Image: Assyrian Relief of the Banquet of Ashurbanipal From Nineveh Gypsum N Palace British Museum 01

Description: Assyrian Relief of the Banquet of Ashurbanipal From Nineveh N Palace, Gypsum, British Museum. Ashurbanipal reclines on a banqueting couch beneath an arbor of vines, facing his queen, shown seated on a throne. His sword, quiver, and bow lie on a table at right, signaling his military prowess. Attendants fan the royal couple while musicians play in the background. In a gruesome detail, the severed head of the Elamite king Teumman, killed in Battle against Ashurbanipal's army eight years earlier, hangs from a tree branch at left - another reminder of the Assyrian king's ruthless pursuit of power and empire. Ashurbanipal and his queen Libbali-sharrat depicted dining. The severed head of Elamite King Teumman is hanging in a tree to the left.[1] An Egyptian necklace hangs from the curved angle of the couch, probable symbol of his conquests in Egypt.[2] A bow with a quiver are exposed on the table, probable symbol of his conquest in Elam.[2] This relief is associated with another fragment showing the humiliation of an Elamite king forced to serve food to Ashurbanipal.[2]British Museum BM 124920.[3]
Author: Allan Gluck
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
License: CC-BY-SA-3.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
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