The human-headed winged bull, or lamassu, of Khorsabad, a northern city of Iraq, is a colossal sculpture. The sculpture guarded the entrance to king Sargon II throne room. King Sargon II considered his city and palace to be an expression of his greatness, and rightfully so. Sargon’s royal citadel reveals his ambition and the confidence of his all-conquering might. The human-headed winged bulls were a great representation of his ambition and confidence as they warded off his enemies. Sargon may not have been aware of the lasting impression of his human-headed winged bulls, in recent history the British adopted the lamassu as their symbol in 1942-1943 during the operation of the British army in Iraq and Iran. Additionally, United States forces …show more content…
Because of his accomplishments, Sargon was financially wealthy enough to build his Assyrian Empire. In 713 B.C., Sargon II began construction of Dur-Sarruken, meaning Sargon’s Fortress. It is in this “fortress” that the king’s palace lay and where the human-headed winged bull and its companion were guards. It is believed that king Sargon’s palace overshadowed the buildings of all his predecessors in scale and quality. Within Sargon’s newly built city, Khorsabad, lay three types of buildings, royal palaces, temples, and residences of court officials (Loud, p. …show more content…
In the Akkadian language lamassu means protective spirits (Thomas, p. 899). Lamassu not only protected kings and palaces, but everyone. People believed that as long as the spirit of the lamassu was close that they’d be safer. They were generally carved on clay tablets and most people buried their lamassu under the threshold of their homes (Thomas, p. 898). Homes that possessed a lamassu was believed to be a happy place. Archaeological research has proven that Lamassu were important to the entire culture that inhabited the land of Mesopotamia and surrounding areas (Thomas,
Monarchs often displayed their power by commissioning buildings and monuments. Louis and Suleiman were no exceptions. Louis had one of the greatest palaces in the world build in the middle of a swamp. This showed his absolute power because no builder ...
The Assyrian Winged Protective Deity is a very imposing figure. It measures around seven and a half feet tall (Relief of a Winged Genius). This shows the figure's importance, even if the viewer did not know it protected the king from harm. Originally, it was placed next to the throne, which also makes it an important image. The muscles are extremely striking on the figure's arms and legs. The Assyrian Winged Protective Deity is shown in the composite view, so the viewer can see all of the important parts of the figure. The figure appears to be a man, but it has distinct wings coming out of its back. This could show its divinity, or the gods have an influence over this creature.
The Lamassu is a mythological winged human-headed bull that guards the Assyrian palace of Sargon II in Khorsabad, Iraq around 721 to 705 BCE. There are theories that they were sculpted at the palace gates to ward off evil and fend off invasions. Archaeologists theorized that the Lamassu had influenced other winged animal and human hybrids throughout the ages from Ancient Mesopotamia to Ancient Greece and to the Romanesque and Asia Minor. One, for example, is the Chimera of Arezzo, Italy from the Etruscans Late Classical period of the 4th century BCE. There were some debates about the origins of the Lamassu - where and what period the statuette was made and how much influence did it impacted other mythological winged hybrids.
"Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." The Achaemenid Persian Empire (550–330 B.C.). N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Although the portrait does not show a realistic representation of Wadj-shemsi-su himself, the Egyptians instead identified him with glyphs located on the back of the lid and concentrated on creating an idealistic image that symbolized the kingdom’s power. The lid functioned to protect the king’s mummified corpse, but the portrait itself functioned to symbolize the wealth of the kingdom through the figure’s powerful face, strong bone structure, and painted ornate
Bihzad has placed strong emphasis on the complexity of the palace’s architecture which he has adorned with colorful ornaments and emblazoned with gold. Each room is decorated with rugs and tiles featuring complex floral and asymmetrical patterns that cover each chamber from floor to ceiling. The palace appears to be three stories tall and features a balcony on the left and a zigzagging staircase on the right. The asymmetrical style of these two architectural features gives the impression of the work being 3-dimensional ...
The wooden lintels, writing, and the unique calendar reveal clues about life in a society that thrived for over 1000 years. Many massive building are visible today, those built to pay tribute to kings and to please the deities. The M...
Have you heard of the expression ‘don’t grab the bull by the horns’? How about ‘don’t grab the bull by the beard.’? Wait, what? Yes, you read that correctly. In the Early Dynastic Period, about 4,500 years ago, bulls were an animal that symbolized protection and beards were a symbol of certain gods. So, to say that maybe this combination was something that inspired artists back in this time period. Therefore, sculpting the famous Bearded Bull’s Head. The Bearded Bull’s Head is a sculpture made from copper with lapis lazuli and shell inlays. The artist of this interesting piece remains unknown. It was made nine and a half inches long by nine and a sixteenth inches wide, or 23.5 centimeters by 23 centimeters. The sculpture itself is classified
sacred building that loomed up out of the night to give them what haven and blessing they
The furnishings found in each hut also provide indications of how the people lived. In the centre of all the huts lay a fireplace that is thought to be the only source of heat and light in the entire hou...
Architecture is one important aspect of Byzantine culture. One of the most famous Byzantine architectural achievements is the Hagia Sophia, which is located in modern-day Istanbul. The basic design of the cathedral has a dome over a square base, which required a new innovation. At the time, it was kn...
This work of art is subtractive because it involves skimming or subtracting from the material’s original mass or volume (Sayre, 295). Carving is a process where materials were being chiseled, cut into or hammered to achieve the desired form/s (Sayre, 299). The most common material carvers used to produce sculptures are wood or stone (Sayre, 299). In this art work, the artist used a material, in this case alabaster, and carved the material into shape using sharp tools, such as chisel or gouger. The carving for “Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions” is low relief, meaning its depths are shallow and the forms are not as elevated from the base as in high relief carving. Additionally, this sculpture is a type of frontal art which was meant to only be viewed from the front and not from the back (Sayre, 295). This type of art form is often used to embellish architectural structures such as residences, buildings and even palaces (Sayre, 295). In fact, this specific piece is found as a decoration in Assurnapiral II’s palace complex as one of the many relief arts found in his residence. This specific relief art depicted the powerful leadership of Assurnapiral II, the country’s strong military units, and the thriving capital of Kalhu which was established after the fall of Babylon in 1595 B.C. (Sayre,
Fleming, Sean Michael. "Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia." Library Journal 15 Feb. 2006
Another artistry that was visualized within the Epic was Sumerian architecture. There was mention of the walls in Uruk. "In Uruk he built walls...The outer wall where the cornice runs...the inner wall has...
Richardson, Seth. "An Assyrian Garden of Ancestors: Room I, Northwest Palace, Kalhu." State Archives of Assyria Bulletin 13 (1999): 145-216.