Page 116 - The Art & Architecture of the Ancient Orient_Neat

THE LATE ASSYRIAN PERIOD
Other scenes show Assurnasirpal’s bivouac, with his tent and the grooming of the un­
harnessed horses;20 the army being ferried across a river, with the chariots mounted in
coracles (circular boats, the modern gufas of Iraq made of wattle and pitch), and the
horses, their bridles held by the men in the craft, swim the stream; foot-soldiers also
swim, sometimes assisted by floats of inflated skins.21 Elsewhere one sees the triumphant
return of the army; the chariotry with its standard, the infantry carrying cut-off heads,
while a vulture flies away with one of these trophies.22 Or one sees the king’s chariot
being led off the field.23 But in between these scenes appear the battles, the burning cities,
the unrelieved, sustained efficiency of Assyrian warfare.
Some reliefs show the king finding distraction in hunting (Plate 87). The incident
shown here was depicted in much greater detail by Assurbanipal two centuries later. It
does not represent an event taking place in the open, but within a square formed by the
shields of soldiers within which lions were released to be shot down by the king from
his chariot. One lion, wounded, and perhaps left for dead, has turned and attacks Assur-
nasirpal from the rear. The king swings round, still holding his bow, which was aimed
at a more distant beast, compelled to use it at close quarters. But some of the soldiers
have already run up with drawn swords to protect their lord, wliile the charioteer con­
tinues to give undivided attention to his team. The horses are aware of the danger, as
their ears show.24
We must presume that such scenes were intended to demonstrate the king’s prowess,
but the effect is heightened by indirect means. Whether intentionally or not, the lion
appears as the main actor. His immensely powerful body dwarfs all the other figures. It
is characteristic of the Assyrian style that this incident is only the culminating point in a
series of reliefs showing chariots driving up and down, leaving dead or dying lions on
the field.25 Once a snarling beast, looking over its shoulder, attempts to evade the hun­
ter.26 The king’s sport ends in solemnity: a relief shows him pouring libations over the
bodies of the dead beasts. He is surrounded by fully armed officers, while a courtier
attends with a fly-whisk and two musicians play their lutes.27
An equally sombre formality transfuses the huge design of which plate 89 shows two-
thirds. It covers the full seven feet of the orthostat’s height, and the figure on the right
of our plate is followed by a companion similarly attired, wliile a winged demon closes
the scene on this as on the left-hand side. These superhuman beings sprinkle holy water
from their bucket, strengthening the power of the king as the genius in plate 83 streng­
thens that of the Lamassu at the palace gate. This pompous setting for the simple act
of taking refreshment emphasizes the sacred character of the Assyrian king, elected by
the gods, although not himself of divine substance. At his Coronation these words were
spoken:

Before Assur, thy god, may thy priesthood and the priesthood of thy sons find favour,
With thy straight sceptre make thy land wide;
May Assur grant thee quick satisfaction, justice, and peacc.

The two kinds of reliefs found in the palace of Assumasirpal correspond severally to
the invocations in the first and last lines of our quotation. The narrow strips show the

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