Ancient Replicas - Winged Bull

Walls and Towers
Decorative Items

Assyria

Alabaster lion from entrance to temple of Ninurta at Nimrud, reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BC)
Assyrian Lion

Winged bull with human head, from the palace of Sargon II at Khorsabad
Winged Bull Guardian

Tiglath-Pileser III Fragment of a gypsum tablet from the palace of Nimrud.
Tiglath-Pileser III

Sargon II in Royal Fashion Limestone Sculpture
Sargon II

Relief of Siege Scene with Battering-Ram and Impaled Bodies, gypsum, Palace of Tiglath-pileser III
Battering Ram

Relief depicting the siege of a fortified city
Siege Relief

Detail of Hebrew captives playing music, from Lachish, wandering through a mountain forest, accompanied by an Assyrian warrior carrying a club
Hebrew Captives

Relief of Ashurbanipal Stabbing Lion With Sword
King Stabbing Lion

Relief of King Ashurbanipal Reposing with His Queen in the Royal Garden
Ashurbanipal Feasting

Relief of Tiglath-Pileser III in Chariot
Tiglath-Pileser in Chariot 

Relief of Slaves in a Quarry
Forced Quarry Labor

Stone Sculpture of a Winged Lamassu, from Khorsabad
Winged Lamassu

Winged human-headed bull colossus from Khorsabad
Human Headed Bull

Stone Sculpture of Hero Grasping Lion, from Khorsabad
Hero Grasping Lion

Sargon II and a high official
Sargon and High Official

Sargon II and his Tartan
Sargon II and Tartan

Relief from Ashurnasirpal II's palace at Nimrud of a winged genius with an eagle's head
Eagle-Headed Deity

Assyrian Archers
Assyrian Archers

Assyrian King Blinding Prisoners
Blinding Prisoners

Impaled Prisoners
Impaled Prisoners

King Jehu Relief
Jehu Relief

Assyrian King Hunting
King Hunting

Lachish Captives
Lachish Captives

Assyrian Slinger (Stonethrower)
Assyrian Slinger

Trodden Under Foot
Trodden Under Foot


Ashurbanipal Hunting

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III
The Black Obelisk

Sennacherib's Hexagonal Prism of Baked Clay also know as the Taylor Prism
Sennacherib's Prism

Assyrian Soldier Holding Shield
Assyrian Soldier 1

Assyrian Soldier Holding Spear
Assyrian Soldier 2


Babylon

The Striding Lion on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon
The Striding Lion

The Weld-Blundell Prism
Weld-Blundell Prism

 

 

Sculpture of Winged Lamassu, stone, Khorsabad, Neo-Assyrian, 721-705 BCE
From the Neo-Assyrian Period, 1000 BCE - 612 BCE
Found in Khorsabad
Covered in lecture on Apr 15th, 2005
Sculpture was used extensively to decorate the palaces of Neo-Assyrian kings in the form of carved orthostats lining walls, and also colossal stone beasts placed in doorways as protective entities. This Colossal winged bull or 'lamassu' was set up in the entry to the throneroom at Sargon's palace at Khorsabad (721-705 BCE).

The human-headed winged bull (Lhamassu) wears the horned crown of supernatural beings. Figures such as this one were placed in doorways of throne rooms of the Neo-Assyrian kings as protective creatures (although one of the reasons a scribe noted for the death of Sennacherib was that a Lhamassu fell on him because of his impious deeds). This powerful creature was later reused in Achaemenid royal gates.

Human-headed winged bull-gods or Lamassu were placed in doorways of Assyrian king's thronerooms as symbols of power and protection. This Lamassu has five legs, so that if viewed from either front or side it will always have the correct number. In the reign of Sennacherib, Lamassu with four legs replaced their predecessors with five legs.