
A Neo-Assyrian gypsum relief depicting a royal lion hunt, from the Northwest Palace at Nimrud Palace Relief. Created between 875 BCE and 860 BCE. (Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum [CC BY-NC-SA 4.0])
Read on to discover the history and artwork of the Ancient Assyrian civilization.

The Gate of Nimrud, featuring two giant Neo-Assyrian lamasu from the reign of from the reign of Ashurnasirpal II (883 BCE to 859 BCE). (Photo: rosemanios via Wikimedia Comons [CC BY 2.0])
What was Ancient Assyria?

A statuary head of ivory carved in the round depicting a female figure, Neo-Assyrian from the 8th or 7th century BCE. (Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Public domain])
Evidence points to the existence of a settlement at Aššur around 2600 BCE. At that time, the settlement seems to have been an outpost of the Sumerian Empire which controlled much of Bronze Age Mesopotamia. The city then came under the control of the Akkadian Empire. However, by about 4,000 years ago, the city had achieved independence—a small city-state under its own king. These early kings styled themselves viceroys of Ashur, the god of the city for whom they constructed temples. Successive kings began military campaigns to expand Assyrian controlled territory and trade lines. Under King Shamshi-Adad I (1808–1776 BCE), the Old Assyrian Empire reached its widest extent, covering most of Mesopotamia and incorporating parts of the Levant and Anatolia. However, after his death, the Old Assyrian Empire was made subservient to the Babylonian Empire under Hammurabi (famous for his law code). Despite this, a series of Assyrian kings managed to outlast Babylonian control and survive subordination to other powers for several more hundred years.
The next major phase of Assyrian history traditionally begins in the mid 14th century BCE. King Assur-Uballit I once more established full Assyrian independence, this time from the Kingdom of Mitanni. Successive kings began to expand the city state's control once more, conquering territory once held by Mittani, Hittite, and Babylonian rulers. New territory could be governed directly or by subordinated local princes. The Empire's long succession of military victories was recorded—in cuneiform writing—on stone tablets and monuments which glorified each victorious Assyrian king. The Assyrian Empire left countless written records of governance and imperial expansion. An advanced society, the Assyrians built magnificent cities with grand temples and palaces. Like Hammurabi, the Assyrians also had a written code of law.

Map of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, the farthest reach of the ancient Assyrian polity. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Public domain])
The fall of the Assyrian Empire began around 627 BCE when competition for the succession to the throne led to civil war. Weakened by internal division, vassal states began to separate from imperial control. Other groups took advantage of the situation. Scythians attacked the provinces and the Medes forced their way into Assyrian-controlled lands. The city of Nimrud was sacked in 615 BCE, and Nineveh fell in 612. In 609 BCE, the last stand of imperial troops fell. Although Assyria remained an important cultural and political region in the succeeding polities of the near east, the independent imperial tradition had ended.

A glazed terracotta tile from Nimrud depicting the Assyrian king holding a bowl. (Photo: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) via Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 4.0])
Common Motifs of Assyrian Art

An 8th century Neo-Assyrian cloisonné furniture plaque with two griffins in a floral landscape. (Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Public domain])
Bulls are another common motif in Assyrian art. Whether carved in ivory or stone, the bull was more than just an important food source. Sumerian and Akkadian traditions describe the Bull of Heaven, which features in a conflict between Ishtar and Gilgamesh in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The bull remained an important symbol in Assyrian and other Mesopotamian cultures. It also was combined with human, lion, and avian traits to form mythical creatures. For example, Lamassu combined winged lions or bulls with human heads. Their caps carried horns, identifying them as divine creatures. These imposing stone statues usually guarded gateways, towering imperiously over all who entered. From the side, a fifth leg was cleverly sculpted to give an impression of movement as one passed by.
The other of the two main Assyrian deities was Aššur, or Ashur. Associated with the city of Aššur, the Assyrians promoted him as their chief deity. He was often included in art as a horned and winged sun disk with rays of divinity emanating. Within the disk, the figure of the god often clasps a bow. Often Ashur hovers over a sacred tree—often considered a Tree of Life—tended by winged supernatural figures in human shape and kingly dress. Another commonly depicted theme is kingly power. At times the Assyrian ruler himself is depicted—perhaps hunting lions or tending to the sacred tree. Particularly in palace decorations, carved cuneiform writing is used to declare the king's glory, bravery, building projects, and military victories. Foreign visitors to the palaces of Assyrian kings would be in no doubt of his might.
What sort of artwork did the Ancient Assyrians create?
Carved Reliefs

A wall relief showing a winged figure tending a sacred tree. (Photo: The Metropolitan museum of Art [Public domain])
Written messages were also added to the scenes depicted. At Nimrud, across the figural reliefs of winged figures was carved a Standard Inscription. Akkadian rendered in cuneiform script, King Ashurnasirpal II listed his ancestry, titles, military victories, and his building projects. This inscription repeats across the panels. A not-so-subtle intimidation tactic and monument to the king, the repetitious message may have also been imbued with protective powers.
Ivory Work

Ivory furniture panel (with restored wood) showing a tree pattern, circa the 8th century BCE. (Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Public domain])
Scholars believe many of the ivory pieces found at cities such as Nimrud were crafted in North Syria and the Phoenician city-states. Paid as tributes to Assyrian kings, these ivory pieces share motifs with the art of Ancient Egypt—including sphinxes and pharaonic crowns. Ivory pieces could be combined with colorful accents or inlaid in wood for a beautiful effect. These more delicate additions have often not survived intact.
Bronze and Gold

The Sargon Vase, belonging to Sargon II (720-710 BC). (Photo: © The Trustees of the British Museum [CC BY-NC-SA 4.0])
Gold was used in Assyrian trade and tribute as the precious metal could denote status and wealth. Embossed gold sheets could be used to decorate bronze objects, or to coat wood and other less precious materials. Golden tablets have also been documented. Elaborate gold jewelry was discovered en masse by archeologists in royal tombs, buried with a woman who may have been a queen.

Bronze pendant showing the head of Pazuzu, the king of evil wind demons. Pazuzu could protect the wearer from Lamashtu, dangerous spirits. (Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Public domain])
Colorful Glass

Neo-Assyrian glass inlays, 9th or 8th century BCE. (Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Public domain])
Cylinder Seals

A molded-style cylinder seal with a cultic scene with the goddess Ishtar on a platform. (Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Public domain])
The Assyrian Empire controlled many trade routes and had a thriving imperial bureaucracy that required frequent documentation. Crafted by a seal cutter, the seals could be marble, quartz, or another semi-precious stone. When rolled across wet clay tablets, the seal left behind its deign raised upon the clay. Many of these detailed miniature works of art can be seen in museum collections today; in their variety, they offer a window into the business of non-royal Assyrians.
Cuneiform Tablets and Cylinders

The Esarhaddon Cylinder fragment from Fort Shalmaneser at Nimrud. (Photo: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) via Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 4.0])
Stone Stelae and Obelisks

The Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, created between 858 and 824 BCE of black limestone. (Photo: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) via Wikimedia Commons [CC BY-SA 4.0])
Like the Egyptians, the Assyrians used stone obelisks as public monuments. Most famous is perhaps the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, which was placed in the central plaza of the city of Nimrud for all to see in 825 BCE. The obelisk carries scenes that depict subjugated kingdoms paying tribute to the Assyrian king. Cuneiform script details the king's military victories as well. The text of the obelisk contains the first known mention of the Persians and may also reference Jehu, a King of Israel mentioned in the Bible.
Ancient Assyrian Art Today

A Neo-Assyrian pomegranate carved out of ivory. (Photo: The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Public domain])
In 2015, ISIS insurgents destroyed most of the ancient city of Nimrud, in addition to other historical sites. The extreme conflicts in the region also appear to have allowed an increase in looting from archeological sites; only some of those artifacts were intercepted by customs officials in other countries. Later, in 2018, Hobby Lobby paid a $3.1 million fine for their role in purchasing illegally looted and smuggled artifacts from the Sumerian city Irisagrig, also in modern Iraq. The objects were returned to the Iraqi government.
The return of objects taken from Mesopotamia many years ago remains a question faced by museums—not just about Ancient Assyrian art, but about all goods obtained through imperialism and the thirst for antiquities. Ancient Assyrian sites and artifacts can be found in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria; when many of these items will return to these lands where modern Assyrians live is—as of yet—an open question.
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