Assyrian Lion Hunt Relief

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Illustration

Thamis
by Jan van der Crabben (Photographer)
published on 26 April 2012

The King's role was to protect his people from enemies. In ancient Assyria, this was symbolized in the lion hunt, when the king went out to kill lions.

Lions were not uncommon in the Ancient Near East. King Ashurbanipal of Assyria noted that the hills abounded with lions who were killing cattle and humans alike.

It appears, though that the king had the lions caught for him, and brought to some sort of arena, where he could hunt the lions without having to go out and chase them.

This frieze is from the royal palace of Ashurbanipal, exhibited in the British Museum London.

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Cite This Work

APA Style

(Photographer), J. v. d. C. (2012, April 26). Assyrian Lion Hunt Relief. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/image/96/assyrian-lion-hunt-relief/

Chicago Style

(Photographer), Jan van der Crabben. "Assyrian Lion Hunt Relief." World History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 26, 2012. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/96/assyrian-lion-hunt-relief/.

MLA Style

(Photographer), Jan van der Crabben. "Assyrian Lion Hunt Relief." World History Encyclopedia. World History Encyclopedia, 26 Apr 2012. Web. 26 Mar 2023.

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