Assyrians

Now let's turn to the art of the Assyrians. These were people from northern Mesopotamia who were associated with the city-state of Assur. They rose to power through military strength and established an imperial government that included Egypt, the Middle East, and most of the land within the plains of the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers.

The Palace of Sargon II was a royal palace and fortress that covered approximately 25 acres. It was was a large, sprawling complex consisting of timber-roofed, rectangular rooms.

The main temple of the gods is included within the palace grounds; note the ziggurat. There were also six sanctuaries for six different gods. The Assyrian leaders were allied with the gods, had close access to the gods, but were not gods in and of themselves.

Lamassu (winged human-headed bull), from the citadel of Sargon II, Khorsabad, ca. 720 B.C.

The doorway to the Palace of Sargon II was guarded by large, high relief sculptures of guardians known as lamassu — 13 feet 10 inches high. The lamassu is an extremely muscular, hybrid creature that has the head of a man, the body of a bull, and the wings of bird. Note the horned crown, which is same as worn by Shamash. There are some naturalistic qualities, but the artist had a problem associated with point of view, so the lamassu ended up with five legs. From the front, it looks like the creature is firmly planted as a static gatekeeper; from the side, it appears the the lamassu is in stride.

Inside the palace complex, the walls were covered with inscriptions which confirm the constant battling of the Assyrians and proclaim the power of King Sargon II. Below are some examples of these writings.

From: Linnea H. Wren, Perspectives on Western Art (New York: Harper & Row, 1987), 13-14.

The Great Inscription in the Palace of Khorsabad

The Deeds of Sargon II

Palace of Sargon, the great King, the powerful King, King of the legions, King of Assyria, Viceroy of the gods at Babylon, King of the Sumers and of the Akkads, favorite of the great gods. The gods Assur, Nebo, and Merodach have conferred on me the royalty of the nations, and they have propagated the memory of my fortunate name to the ends of the earth.

This is what I did from the beginning of my reign to my fifteenth year of reign: I defeated Khumbanigas, King of Elam, in the plains of Kalu. I besieged and occupied the town of Samaria, and took 27,280 of its inhabitants captive. I took from them 50 chariots, but left them the rest of their belongings. . . .

I imposed a tribute on Pharaoh, King of Egypt; Samsie, Queen of Arabia; It-amar, the Sabean, of gold, sweet smelling herbs of the land, horses, and camels.

Kiakku of Sinukhta had despised the god Assur, and refused submission to him. I took him prisoner, and seized his 30 chariots and 7,350 of his soldiers. . . .

Merodach-Baladan, son of Iakin, King of Chaldaea, the fallacious, the persistent in enmity, did not respect the memory of the gods, he trusted in the sea, and in the retreat of the marshes; he eluded the precepts of the great gods, and refused to send his tributes. He had supported as an ally Khumbanigas, King of Elam. He had excited all the nomadic tribes of the desert against me. He prepared himself for battle, and advanced. . . . I stretched my combatants all along the river dividing them into bands; they conquered the enemies. By the blood of the rebels the waters of these canals reddened like dyed wool. The nomadic tribes were terrified by this disaster which surprised him and fled; . . . I besieged and occupied the town or Dur-Iakin, I took as spoil and made captive, him, his wife, his sons, his daughters, the gold and silver and all that he possessed, the contents of his palace, whatever it was, with considerable booty from the town. I made each family and every man who had withdrawn himself from my arms, accountable for this sin. I reduced Dur-Iakin the town of his power to ashes. I undermined and destroyed its ancient forts. I dug up the foundation stone; I made it like a thunder-stricken ruin. . . .

And the seven Kings of the country of Iahnagi, of the country of Iatnan . . . had been told of my lofty achievements in Chaldea and Syria, and my glory, which had spread from afar to the midst of the sea. They subdued their pride and humbled themselves; they presented themselves before me at Babylon, bearing metals, gold, silver, vases, ebony wood, and the manufactures of their country; they kissed my feet. . . .

In these days, these nations and these countries that my hand has conquered, and that the gods Assur, Nebo, and Merodach have made bow to my feet, followed the ways of piety. With their help I built at the feet of the musri, following the divine will and the wish of my heart, a town that I called Dur Sharrukin to replace Nineveh. . . .

I built in the town some palaces covered with the skin of the sea-calf, and of sandal wood, ebony, the wood of mastic tree, cedar, cypress, wild pistachio nut tree, a palace of incomparable splendor, as the seat of my royalty.

May Assur, the father of the gods, bless these palaces, by giving to his images a spontaneous splendor. May he watch over the issue even to the remote future. May the sculptured bull, the protector and god who imparts perfection, dwell in day and in night-time in his presence, and never stir from this threshold!

With the help of Assur, may the King who has built these palaces, attain an old age, and may his offspring multiply greatly! May these battlements last to the most remote future! May he who dwells there come forth surrounded with the greatest splendor; may he rejoice in his corporal health, in the satisfaction of his heart accomplish his wishes, attain his end, and may he render his magnificence seven times more imposing!

Assyrian archers pursuing enemies, ca. 875 B.C. — Palace of Ashurnasirpal II

In addition to all the text, there were examples of relief sculpture in limestone that presented artistic and highly propagandistic narratives (or stories). Originally, these surfaces were painted. This particular example was located in the place of Ashurnasirpal II and would have been seen by all who visited the palace.

This probably describes an event which occurred in 878 B.C. when Ashurnasirpal drove his enemies into the Euphrates River. On the far left, we see two Assyrian archers. The enemy is swimming in the water — one with arrow in his back, two float with inflated animal skins. These swimmers are attempting to return to their fort (which was actually far away).

The artist created the illusion of space on this two-dimensional surface by overlapping the figures (this is especially true for the archers). The composition also has a sense of perspective. We see the landscape, the river bank, the river, and the architecture of the fort. It is not a naturalistic space, but we can understand it. And we can easily understand the message. This King has power over his enemies through warfare.

Ashurbanipal Hunting Lions, ca. 650 B.C. — Palace of Ashurbanipal at Ninevah

Other relief sculptures show hunting scenes. Hunting was seen as preparation for leadership and was within the domain of the upper classes. Wildl bulls, boars, and lions were viewed as particularly worthy animal adversaries. Book notes that this kind of hunting was done in a controlled environment — that is, the lions were released from cages within an arena. The King is aided in slaughtering the animals, but one is still impressed by the large number of slain animals.

Although this depicts a royal activity that did occur, the hunt can also be viewed as a metaphor. We see the King overcoming the “King of Beasts.” The scene emphasizes the power and status of the King.

In most examples, the primary subject of these Assyrian relief sculpture is the power and heroism of the King. But this particular artist seems to have put a lot of thought into the depiction of the lions. This lioness is still alive, even though she is pierced by arrows, bleeding, paralyzed from the waist down (having sustained spinal cord damage), and is clearly dying. However, she has dignity and even some strength. The artist almost seems to be sympathizing with the lions and emphasizing the artifice of the hunt. Indeed, this could be viewed as a subversion of the intended message. Alternatively, the strength of this lioness even as she is dying suggests that she was, in fact, a worthy opponent (we shall see sculpture of the "worthy adversary" again when we study Hellenistic sculpture and the Dying Gaul.)