Page 207 - The Art & Architecture of the Ancient Orient_Neat

PART TWO:
the peripheral regions
In addition to the dozen figures carved wholly or partly in the ronnrl „ i ,
coration included twelve large, and over 200 small, reliefs; the large ones Jcrcin the
a?adc, the smaller formed a dado round the south side of the Palace8(Figure 85) A few

The large reliefs are superior in execution to the rest; both groups derive their reper-
tonre from the Mitanm-Assyrian tradition, and it is difficult to decide to what extent a
local (Mitannian) style was revived by the sculptors, since Assyrian art, too, had ab­
sorbed Mitannian elements (sec above, p. 65). Assyria seems, however, the source of
most of the motifs. In plate 159A we see the winged sun-disk supported by two bull-
men. From the beginning of the second millennium bull-men appear holding a sun-disk
on a standard in Mesopotamia.53 The winged sun-disk arrived by way of Mitannian art,
die wings which stand for the sky, resting on a pillar « But ‘ the pillar of heaven* had no
meaning for the Assyrians, and they did not adopt it. It seems significant that in plate
159^ the Assyrian and not the Mitannian version is followed; the kneeling figure under­
neath the winged disk likewise follows an Assyrian prototype,55 and there is yet another
relief on which two bull-men are shown as supporters of the winged disk without a
pillar.56
The small orthostats are likewise dependent on Mesopotamian examples. One shows
a fish-man with streams of water issuing from his hands.57 A large number of them58
depict fighting animals in pairs, sometimes drawn crosswise, which is an ancient theme
in Mesopotamian decoration.59 None of these groups - lion mauling bull, bull goring
lion, and so on - are found on other north Syrian sites. At Tell Halaf dicy are not slav­
ishly copied from Mesopotamian examples, but freely, if crudely, handled. There is a
lion shown from above, spread-eagled, while it devours a calf60 - a design to my know­
ledge unique. In addition, there are archers, horsemen, charioteers (as on all other north
Syrian sites), and a group of three fighters, two holding their victim between them
(Plate 159c), which occurs, too, on Middle and Late Assyrian seals and also, as we shall
see, on Phoenician bowls. There is further, a variety of winged creatures ■- lions, bulls,
sphinxes, griffins; scorpion-men; bull-men; a seraph - if one wishes to apply this term
to a six-winged figure (Plate 15913).61 A winged demon with two lion heads6- is the
only motif which can claim an imperial Hittite origin; for it occurs on an ivory plaque
so common on un-
at Megiddo (p. 131 and Figure 57). The weather-god with his axe,
perial Hittite and Syrian monuments of the second millennium, and also on other nor 1
Syrian sites of the first, is absent from Tell Halaf, where, in fact, only one deity is repre­
sented. He wears none of the clothing of Hittite and Syrian gods, but a flat cap with wo
horns coming to the front, a long gown, and a mace, like the gods of Mesopotamia.
Much could be added to this list to demonstrate that the repertoire of Tell Halaf reflects
that of Assyria much more closely than do the other north Syrian sites.
The most surprising reappearance of a Mesopotamian theme occurs on two rou0 y
carved orthostats.63 They show animals acting like men: a lion plays a lyre, a on-c
clashes cymbals, a bear and a gazelle bring vessels (these objects arc obscure)> ^
male donkey, a fox, and a number of other animals dance on their hind g .
large
178