
1060:
1004:
795:
447:
435:
85:
1031:
935:
2277:
1379:
1188:
791:
762:
699:
627:, both in the British Museum, which also has the fragmentary "Broken Obelisk" and "
301:
187:
180:
175:
2134:
2051:
689:
in the British Museum, missing its extremities, which was found in the temple of
675:
659:
469:
253:
1180:
having seven panels. Altogether there are some 75 pieces in the United States.
857:
Shalmaneser III receives tribute from Sua, king of Gilzanu, on the Black Obelisk
783:
490:
have been destroyed in the 2010s by ISIL when they occupied the area. Colossal
1383:(in its chronological place; there are too many editions to give a page number)
1184:
1165:
1084:
1076:
947:
694:
560:
342:
231:
219:
164:
1885:
1144:
mostly been isolated pieces, such as Rassam's discovery in 1878 of two of the
1075:(1817–1894) was in the early 1840s "a roving agent attached to the embassy at
968:
248:
There are many reliefs of minor supernatural beings, called by such terms as "
2256:
2095:
1145:
1132:
1044:
988:
750:
730:
726:
722:
596:
580:
552:
479:
140:
2028:
1108:
735:
424:
277:
249:
241:
24:
2058:, Pelican History of Art, 4th ed 1970, Penguin (now Yale History of Art),
2078:
1173:
917:; 6th-4th century BC; bronze; height: 29.5 cm, width: 24.8 cm;
810:
High relief hero clutching lion, from the entrance to the throne room at
739:
718:
531:
wall, using lead dowels and clamps, with the bottoms resting on a bed of
516:
416:
360:
281:
264:
223:
144:
73:
65:
721:, mostly around the edges of the empire. Those shown being made on the
654:
1303:
Frankfort, 313–315, 319–322 (and see index); Honour & Fleming, 77;
758:
285:
132:, the pace of destruction reportedly increasing in late 2016, with the
92:, differing in particular because of its much greater use of stone and
1891:
794:, on a far grander scale, reflecting and proclaiming the power of the
1248:
1115:, established in 1853 to dig for the benefit of British collections.
1049:
1020:
1016:
811:
774:
635:
584:
528:
456:
452:
403:
364:
356:
210:
206:
156:
96:
472:, thought to be the equipment for a protective or purifying ritual.
2182:
Crawford, Vaughn Emerson, Harper, Prudence Oliver, Pittman, Holly,
1104:
1012:
679:
663:
616:
547:
81:
2214:
The Conquest of Assyria: Excavations in an Antique Land, 1840–1860
1887:
Iconic Ancient Assyrian Sites Ravaged in ISIS's Last Stand in Iraq
1695:"Neo-Assyrian Rock Reliefs: Ideology and Landscapes of an Empire"
1123:
1079:", who had already visited Nimrud in 1840. In 1845 he persuaded
1065:
1000:
778:
770:
753:, a cave in modern Turkey believed to be the source of the river
743:
612:
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532:
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327:
268:
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53:
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439:
293:
191:
117:
93:
77:
28:
746:
was marked by a number of reliefs showing the king with gods.
1253:
725:
are presumably the ones surviving in poor condition near the
710:
639:
608:
495:
195:
61:
1717:"The Assyrian Royal Rock Inscription from Shikaft-i Gulgul"
487:
199:
69:
1118:
220:
set shows the campaign leading up to the siege of Lachish
88:
and modern-day Iran and Armenia. It forms a phase of the
709:
Like other Near-Eastern cultures, the Assyrians erected
60:
of 911 to 612 BC, which was centered around the city of
2126:, 2001, London: British School of Archaeology in Iraq,
1512:
Reade, 23-24 (British Museum example illustrated below)
1048:
was published, a sumptuously illustrated and exemplary
987:
The first hint of future discoveries came in 1820 when
31:
c. 870 BC, with inscription running across his midriff.
2072:, Oxford University Press, accessed 19 November 2016,
1038:
now in the British Museum as too large to transport;
607:
In stone there are reliefs of a similar size on some
2039:
Assyrian Reliefs from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II
1256:, where the museum also had an important collection.
240:, in fact the staged and ritualized killing by King
124:, or in museums local to their findspots, have been
523:, though concentrating on the production of large
438:tradition in Mesopotamian art, and may represent
2254:
1697:, Metropolitan Museum, accessed 28 November 2015
2247:Sennacherib's ‘Palace without Rival’ at Nineveh
2199:The Architecture of Late Assyrian Royal Palaces
1458:Frankfort, 168; Honour & Fleming, 73, 75–77
2056:The Art and Architecture of the Ancient Orient
649:
2150:, 1998 (2nd edn.), The British Museum Press,
406:, with the five legs of the left one showing.
222:in 701; it is the "finest" from the reign of
1305:Nimrud ivories press release, British Museum
378:Eunuch attendants carry furniture and a bowl
1095:in 1849. The mistaken title arose because
1028:Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
163:characters, were discovered at Nimrud. The
2124:Nimrud, An Assyrian Imperial City Revealed
1219:Reade, 5–17; see Larsen in further reading
570:
139:Other surviving types of art include many
2041:, 2010, University Press of New England,
1476:Frankfort, 147–148, 148 quoted; Reade, 29
1091:publishing a string of books, especially
116:The palace reliefs contain scenes in low
72:) which at its height, ruled over all of
16:Sculpture of the ancient Assyrian states,
2025:Assyrian Art: Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions
1684:Kreppner, throughout; 368 for 49 reliefs
1117:
1059:
967:
929:
902:Three royal stelae at the British Museum
742:(reigned 704–681 BC) to supply water to
653:
574:
505:
387:
258:
174:
128:in the recent occupation of the area by
34:
18:
1715:Kreppner, 369–370; Van der Spek, R.J.,
205:Compositions are arranged on slabs, or
102:Much the best-known works are the huge
2255:
2100:Greatest Works of Western Civilization
1965:"Edinburgh, Assyrian Relief Fact File"
1605:Reade, 32, 35, 63–64; Frankfort, 167;
1183:Apart from the British Museum, in the
717:Similar figures of kings are shown in
674:is in the British Museum, and that of
179:Detail of genie figure, the palace of
1584:Reade, 32, quoted; Frankfort, 164–167
1467:Frankfort, 147–148, 154; Reade, 28-29
1064:Entrance to the South West Palace at
263:The Assyrian gallery, Room X, at the
2186:, 1980, Metropolitan Museum of Art,
1055:
767:Commemorative stelae of Nahr el-Kalb
644:weight measures in the form of lions
619:. These are the early 11th-century
494:also guarded the start of the large
1890:, by Kristin Romey, AINA repeating
1324:Reade, 56–60, on the latest reliefs
1193:Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
1068:during Layard's excavation, 1849–50
1052:in 4 volumes by Botta and Flandin.
535:. For some reliefs an "attractive
13:
2268:Sculpture of the Ancient Near East
2161:
1636:British Museum collection database
1594:British Museum collection database
1191:has 10 reliefs (2 large, 8 small)
870:Unique Assyrian female nude statue
615:form, both with stepped tops like
611:, most notably two in rectangular
515:are reliefs showing quarrying for
359:(right), probably facing his heir
80:and Egypt, as well as portions of
14:
2289:
2201:, 2015, Oxford University Press,
1923:, collection search on "Assyrian"
1154:systematically destroyed by Daesh
170:
2037:Cohen, Ada, Kangas, Stephen E.,
2019:
2010:
907:
895:
881:
862:
850:
843:White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I
839:Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
830:
818:
803:
625:Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
621:White Obelisk of Ashurnasirpal I
371:
349:
334:
313:
230:and now in the British Museum.
52:is the sculpture of the ancient
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1178:the museum at Dartmouth College
995:(a sort of local ambassador or
788:Behistun relief and inscription
501:
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1131:, a human-headed winged bull,
1003:, and an early scholar of the
925:
1:
2263:Assyrian art and architecture
1997:
1693:Kreppner, 371; Malko, Helen,
1195:has 3 large reliefs, and the
2114:Altorientalische Forschungen
459:, a group of at least seven
108:guarding entrance ways, and
7:
2102:, 1997, Artisan, New York,
1410:Honour & Fleming, 75–77
1197:National Museum of Scotland
841:in the British Museum, the
650:Statues and portrait stelae
468:are winged genies with the
10:
2294:
2216:, 1996, Psychology Press,
2169:Assyrian Palace Sculptures
1989:Assyrian Relief at V&A
1607:White, British Museum page
1575:Reade, 7, 29–30, 30 quoted
1201:Victoria and Albert Museum
672:Statue of Ashurnasirpal II
442:, a central figure in the
383:
2018:
2009:
2004:
1369:Reade, 56 (quoted), 65–71
1293:British Museum Collection
1113:Assyrian Exploration Fund
790:, made around 500 BC for
687:unique female nude statue
482:. Several examples left
323:Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal
306:Column of Marcus Aurelius
237:Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal
42:Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal
2171:, 2008, British Museum,
2122:Oates, D. and J. Oates,
2116:, 29/2 (2002): 367–383,
1206:
963:
2212:Larsen, Mogens Trolle,
1876:Reade, 16–17, 16 quoted
1822:Reade, 9–12; Oates, 2–6
1093:Nineveh and its Remains
957:Library of Ashurbanipal
889:Stela of Shamshi-Adad V
571:Other narrative reliefs
537:fossiliferous limestone
341:Prisoners and cavalry,
149:weights shaped as lions
110:Assyrian palace reliefs
56:states, especially the
2118:online at Academia.edu
2083:A World History of Art
1228:Oates, 6–8; Hoving, 40
1140:
1069:
1011:, hired men to dig at
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698:example about a dozen
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183:
153:bilingual inscriptions
126:deliberately destroyed
46:
32:
2074:subscription required
1831:Oates, 6–8; Reade, 12
1777:Cohen & Kangas, 5
1121:
1081:Sir Stratford Canning
1063:
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946:Iraq was part of the
933:
786:, beginning with the
749:Other reliefs at the
657:
578:
509:
391:
262:
226:, from his palace at
190:moved the capital to
178:
99:for large sculpture.
38:
22:
2231:, 2005, Saint-Paul,
2128:full PDF (332 pages)
1795:Reade, 6; Oates, 1–2
658:Detail of statue of
623:and the 9th century
451:. In the palace of
444:ancient Mesopotamian
1892:National Geographic
1199:(2.4 x 2.2 m), and
1073:Austen Henry Layard
982:Austen Henry Layard
872:from the temple of
706:c. 2144 – 2124 BC.
245:Assyrian response.
58:Neo-Assyrian Empire
2245:Russell, John M.,
2148:Assyrian Sculpture
2133:2022-09-23 at the
2081:and John Fleming,
1921:Hood Museum of Art
1804:Reade, 7; Oates, 3
1401:Frankfort, 146–148
1283:Frankfort, 194–196
1274:Frankfort, 164–167
1265:Frankfort, 198–199
1141:
1070:
1045:Monument de Ninive
985:
951:material removed.
944:
942:(with Botta), 1849
940:Monument de Ninive
667:
588:
579:Fragment from the
512:
408:
276:"Sacred Tree" or "
273:
184:
90:art of Mesopotamia
50:Assyrian sculpture
47:
33:
2239:, 9783525530078,
2070:Oxford Art Online
2034:
2033:
1706:Kreppner, 374–375
1203:one relief each.
1056:Layard and Rassam
1005:ancient Near East
796:Achaemenid empire
784:Persian tradition
519:'s new palace at
448:Epic of Gilgamesh
436:Master of Animals
2285:
2052:Frankfort, Henri
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1189:Ashmolean Museum
1139:. c. 721–705 BC
1009:Paul-Émile Botta
993:British Resident
911:
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792:Darius the Great
763:Shikaft-e Gulgul
700:statues of Gudea
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326:, North Palace,
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302:Column of Trajan
188:Ashurnasirpal II
181:Ashurnasirpal II
2293:
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2253:
2252:
2249:, 1991, Chicago
2227:Ornan, Tallay,
2224:, 9780415143561
2209:, 9780198723189
2197:Kertai, David,
2194:, 9780870992605
2179:, 9780714111674
2167:Collins, Paul,
2164:
2162:Further reading
2146:Reade, Julian,
2135:Wayback Machine
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2005:External videos
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134:Mosul offensive
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1397:
1388:
1378:
1374:
1365:
1360:Reade, 42–43
1356:
1347:
1338:
1329:
1320:
1311:
1299:
1288:
1279:
1270:
1261:
1247:
1242:
1233:
1224:
1215:
1182:
1169:
1163:
1149:
1142:
1135:/Khorsabad.
1128:
1122:
1109:Ashurbanipal
1102:
1092:
1089:
1071:
1043:
1035:
1025:
986:
980:by raft, by
973:
953:
945:
939:
748:
736:Neo-Assyrian
719:rock reliefs
716:
708:
702:, who ruled
684:
668:
633:
606:
589:
565:
557:
545:
540:
513:
502:Construction
491:
486:in northern
483:
475:
474:
465:
460:
446:
431:
429:
425:winged genie
420:
412:
409:
399:
393:
321:
320:Dying lion,
298:
290:
278:Tree of Life
274:
250:winged genie
247:
242:Ashurbanipal
235:
216:
204:
198:in northern
185:
145:rock reliefs
138:
121:
115:
109:
103:
101:
68:(modern-day
49:
48:
40:
39:Part of the
25:Winged genie
2079:Hugh Honour
1750:Reade, 9–12
1428:Reade, 47;
1174:New England
1160:Collections
926:Excavations
915:Lion weight
845:just behind
740:Sennacherib
685:There is a
517:Sennacherib
417:Hittite art
361:Sennacherib
265:Iraq Museum
224:Sennacherib
74:Mesopotamia
66:Mesopotamia
2257:Categories
2237:3525530072
2222:041514356X
2207:0198723180
2192:0870992600
2177:0714111678
2091:0333371852
2064:0140561072
1998:References
1975:2017-08-09
1932:Hoving, 40
1849:Hoving, 40
876:at Nineveh
769:in modern
759:Esarhaddon
286:embroidery
207:orthostats
161:Phoenician
1759:Reade, 14
1741:Reade, 11
1617:Reade, 12
1557:Reade, 21
1548:Reade, 27
1539:Oates, 52
1503:Reade, 50
1494:Reade, 38
1315:Reade, 25
1249:The Times
1050:monograph
1030:sent him
1021:Sargon II
1017:Khorsabad
976:down the
812:Khorsabad
775:Ramses II
636:cuneiform
617:ziggurats
585:Baltimore
529:mud-brick
457:Khorsabad
453:Sargon II
404:Khorsabad
365:Khorsabad
357:Sargon II
211:cuneiform
157:cuneiform
97:alabaster
2131:Archived
1813:Reade, 7
1768:Oates, 5
1237:Reade, 5
1105:Kuyunjik
1013:Kuyunjik
773:, where
680:Istanbul
664:Istanbul
601:repoussé
548:Iron Age
392:Pair of
155:in both
143:, a few
82:Anatolia
54:Assyrian
2278:War art
1176:, with
1170:lamassu
1150:in situ
1137:Chicago
1124:Lamassu
1066:Nineveh
1036:lamassu
1001:Bagdhad
974:lamassu
934:One of
779:Pharaoh
771:Lebanon
744:Nineveh
714:frame.
613:obelisk
593:Balawat
541:lamassu
533:bitumen
525:lamassu
521:Nineveh
492:lamassu
484:in situ
476:Lamassu
466:lamassu
461:lamassu
432:lamassu
421:Lamassu
413:lamassu
395:lamassu
384:Lamassu
328:Nineveh
294:eunuchs
269:Baghdad
228:Nineveh
122:in situ
105:lamassu
2235:
2220:
2205:
2190:
2175:
2154:
2140:
2106:
2089:
2062:
2045:
1187:, the
997:consul
978:Tigris
919:Louvre
874:Ishtar
755:Tigris
711:stelae
704:Lagash
691:Ishtar
609:stelae
595:. The
496:canals
440:Enkidu
192:Nimrud
118:relief
94:gypsum
86:Arabia
78:Levant
76:, the
29:Nimrud
1530:Grove
1485:Grove
1449:42–43
1430:image
1351:Grove
1333:Grove
1254:Mosul
1207:Notes
1129:shedu
999:) in
964:Botta
738:king
640:Bible
402:from
400:shedu
282:Ashur
196:Mosul
151:with
62:Assur
2233:ISBN
2218:ISBN
2203:ISBN
2188:ISBN
2173:ISBN
2152:ISBN
2138:ISBN
2104:ISBN
2087:ISBN
2060:ISBN
2043:ISBN
837:The
488:Iraq
304:and
300:the
200:Iraq
159:and
130:ISIS
70:Iraq
1127:or
678:in
662:in
455:at
398:or
64:in
27:",
2259::
2098:.
2054:,
2027:,
1719:,
991:,
798:.
777:,
761:,
682:.
646:.
583:,
363:,
308:.
267:,
136:.
84:,
1978:.
271:.
23:"
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