Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The last of Assyria's great kings, Ashurbanipal has reigned now for 50 years. Having
left a half-dozen corpses in his wake, he moves on, while spearmen hold off lions attack-
ing from the rear.
•
At about the middle of the long wall...
The fleeing lions, cornered by hounds, shot through with arrows, and weighed down
by fatigue, begin to fall. The lead lion carries on even while vomiting blood.
This low point of Assyrian cruelty is, perhaps, the high point of their artistic achieve-
ment. It's a curious coincidence that civilizations often produce their greatest art in their
declining years. Hmm.
• On the wall opposite the vomiting lion is the...
Dying Lioness
A lion roars in pain and frustration. She tries to run, but her body is too heavy. Her muscu-
lar hind legs, once a source of power, are now paralyzed.
Like these brave, fierce lions, Assyria's once-great warrior nation was slain. Shortly
after Ashurbanipal's death, Assyria was conquered, and its capital at Nineveh was sacked
and looted by an ascendant Babylon (612
B.C.
). The mood of tragedy, dignity, and proud
