Page 208 - The Art & Architecture of the Ancient Orient_Neat

ARAMAEANS AND PHOENICIANS IN SYRIA

subject has not, so far, been found on Assyrian monuments, but it goes back to the third
millennium b.c., where its best-known occurrence is on an inlaid harp from Ur (Plate
31). Its survival in the ninth century b.c. has a bearing on possible sources of certain
Greek fables.
It is striking that all these comparisons of the Tell Halaf reliefs have led us not to the
sculpture, but to the minor arts of Mesopotamia. We have found no sign of acquaintance
with the great pictorial chronicles which were, as far as we know, invented by the sculp-
tors of Assurnasirpal II and continued by those of Shalmaneser III. This confirms what
we have said in the introduction to this chapter, namely that the Assyrian mural decora­
tions only influenced north Syrian art directly after Tiglathpilcsar III had built palaces
in Syria. Until that happened the notion to decorate the orthostats with reliefs was
adopted, but the subjects of the decoration were either improvised or - in the majority
of cases - copied from such portable Mesopotamian objects as were available - bronze
vessels, woven materials, engraved gems, ivory inlays, and so on. The monsters which
guard the gates are also derived from this source. This is clearly shown in the case of the
griffins, which, at Tell Halaf and in other north Syrian sites, retain the side-curls which
they owned in Crete, in Mitanni, and also on Middle Assyrian seals.64 In the reliefs of
Assurnasirpal, the griffin-demons lack these curls and wear long hair, like the human
figures.65 This innovation of the Assyrian sculptors remained unknown in Syria. The
human-headed bull, the commonest Assyrian gate figure, is not found in this role in
north Syrian buildings, and for the same reason. It was not Assyrian sculpture that could
serve as models for the craftsmen of Kaparu and Kilamuva. We assume, however, that
it was known that the decorated orthostats in the Assyrian palaces showed scenes of war;
for this knowledge would explain the fact that horsemen, spearmen, and other soldiers
appear here and there among the early reliefs at Tell Halaf and Zin^irli.
Our illustrations give a fair impression of the execution of the reliefs. In the vast
majority of cases the figure was outlined, and left standing beyond the surface of the
stone. Details were added by means of engraving. Even in the most carefully executed
pieces like plate 159A there is only a minimum of modelling in the faces, while the detail
on the legs, for instance, is engraved, and is fussy and almost meaningless. In most cases
details are scanty and the drawing, like the carving, is elementary. But reliefs like that
of plate 159A do show some sureness of design. Such works, with the sculptures in the
round, must have been made by men with some training, but they were not really
familiar with the traditions of any one established school. We know from the head of
Yarimlim of Alalakh (Plates 137-8) and also from some of the statues found at Mari, how
properly trained Babylonian sculptors worked abroad. We may assume that the kings
of Assyria could, in the ninth century, offer employment to all competent sculptors in
the land, and that only some odd individuals who had obtained a mere smattering of the
craft were available to Kap aru.
In the methods of composition, too, the influence of the minor arts can be traced. A
man carving a spoon or a mirror handle or a piece of inlay, has to arrange the whole of
his subject within the limits of the raw material at hand. Now we observe at Tell Halaf
that no scene or motif spreads over more than one stone. Since the orthostats are, on the

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