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Dec 6, 2023 · Lamassu (winged human-headed bulls possibly lamassu or shedu) from the citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (now Khorsabad, Iraq), Neo-Assyrian, c. 720–705 B.C.E., gypseous alabaster, 4.20 x 4.36 x 0.97 m (Musée du Louvre, Paris). These sculptures were excavated by P.-E. Botta in 1843–44.
Sargon II ( Neo-Assyrian Akkadian: 𒈗𒁺, romanized: Šarru-kīn, meaning "the faithful king" [2] or "the legitimate king") [3] was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 BC to his death in battle in 705.
Human-headed genie watering sacred tree, 883–859 B.C.E., gypseous alabaster with traces of paint, 224.8 x 184.8 cm ( Yale Art Gallery, New Haven) Between these courtyards and halls, punctuating these scenes of power and prestige are massive pairs of doorway sculptures called Lamassu.
Dur-Sharrukin ("Fortress of Sargon"; Arabic: دور شروكين, Syriac: ܕܘܪ ܫܪܘ ܘܟܢ), present day Khorsabad, was the Assyrian capital in the time of Sargon II of Assyria. Khorsabad is a village in northern Iraq, 15 km northeast of Mosul. The great city was entirely built in the decade preceding 706 BC.
About. Transcript. Lamassu were winged bulls with human heads that guarded the gates of the Assyrian citadel of Sargon II in ancient Mesopotamia. They were carved from single blocks of stone; had intricate decorations on their crowns, wings, fur, and beards; and had cuneiform inscriptions.
- 5 min
- Beth Harris,Steven Zucker
The citadel consists of the settlement mound (tell) of the ancient city of Hamat which Sargon II destroyed in 720 BC. Photo by Peter van der Wielen. Filling Sargon's coffers: the plunder of Carchemish and Muṣaṣir.
Aug 21, 2022 · They were moved to their current institutional homes by archaeologists who excavated these sites in the mid-19th century. However, many ancient Assyrian cities and palaces—and their gates, with intact lamassu figures and other sculptures—remain as important archaeological sites in their original locations in Iraq.