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Army Camp & War Scenes
1

Assyrian Camp
The remainder of the south wall of the throne room is decorated with carved bas reliefs showing Assur-nasir-pal's various campaigns. Scholars believe that one can identify many of the places depicted in these images because they follow the order of the campaigns Assur-nasir-pal writes about in his annals.

Here we find an Assyrian soldier on campaign in an army camp.

Notice that the camp is circular in shape and has buttresses or bastions placed to both sides of the transverse roadways. Buttresses are also placed equi-distant from these gateway buttresses, at the center of each section of wall.

Only the man on the lower right is dressed in the short skirt of the common soldier. The other people in this scene have long skirts, long hair and no beards indicating either eunuch members of the king's retinue or female camp followers.

2

King Returns To Camp
To the right of the camp scene was a depiction of the king returning to the army camp in his chariot with his retinue and his parasol. Assur in his winged and bird-tailed halo hovers above the king's horses and appears to lead the troop home safely to camp.

3

Before a Walled Citadel
Here we see the king before a walled citadel with captive women and children and cattle led off by Assyrian soldiers toward the left and the throne of the king upon his throne in Assyria.

This is the first of many such depictions of battles and their aftermaths which cover the remaind-er of the long south wall of the throne room.

Battle now acts as filler for the enormous amount of wall space to be covered just as battle takes up the better part of the records, called annals, that the kings wrote and buried in their palaces and temples. These are records both in imagery and written form that tell the stories of the king's actions both secular and sacred. In truth, however, all the kings acts including his wars, are sacred because all the king's acts have been ordered by his god. The records of the bas reliefs and annals are directerd to future kings as a memento and to the gods almost as though the entire palace was intended to serve as one great votive offering.

4

Citadel Besieged
The walled citadel is here besieged. This is a continuation of the previous slab. The king is on foot, and personally fires his arrows at the enemy city.

The remainder of the wall shows the king and his army in various battles, in camp and receiving tribute from the vanquished. The scenes probably follow the order of the campaigns that the king describes in the shortened form of annals found in the Ninurta Temple at Nimrud.


back to Northwest Palace Overview

Army Camp & War Scenes 1 Assyrian Camp The remainder of the south wall of the throne room is decorated with carved bas reliefs showing Assur-nasir-pal's various campaigns. Scholars believe that one can identify many of the places depicted in these images because they follow the order of the campaigns Assur-nasir-pal writes about in his annals. Here we find an Assyrian soldier on campaign in an army camp. Notice that the camp is circular in shape and has buttresses or bastions placed to both sides of the transverse roadways. Buttresses are also placed equi-distant from these gateway buttresses, at the center of each section of wall. Only the man on the lower right is dressed in the short skirt of the common soldier. The other people in this scene have long skirts, long hair and no beards indicating either eunuch members of the king's retinue or female camp followers. 2 King Returns To Camp To the right of the camp scene was a depiction of the king returning to the army camp in his chariot with his retinue and his parasol. Assur in his winged and bird-tailed halo hovers above the king's horses and appears to lead the troop home safely to camp. 3 Before a Walled Citadel Here we see the king before a walled citadel with captive women and children and cattle led off by Assyrian soldiers toward the left and the throne of the king upon his throne in Assyria. This is the first of many such depictions of battles and their aftermaths which cover the remaind-er of the long south wall of the throne room. Battle now acts as filler for the enormous amount of wall space to be covered just as battle takes up the better part of the records, called annals, that the kings wrote and buried in their palaces and temples. These are records both in imagery and written form that tell the stories of the king's actions both secular and sacred. In truth, however, all the kings acts including his wars, are sacred because all the king's acts have been ordered by his god. The records of the bas reliefs and annals are directerd to future kings as a memento and to the gods almost as though the entire palace was intended to serve as one great votive offering. 4 Citadel Besieged The walled citadel is here besieged. This is a continuation of the previous slab. The king is on foot, and personally fires his arrows at the enemy city. The remainder of the wall shows the king and his army in various battles, in camp and receiving tribute from the vanquished. The scenes probably follow the order of the campaigns that the king describes in the shortened form of annals found in the Ninurta Temple at Nimrud.