Page 115 - The Art & Architecture of the Ancient Orient_Neat

PART one: MESOPOTAMIA
horses), tries to drive on his charges, but one horse is wounded and sinks
on to its knees.
Assumasirpal already aims beyond diis group.
The mam theme, which we have described, is enriched by certain additions. The god
Assur, drawing his bow in support of his protege, appears above the king. We know
that he is thought to hover high among the clouds. But next to him appear examples of
the usual scenes with which the space above the chariots is filled. We see an Assyrian
stabbing a fallen enemy whose friend vainly tries to save him; farther to the right is a
figure m the attitude of a diver, which actually renders a dead body lying on the battle­
field over which the Assyrians sweep forward. It is clear that no attempt has been made
to account foi the actual disposition of these various groups and figures in space. The
events are translated into the autonomous world of the reliefs, and the background is
ingeniously used to indicate, in a general way, the setting of the main action. Water is
indicated below the king’s chariot, so the engagement is supposed to take place near the
stream or moat protecting the town. Single combats appear to be fought among the
trees of the city s outworks; they indicate, together with the groups above the horse,
that the king’s charge is accompanied by a massacre of the enemy. There are also con-
ventional features in the designs; it is, for instance, usual for a wounded or dead enemy
' to appear under the hoofs of the horses, like the wounded lion in plate 87; and the chariot
of the enemy chief in plate 84 is but an elaboration of this motive.
The number of orthostats was so great that the story could be told at a leisurely pace,
hi plate 85 a whole section is used to render a quite secondary incident. The Assyrian
vanguard has reached the rocky edge of a river flowing round a fortified city. Some of
its inhabitants - perhaps a reconnaissance party - have been surprised on the banks and
try to reach safety by swimming across. One relies on the power of his ‘crawl’, but is
hit by arrows while in the water. The others are supported by sewn-up animal skins,
which they have not had time to prepare and which they attempt to inflate further while
floating. The ruler of the city seems frozen into inactivity while he watches from a
tower; two of the women raise their hands in despair.
Plate 86 is much more complicated. The relief is, once again, intended to be just over
a figure’s height, as is shown by the main scene. The king draws liis bow protected, like
the soldier kneeling just in front, by a wattle shield held by a companion. Well to the
left of the king appears the beleaguered city. Its garrison lets fly with arrows; the women
have mounted the towers; whether to throw missiles or to beg for mercy, a break in the
relief prevents us from knowing. But dead bodies of defenders hurtle down from the
ramparts or hang limp over the battlements. In the left foreground two Assyrians (curi-
ly without the protection of shield-bearers) are breaking down the brickwork of the
ous
defences. Meanwhile a huge battering-ram is moving from the right agamst the
outer
city gate. It is crowned by a tower from which archers attempt to safeguard it. Neverthe­
less the garrison has succeeded in catching the swinging ram in a chain which is being
nulled up to dislodge it from its bearings. But two Assyrians with grappling hooks pull
L down and will strip it off. Yet another danger threatens the war engine; fee
the Cham do ^ appe„ h f„„t of it, tower. But m the noddle fore-
brands are . water and fill a vessel to moisten the outside of the ram.
ground two'men kneel by the
86