Assyria: Lion hunts

Another little gem from the British Museum.

This photograph is just a snapshot from wall panels depicting a lion hunt. These stone panels are from the North Palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh, northern Iraq, Neo-Assyrian and are dated around 645 BC. Although the subject is a bit gruesome, the condition of the panels is quite amazing for their age.

These wall panels probably originally decorated one of the private apartments of King Ashurbanipal (reigned 669-630 BC). The panels are divided into registers which read from right to left. In the top register a lion is released from its cage, advances, and is hit with arrows shot by the king in his full regalia. In the central register a horseman, guarded by spearmen in a chariot, distracts a lion. The king comes up from the left and grabs the lion's tail. The accompanying caption explains that the king is about to strike the lion with a mace.

In the lower register musicians play in front of a tall stand for burning incense and a table of food. Ashurbanipal pours a libation, which the caption tells us is wine. Behind him stand his bodyguard and attendants, who hold fans and towels.