Nimrud (Neo-Assyrian period), northwest palace of King Ashurnasirpal II : Alabaster relief, reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC)

Above : Chariots with standards follow the king who is (not shown) shooting from his chariotfallen enemies lie in a vine-planted field. Below : A detail of the siege of a city attacked from both sidesthe royal chariot stands abandoned, the king (not shown) is an archer to left of townwarriors from right led by an officer. -- h : 98 cm (British Museum)

Nineveh (Neo-Assyrian period) : Alabaster relief of great lion hunt, reign of Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC)

The king shooting at lions with a bow -- See slide WA-117

Neo-Assyrian period : Impressions of cylinder seals, reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC)

Top : 9th-7th century BC, steatite, h : 3.7 cm (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)a god aims with bow and arrow at a fleeing lion-griffinhe is standing on a winged and horned dragonsymbols are spread evenly over the rest of the surface : winged solar disc, palmette tree, star, lozenge and fish. Second (left) : 9th-7th century BC, milky flint, h : 3.7 cm (Munich, Staatliche Munzsammlung)a winged griffin and a god bending a bow stand opposite each othercrescent and star are the only symbols shown. Second (right) : Seal of Mushezib-Ninurta, c. 850 BC, from Tell Arban, northern Syria, chalcedony, h : 4.9 cm (British Museum)this representation with king and bird-griffin on either side of a palmette tree recalls palace reliefs of Ashurnasirpal II (WA-112)the god Ashur in a winged sun hovers above the tree, while the gestures of the deities symbolise fertility. Bottom : Seal of Ashur-beli-usur, c. 804 BC, chalcedony, h : 5.5 cm (Cabinet des Medailles, Paris)a supplicant stands between (left) storm-god on bull and (right) the goddess Ishtarstar, crescent, the Pleiades and winged sun hover in the air

Babylon (Late Babylonian period) : The Ishtar Gate, later part of reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC)

h : 14.3 m (Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin)

Nineveh (Neo-Assyrian period), North Palace, room S : Alabaster relief of King Ashurbanipal hunting lions, onagers and other wild animals, reign of Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC)

King on horseback hunting onagers. Not always in native habitat here, many scenes show combat with captured ones. -- h : 53 cm (British Museum)

Uruk (Pure Kassite period) : Innin (Inanna) Temple of Kara-inda(sh), 14th century BC

The socle was found in scattered fragments only and its original form is not quite certain. The deities in recesses are probably mountain-gods alternating with goddesses. The exaggerated length of the bodies is paralleled on seals of the Pure Kassite period. Parrot says both layout and themes are reminiscent of the archaic temple of Gawra about 1500 years earlier. Facade of baked brick was decorated with a typically Mesopomatian motif, the flowing vase, but the treatment of it contained new elements, e.g. gods & goddesses juxtaposed. Each figure holds a vase in both hands out of which simulated streams of water flow down in wavy lines from niche to niche and over the pilasters between them. Wholly novel was the Kassite use of moulded bricks which, when assembled in sufficient quantities, made up for the absence of stone and could be fitted together in such a way as to form continuous terracotta bas-reliefs. See also : Andre Parrot, Sumer, translated by Stuart Gilbert and James Emmons, London, Thames & Hudson, 1960, Illustration 392, p. 317 -- Brick, h : 2.95 m (reconstructed in Berlin, parts in Iraq Museum)

Susa (Middle Elamite period) : Detail of bronze statue of Queen Napirasu, second half of 2nd millennium BC

See slide WA-106

Susa (Middle Elamite period) : Brick relief, between 1170-1151 BC

Brick relief recalling that of Pure Kassite temple of Innin (slide WA-103) at Uruk. Restored from fragments found at Susa. Two elements, bull-man with date-palm and interceding goddess, are repeated several times. It is not known whether they were separated by the half-columns of a recess-architecture as at Uruk, or whether they formed a continuous frieze. The Elamite inscriptions on the eighth row of bricks date from Kutir-nakhkhunte (c. 1170-1166) and his brother Shilhak-inshushinak (c. 1165-51) who continued the former's work on the renovation of the temple of Inshushinak. The panels shown here certainly once ornamented the facade. Ruggedness and schematisation are characteristic of this period and province. See also : Andre Parrot, Sumer, translated by Stuart Gilbert and James Emmons, London, Thames & Hudson, 1960, Illustration 405, p. 329 -- h : 1.37 cm (Louvre)

Middle Assyrian period : Cylinder seals, 1385-1045 BC

Top : 13th century BC, black serpentine, h : 4 cm (British Museum)a naked man aims his spear at an attacking lionan ostrich and a gazelle enliven the picture. Middle : 12th century BC, red chalcedony, h : 3.8 cm (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)a large bird-genius picks a cluster of datesthe picture is framed by an inscription. Bottom : 12th-11th century BC, grey marble, h : 3.1 cm (Pierpont Morgan Library, New York)a winged genius swings his weapon at two fleeing ostriches

Nineveh (Neo-Assyrian period), North Palace, room C : Alabaster relief of the Great Lion Hunt of King Ashurbanipal, reign of Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC)

Wounded lion and lioness. -- h : 40 cm (British Museum)