--- title: Colossal Statue of a Winged Lion from the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II author: Trustees of the British Museum source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/529/colossal-statue-of-a-winged-lion-from-the-north-we/ format: machine-readable-alternate updated: 2024-09-23 --- # Colossal Statue of a Winged Lion from the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II _Authored by Trustees of the British Museum_ ## Image File [![Colossal Statue of a Winged Lion from the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/529.jpg)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/529.jpg) ## Image Caption Colossal statue of a winged lion from the North-West [Palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/) of [Ashurnasirpal II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ashurnasirpal_II/), [Nimrud](https://www.worldhistory.org/Kalhu/) (ancient [Kalhu](https://www.worldhistory.org/Kalhu/)), modern-day Iraq. [Neo-Assyrian Empire](https://www.worldhistory.org/Neo-Assyrian_Empire/), c. 883-859 BCE. This is one of a pair of guardian figures that flanked one of the entrances into the throne room of Ashurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE). Stone mythological guardians, sculpted in relief or in the round, were often placed at gateways to ancient Mesopotamian palaces, to protect them from demonic forces. They were known to the Assyrians as lamassu. This winged lion has five legs so that when viewed from the front it is standing firm, and when viewed from the side it appears to be striding forward against any evil. It wears ropes like other protective spirits. Between the legs is inscribed the 'Standard Inscription' of Ashurnasirpal which is repeated over many of his reliefs. It records the king's titles, ancestry and achievements. This colossal figure was excavated by Austen Henry Layard who worked in [Assyria](https://www.worldhistory.org/assyria/) between 1845 and 1851. He suggested that these composite creatures embodied the strength of the lion, the swiftness of birds indicated by the wings, and the intelligence of the human head. The helmet with horns indicates the creature's divinity. The British Museum Press, London. ## Cite This Work ### APA Museum, T. o. t. B. (2012, April 26). Colossal Statue of a Winged Lion from the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II. *World History Encyclopedia*. ### Chicago Museum, Trustees of the British. "Colossal Statue of a Winged Lion from the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II." *World History Encyclopedia*, April 26, 2012. . ### MLA Museum, Trustees of the British. "Colossal Statue of a Winged Lion from the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II." *World History Encyclopedia*, 26 Apr 2012, . ## 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 image](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/colossal_statue_of_winged_lion.aspx) by [**Trustees of the British Museum**](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/me/c/colossal_statue_of_winged_lion.aspx). Submitted by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/ "User Page: Jan van der Crabben"), published on 26 April 2012. 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.