---
title: Assyrian reliefs
author: Trustees of the British Museum
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/246/assyrian-reliefs/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 1970-01-01
---
# Assyrian reliefs
_Authored by Trustees of the British Museum_
Mostly dating from the period 880-612 BCE, these carved scenes are found on free-standing stelae and as panels cut on cliffs and rocks at distant places reached by the Assyrian kings during their campaigns. The most spectacular use of stone reliefs, however, was as panels which decorated the mud-brick walls in palaces and temples up to a height of 2.6 metres. The scenes were originally picked out with paint, which occasionally survives, and work like modern comic books, starting the story at one end and following it along the walls to the conclusion.
[  Servants at Dur-Sharukkin (Khorsabad) Jastrow (Public Domain) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/2745/servants-at-dur-sharukkin-khorsabad/ "Servants at Dur-Sharukkin (Khorsabad)")The Assyrians used a form of gypsum for the reliefs and carved it using iron and [copper](https://www.worldhistory.org/copper/) tools. The stone is easily eroded when exposed to wind and rain and when it was used outside, the reliefs are presumed to have been protected by varnish or paint. It is possible that this form of decoration was adopted by Assyrian kings following their campaigns to the west, where stone reliefs were used in Neo-[Hittite](https://www.worldhistory.org/hittite/) [cities](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) like Carchemish. The Assyrian reliefs were part of a wider decorative scheme which also included [wall](https://www.worldhistory.org/wall/) paintings and glazed bricks.
The reliefs were first used extensively by king [Ashurnasirpal II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ashurnasirpal_II/) (about 883-859 BCE) at [Kalhu](https://www.worldhistory.org/Kalhu/) ([Nimrud](https://www.worldhistory.org/Kalhu/)). This tradition was maintained in the royal buildings in the later capital cities of Khorsabad and [Nineveh](https://www.worldhistory.org/nineveh/).
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## Bibliography
- [British Museum - Assyrian reliefs](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/a/assyrian_reliefs.aspx "British Museum - Assyrian reliefs"), accessed 1 Dec 2016.
## External Links
- [Assyria, 1365–609 B.C. | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History](https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/assy/hd_assy.htm)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Museum, T. o. t. B. (2011, August 03). Assyrian reliefs. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Museum, Trustees of the British. "Assyrian reliefs." *World History Encyclopedia*, August 03, 2011. .
### MLA
Museum, Trustees of the British. "Assyrian reliefs." *World History Encyclopedia*, 03 Aug 2011, .
## License & Copyright
© Trustees of the [British Museum](http://www.britishmuseum.org/). Republished under the British Museum [Standard Terms of Use](http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_this_site/terms_of_use.aspx) for non-profit educational purposes. Original article by **Trustees of the British Museum**. Submitted by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/ "User Page: Jan van der Crabben"), published on 03 August 2011. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Copyright](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright). You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.